It's Monday! What are you reading? 10-17-22

 

It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.

My Monday posts are generally just a highlight of what I've been reading during the week so if you'd like to see all that I've been reading, follow my Goodreads page.

Y'all... I have been so all over the place with my reading. I can't seem to commit to just one book. So this is what I am currently reading in bits and bobbles:

 

Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King

The Honeys by Ryan LaSalla

 

Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne

Developing Digital Detectives: Essential Lessons for Discerning Fact from Fiction in the 'Fake News' Era by Jennifer LaGarde and Darren Hudgins

I recently read and loved: 

Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson

ZJ's dad, a professional football player, is experiencing headaches, memory loss, and mood swings at a time when the world didn't know about CTE yet. While this is a quick read as it is a novel in verse, it is absolutely heartbreaking and can be triggering in places. The Family Business by Lenore Appelhans, illustrated by Ken Lamug Lucky the Racoon is excited to join the family business of dumpster diving to find their food, but when he finally gets to join his siblings, he gets more than he bargained for when humans are always chasing them off. A fun story about honoring your gifts and talents rather than forcing yourself to go against your own disposition. I Am Quiet: A Story About the Introvert in All of Us by Andie Powers, illustrated by Betsy Petersen Quiet kids often live rich, inner lives and what we often think is shyness is actually just a kid who likes spending time inside their own imaginations. Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civils Rights Movement by Angela Joy, illustrated by Janelle Washington This picture book biography on Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till, is incredibly well-written and emotionally captivating. A must for every school library and history classroom. Purchasing books from any of the above Bookshop affiliate links support independent bookstores and gives me a small percentage of the sale.

It's Monday! What are you reading? 10-3-22

It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead. My Monday posts are generally just a highlight of what I've been reading during the week so if you'd like to see all that I've been reading, follow my Goodreads page. Books I recently read and enjoyed: Love That Story: Observations from a Gorgeously Queer Life by Jonathan Van Ness In the follow up to his memoir, Over the Top, Jonathan Van Ness brings a side of depth and social justice to his sunny disposition in this series of intersectional essays. Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am by Julia Cooke I really enjoyed learning more about American history (Cold War, Vietnam War, etc.) through the lens of what it was like being a stewardess for the most glamorous airline of the jet age. Forever Home by Henry Cole A young boy wants a dog so badly that to prove to his dads that he can be responsible, he walks an empty leash every day. One day, he discovers a stray dog that he wants to rescue and his dads finally decide he's ready for his own dog. The only problem is... they can't find him when they go looking for him. Sonny Says Sorry by Caryl Hart, illustrated by Zachariah OHora A sweet book about how apologies should be accompanied by action to make right the wrong you did. Books Aren't for Eating by Carlie Sorosiak, illustrated by Manu Montoya A delightful book that sends the message that books fill you up... but if you're a goat, you need to remember that they shouldn't fill up your stomach, but rather your brain. :) The More You Give by Marcy Campbell, illustrated by Francesca Sanna I love that this book is described as a modern-day response to The Giving Tree. Because instead of giving of yourself so much that you become nothing but a stump for your child to sit on, this is a book that shows how giving can give back... by creating a whole forest. Everything in Its Place by Pauline David-Sax, illustrated by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow Nicky loves her school library so much that she spends her recess helping the librarian re-shelve books. But when the librarian has to be gone for a week at a conference, Nicky must actually go to recess, which she is dreading. This is a sweet story about taking risks, getting out of our comfort zones, and also still embracing a love a books as one navigates outside that comfort zone.

Currently reading:

Odder by Katherine Applegate

Currently reading with my ears:

The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper

Purchasing books from any of the above Bookshop affiliate links support independent bookstores and gives me a small percentage of the sale. 

It's Monday! What are you reading? 8-1-22

It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.

My Monday posts are generally just a highlight of what I've been reading during the week so if you'd like to see all that I've been reading, follow my Goodreads page.

Last week I read and loved:

Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain

I'm obsessed with this book. I spent a better part of yesterday making a bittersweet Spotify playlist and a TikTok review because I am currently in ADHD hyperfixation mode. Cain's book Quiet changed my life by giving me permission to embrace my introversion. And this book equally changed my life by giving me permission to embrace my melancholy side. 

Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega, illustrated by Rose Bousamra

An important middle grade graphic novel about a young girl who wants to embrace her natural curly hair rather than being forced to go to the salon every week with her mami to straighten her hair. This book is an important mirror for young Black girls who want to embrace their natural hair and a window for white readers who are used to seeing their physical features as a cultural default.

Currently reading:

Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice by Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes and Dawud Anyabwile

Currently (still) reading with my ears:

Invisible Storm: A Soldier's Memoir of Politics and PTSD by Jason Kander

Purchasing books from any of the above Bookshop affiliate links support independent bookstores and gives me a small percentage of the sale. 

It's Monday! What are you reading? 7-25-22

It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.

My Monday posts are generally just a highlight of what I've been reading during the week so if you'd like to see all that I've been reading, follow my Goodreads page.

Last week I read and loved:

I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day

A really lovely and important middle grade book that tackles a difficult topic but isn't heavy-handed about it. It is a book about family history, family secrets, and indigenous identity. It's also a great entry point to discuss the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 that is alarmingly being brought again before the Supreme Court this fall. 

Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas

This book’s premise can be distilled down as New Kid meets Bring It On but with swimming instead of cheerleading. It’s a story that imparts a lot of hard truths about why so many Black Americans never learned or teach their kids to swim, but it’s mostly a page-turning story of friendship, teamwork, and overcoming adversity. Yes We Will: Asian Americans Who Shaped This Country by Kelly Yang Wonderful book that connects narrative elements along with peritext and backmatter to tell the story of inspiring Asian Americans. I love that each page spread featured a different Asian American illustrator, further highlighting the accomplishments of Asian Americans. The Surprise by Zadie Smith and Nick Laird, illustrated by Magenta Fox What a delightfully odd and heartwarming story about a guinea pig that does Judo and doesn't know her place in a family of pets that are very dedicated to their schedules. The delightful oddness of the story puts me in mind of Phil Stead's picture books.  Currently (still) reading: Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain Currently reading with my ears: Invisible Storm: A Soldier's Memoir of Politics and PTSD by Jason Kander

It's Monday! What are you reading? 7-18-22

It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.

My Monday posts are generally just a highlight of what I've been reading during the week so if you'd like to see all that I've been reading, follow my Goodreads page.

Here are some fun book-related TikToks I made last week:

@bibliophilebeth #booktok #PrimeDayDreamDeals #selfcare #mentalhealth #librariansoftiktok ♬ Reading when the world is a dumpster fire - Frankie Love

@bibliophilebeth #LetMyPeopleRead ♬ original sound - 👑 King Moe 👑

@bibliophilebeth When this is the weather in July, you mark yourself as unavailable in your calendar and sit outside and read #librariansoftiktok #schoollibrarian #booktok ♬ original sound - catherineoharasbebe

Last week I reviewed:

Emotional Inheritance: A Therapist, Her Patients, and the Legacy of Trauma by Galit Atlas, PhD

Last week I read and loved:

Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd

There’s a teacher in the story that says a pen is a direct line to a person’s heart. Well, Natalie Lloyd’s pen draws a whole lot of lines to readers’ hearts.

The Queen of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newman

MJ, with her tiara and rainbow-colored braids, absolutely slays on her first day of kindergarten... by being helpful and kind and having a great time while doing it.

Like by Annie Barrows, illustrated by Leo Espinosa

A picture book that brilliantly sets up the thesis that humans are more alike than different by showing the ways we are alike/different to other objects. A great read aloud for Preschool-1st grade classes.

Currently reading:

Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain

Currently reading with my ears:

I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day

Purchasing books from any of the above Bookshop affiliate links support independent bookstores and gives me a small percentage of the sale. 

It's Monday! What are you reading? 7-11-22

It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.

My Monday posts are generally just a highlight of what I've been reading during the week so if you'd like to see all that I've been reading, follow my Goodreads page.

I recently reviewed:

Run: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, L. Fury, and Nate Powell

I recently read and enjoyed:

Don't Eat Bees: Life Lessons from Chip the Dog by Dev Petty, illustrated by Mike Boldt

Chip is a very smart dog. He knows all of the things dogs should and shouldn't eat. Maybe. A Sky-Blue Bench by Bahram Rahman, illustrated by Peggy Collins A heartwarming story about a young girl who struggles at school sitting on the floor every day due to her disability so she decides a bench for herself. There Was a Hole by Adam Lehrhaupt, illustrated by Carrie O'Neill A conversation-starter about what grief and loss feels like Ice Cream Face by Heidi Woodward Sheffield This book takes you on quite the journey -- one of love, excitement, anticipation, observation, impatience, savoring, devastation, and then a heartwarming conclusion. All done over a scoop of ice cream. I adore the joyful, bright illustrations, particularly the ice cream scoops which are actual photographs. Where Butterflies Fill the Sky: A Story of Immigration, Family, and Finding Home by Zahra Marwan Zahra Marian’s unique story of immigration is told vaguely enough in the main story itself to keep readers curious and asking questions but then more specificity is given in the backmatter. Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Frank Morrison A stunning and emotionally charged book that takes a classic African American spiritual and modernizes it. Currently reading: Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd Currently reading with my ears: Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain Purchasing books from any of the above Bookshop affiliate links support independent bookstores and gives me a small percentage of the sale.

It's Monday! What are you reading? 6-13-22

 

It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.

My Monday posts are generally just a highlight of what I've been reading during the week so if you'd like to see all that I've been reading, follow my Goodreads page.

Join me this Wednesday at 7 PM ET for NCTE's Build Your Stack virtual event: The Best Books of the 2021-2022 School Year. Thanks Jen Vincent for inviting me to participate! You don't have to be an NCTE member to attend, but you do have to register in order to attend. 

I recently read and enjoyed:

The Name She Gave Me by Betty Culley

The Name She Gave Me is perfect for readers who loved Robin Benway's Far From the Tree. This book is a reminder that adoption isn't just about saving a life, it also leaves scars and there can be harm, trauma and dysfunction within adoptive families just as much as biological families. This book publishes on June 21st and I'm already planning on ordering a copy for my school library since I have quite a few students who loved Far From the Tree so I know they will devour this book. 

Noodle and the No Bones Day by Jonathan Graziano, illustrated by Dan Tavis

This book is an absolute delight. Jon Graziano and Noodle the pug have stolen our hearts on social media with their daily “readings” of whether it’s a Bones Day or No Bones Day. Jon Graziano has reminded us all what a joy and privilege it is to take care of a senior dog with all their quirks and frustrations. I especially love the message in this book to listen to your intuition and take care of yourself based on what your body is telling you to do rather than just powering through for the sake of The Hustle. For that reason it’s a great book for kids AND adults.  The Blur by Minh Le, illustrated by Dan Santat Minh Le and Dan Santat are required reading. Always. Great book for graduations in lieu of Oh the Places You'll Go. Currently (still) reading: Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd Currently reading with my ears: Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day Purchasing books from any of the above Bookshop affiliate links support independent bookstores and gives me a small percentage of the sale.