It's Monday! Archives - Page 9 of 10

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? July 21

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? –From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.

This week was another great reading week for me. I keep going to the library, which is very fun, but it keeps adding books to an already huge TBR pile. This week my job is going to be weeding out the shelves. I am hoping to keep only the books that I know I will read. I have a very bad habit of buying clearance books at Half Price Books. A lot of times the books I get are very intriguing on the day I buy them, but then they sit on my shelf for months (or years) getting passed over. I am overwhelmed right now by the number of books in my house. I have about 10 boxes of young adult titles that will not work for my 4th grade classroom next year. I have to sort through those books and then find some good middle school or high school homes for most of the collection. I also just need to get rid of some of the books on my shelves. Luckily, there are a number of free little libraries around my neighborhood. I will be stocking some of them with my discarded books.

Books I Finished This Week:

Adult Books:

I loved this book. I am a huge mystery fan so the inherent mystery in this one really pulled me in. I also am a book nerd so the idea of a secret book society and this amazing sounding bookstore really pulled my heartstrings. I also thought the technology used in the book was really cool. I am not sure if it was science fiction or if some of the technologies actually exist, but I was really impressed!

Graphic Novels:

I got this one mostly because it is set at a camp. The story was okay. I wasn’t too impressed. I think some middle schoolers might relate and enjoy this book.

This was a fun book to read. I am not so sure about the format, with some comics that are inserted between the chapters of the main story. I think some readers would find these confusing. Overall, I thought the book was entertaining and I will keep an eye out for a copy to include in my class library.

This is an amazing graphic novel. It would be an excellent text to share with middle grade students to start a conversation about the holocaust. This is a story of a grandmother who is telling the story of her experiences to her granddaughter. I will absolutely be buying a copy for my classroom.

This is another graphic novel that does a great job of introducing a difficult history topic. The Storm in the Barn is set during the dust bowl and would serve as a good starting point to teach about this time in the history of the USA. This is another one that I will be looking for to add to the class library.

I am really impressed with Matt Phelan at this point. This is another great graphic novel that really piqued my curiosity. I had not heard of two of the three world travelers in this book and it was really interesting to read about their adventures.

Picture Books:

The whole time I was reading Poem-Mobiles: Crazy Car Poems, I was thinking about how fun this would be as a mentor text. The cars are so varied and so imaginative. I think it would be fun to have students imagine their own car and work to write a car poem of their own.

I was drawn to this picture book from the cover. It just seemed like an important book to read. It was really interesting to read this biography of an artist I had never heard of before.

Middle Grade:

This is an amazing book that will be a powerful one to share with students. I can imagine there would be very deep conversations that could come out of it. I would like to highlight the idea that you should be kind because you never know what people are dealing with in their private lives. I think this author also did a good job of showing how the problems with girls start and are perpetuated usually through rumors. I think it would be a good book to help girls to see that you shouldn’t always believe it when someone tells you that someone else said something about you. I am definitely considering this book for a read aloud early in the school year.

I like the way the illustrations and comics were integrated into this novel. It is a fun book and I also like how some really rich themes were brought out throughout the story. I know it will be a big hit in the 4th grade classroom.

Young Adult:

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen is a retelling of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, but it is so much more than that too. Here is what I wrote on Goodreads:

I picked up Briar Rose expecting a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I got that and so much more in this book. As she did in The Devil’s Arithmetic, Jane Yolen writes a heartbreakingly beautiful story of loss and survival. I was swept up into the story and immediately wanted to solve the mystery. What comes is another tale of the Holocaust and the atrocities committed during the war. This author does such a good job of teaching history while at the same time telling a compelling and riveting story.

Books I am Currently Reading:

I am still reading Crafting Digital Writing and The Literacy Teacher’s Playbook. I also started reading Gulp! by Mary Roach.

What’s Next?

I am trying to start a book in Spanish. I need to start during the day and not try to get into it at night before going to sleep. My brain just isn’t into working so hard before bed. I still have a stack of library books, so I will probably dig into some of them. I also want to get to some books about writing in order to get some inspiration there.

What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? July 13

I was feeling better this week but not 100% so the week was perfect for lounging around the house reading and writing. I had a very good reading week, with many thought-provoking books and much introspection.

Books I Finished This Week:

The Serpent’s Tale by Ariana Franklin is the second book in the Mistress of the Art of Death series. It is set in medieval times, when the protagonist, who is a woman, must hide the fact that she has been medically trained. Seeing her solve crimes or perform autopsies will cause the average person in her world to call her a witch. I quite enjoyed this installment and plan to read the third book soon.

Raging Star is the third book in the Blood Red Road trilogy. I love this trilogy and really enjoyed the stories. I was not happy with the events in this book, but I can understand the need for the story to take that path. I still would recommend the trilogy but I am not loving the end. In fact, I was close to throwing the book across the room which I guess shows how emotionally invested I was in the story.

I LOVED this book. I don’t even have words for it. You just need to read this book.

Because of the elephant on the cover, I thought this book was about an elephant. Silly me! I did enjoy the graphic story about Buster Keaton and a small summer getaway for vaudevillians called Bluffton. I thought the use of muted colors in this graphic novel was very smart and I am really interested in reading more by Matt Phelan.

Professional Books Finished:

I was really happy when I saw this title was on the digital campus. I have been wanting to read it for a couple years now. Overall, this book was another one that affirmed the practice of reading workshop and encouraging kids to read. I like the concept of reading ladders and have been doing something similar for years. The book did make me think a lot about how there are different ways that books can be more complex. Definitely recommended reading for teachers of reading.

This book would be a good book to give a new teacher or one who has not really delved into the possibilities of being connected. I felt like I already knew a lot of what this author was saying and that I already do a lot of what she was recommending that we do. I would definitely recommend it for newer teachers though.

Comprehension Connections is a must-read for teachers who are teaching reading workshop. I absolutely love all the ideas for lessons to make the abstract a little more concrete for students. I read this book online and will be ordering a hard copy because there are so many great ideas that I want this one on my shelf and at my fingertips for reading workshop.

Books I am Currently Reading:

I am reading The Literacy Teacher’s Playbook and Crafting Digital Writing for my professional reading this week. I also am reading The Old Man and The Sea and Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore. I am listening to The Clockwork Princess.

What’s Next?
I will probably pick up El Asedio by Arturo Perez-Reverte to continue my Spanish reading. I am not sure what else I will pick up, but I need to get to some more middle grade titles so that will be a priority.

What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Books I Finished This Week:

I was sick last week and did not get very much reading done. At this point, I am starting to feel much better so I hope to read more this week.

If you haven’t read any books by Arturo Perez-Reverte, I highly recommend his fiction books (start with The Seville Communion). He is a Spanish author. El Francotirador Paciente (The Patient Sniper) is about a woman who is sent out by a publisher to track down a famous graffiti artist, who goes by the tag Sniper. The publisher wants to find this artist to offer to do a biography and exhibit of his work. The artist has a price on his head and is in hiding. The book is a mystery as well as a fascinating glimpse into the world of graffiti. I enjoyed the story and would recommend it to adults (unfortunately, there isn’t an English translation yet).

I liked Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets because it was realistic. There aren’t any big heroics happening, just a kid trying to get through some rough times. I think it would definitely be a book that will resonate with teens. I highly recommend this one.

Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas is a graphic novel that shows the story of how each woman got started with her research. It is a fascinating look at the way science unfolded and would be a good introduction to a unit about primates. It was also interesting to learn more about these three women. It definitely piqued my curiosity about each woman.

Books I Am Currently Reading:

I have a bunch of professional reads going right now. I will talk more about each one as I finish the book. I also started reading The Serpent’s Tale by Ariana Franklin, which is the second book in the Mistress in the Art of Death series. It is an historical mystery.

What’s Next?

My library pile includes Raging Star, The Storied Life of AJ Fikry, Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, and Bluffton. I don’t know if I will get to all of them because I also will pick up another book in Spanish and another middle grade read this week.

Blog Posts from this week:

I posted on Saturday to participate in the Celebrate Link Up HERE
I also shared my goals for Teachers Write HERE

What are you reading? Any big plans for this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/30

Books I Finished This Week:

I very much enjoyed the Grisha trilogy. I am not exactly sure what I think of this ending. The author certainly surprised me and kept me guessing about what would happen next. I am both happy and a little skeptical of the way things worked out in the book. I highly recommended this series for grade 8 and up.

The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy is every bit as hilarious as the first book. So fun to read!

I don’t think I have words to describe how awesome this book is. I cannot wait to read it aloud to a classroom of 4th graders. I love how the author used so many book titles throughout the book. That library would be the most amazing thing ever if it really existed. If you haven’t read this one, you need to fix that asap.

I saw Amelia Rules on the children’s graphic novel shelf at the library and picked it up to check it out. I was not very impressed. I didn’t like Amelia very much and I wasn’t so sure about the style of talking to the reader. I do know that not everyone has my taste though, and will look for these books for my classroom because some kids might really like them.

Chickenhare was just a weird story. Again, there will be some kids who love that about the graphic novel. I was not really impressed with it.

Books I Am Currently Reading:

I am reading El Francotirador Paciente by Arturo Perez-Reverte. I also started Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets and am still reading the professional books I wrote about last week.

What’s Next?

I am not sure what will be next. I know I want to spend time writing this week, which will take away from time spent reading. Therefore, I don’t know if I will have time for more than just what I have already started.

What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/23

This week was another busy week. Although I finished my school year on Tuesday, I ended up not having as much time to read as I thought. For one thing, I am really interested in soccer so I am taking a lot of time to watch World Cup games.

Also, my dog had a small medical issue this week. We ended up at the after-hours veterinary clinic on Weds. evening because she was red and swollen on her rear end. She had an abscess on her anal gland which was obviously quite painful for her. She spent the night there and since Thursday we have had to be vigilant and caring for her. She is getting better but this took up a lot of my energy this week.

I hope next week will feel more like summer vacation, with more time for reading.

Books I Finished This Week:

Los Vigilantes del Faro by Camilla Lackberg is the seventh book in the Patrik Hedstrom series (The Lost Boy is the title in English). Camilla Lackberg is a Swedish writer and these mysteries are very entertaining. Not all of the books are available in the United States yet. I read them in Spanish because I could get them in Spain, but you now can get the first few books in English here. I would highly recommend them to anyone who likes murder mysteries. The Ice Princess is the first book in the series.

I am not usually a reader who stops to write down quotes or put flags on pages. I think hard about the book and the language, but I don’t like to stop my reading to take notes. The book A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd was so well-written, with so much beautiful language that I found myself stopping to write things down. I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED this book. It is such a wonderful story about magic in the world and the love you can find in your family. I will definitely use this as a read aloud next year with my 4th grade class. I highly recommend this book to all middle grade readers and up.

Books I Am Currently Reading:

I started reading The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle this week. I also am reading some professional books on Heinemann’s digital campus. I love the chance to subscribe to a great professional library and the opportunity to read some great books. I am reading three books to participate in the summer book club on this website: Comprehension Connections by Tanny McGregor, Thrive by Meenoo Rami, and The Literacy Teacher’s Playbook by Jennifer Serravallo. These are excellent books to be reading as I start to think about next year and the procedures I want to use in my workshops.

What’s Next?

I went to the Fierce Reads event here in Milwaukee on Saturday. I bought Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo while I was there. I am so excited to read this third installment of the Grisha trilogy. I also will be choosing another one of the books in Spanish from our bookshelf to read.

As many of you know, I am moving back down to 4th grade next school year. I still had many of my books for the classroom library at this grade level, but I will be working to build the collection more. I am trying to gather lists from people of which books are essential to have in a 4th grade library. I also would like suggestions of read aloud titles. I know that many of the lists I get will be similar to the list I already have in my head, but I would really like to create a comprehensive collection, so please give me any suggestions you can think of.

What are you reading this week? Any suggestions for my classroom library? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/16

This week was a crazy, hectic week so I didn’t get much reading in. I am looking forward to much more time to read this week.

Books I Finished This Week:

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu was a story that pulled me in from the beginning. My heart broke for Hazel and I wanted to see how things would work out for her. The fantasy part was more far-fetched than I usually like to read, but it was well done in this book. I recommend this one for middle grades and up.

That Workshop Book by Samantha Bennett was a perfect professional book to read at this point of the year. I am busy working on packing up to move to a different classroom and reading this book really helped me to start remembering the things I would like to have in place next year. I love that this book was full of glimpses into other classrooms and chock full of great ideas for workshop teaching. I will definitely come back to my notes over and over while planning for next year.

Books I am Currently Reading:

I am reading a mystery book by one of my favorite authors, Camilla Lackberg. I also started listening to The Clockwork Princess.

What’s Next?
I don’t know what will come next. I will go with what I feel like reading this week.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/9

I didn’t do much reading this week because of crazy end-of-school-year tasks, but I still had a great reading week!

Books I Finished This Week:

I loved Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter. It is a beautiful story with a good message about what it means to be human. I enjoyed the references to old Hollywood and the descriptions of the tiny fishing village in Italy. I like the way the story was told, with different perspectives from present and past combining into one fluid story. I highly recommend this adult read.

I finished listening to this audiobook over the weekend. It is a really well done audiobook. I highly recommend this format. This is another really good book from A.S. King, who is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. Vera is conflicted because she knows something about the death of her best friend that she has not told the police. The book is as much a mystery as it is a discovery for Vera of what kind of person she wants to be. I recommend this one for high school and up.

Books I am Currently Reading:

I started Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu. It is really tugging my heartstrings. I also am almost finished with That Workshop Book.

What’s Next?
My plan for the summer is to read a lot of middle grade titles and to read books in Spanish. I always feel like my level of fluency is better when I am reading a book in Spanish and I feel like I need to brush up.

Have a great reading week!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/2

This is such a busy time of the year!!!! I am busy packing up my classroom and getting ready to move to a new classroom and sorting my class library to weed out all the books that are not appropriate for 4th graders. We also have a week and a half left of school and I am working on finishing up the last minute projects and reflections on the progress we made this year.

Books Finished This Week:

I love reading these fun adventure books! The 39 Clues series was so much fun, and these Infinity Ring books are definitely holding up. In this second book, the protagonists are sent back to the time of the Vikings. I can definitely see some middle grade boys loving this series.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han is a nice beach read. I thought the story was very touching and I really enjoyed reading it. I am looking forward to reading the other books in this trilogy. I would recommend this book to teens and adults.

I loved The Apothecary! It was just the right mix of mystery and fantasy. There were twists and turns in the story and I was kept surprised throughout the entire book. I highly recommend this one!

This was such a fun picture book! I can imagine how fun it would be as a read aloud!

Books I am Currently Reading:

I am still listening to Please Ignore Vera Dietz and am reading Beautiful Ruins. Both are great books!

What’s Next?
It is completely up to my mood in the next week.

What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 5/26

Books I Finished This Week:

The Boy Book by e.lockhart is the second Ruby Oliver book. I really enjoy the fun and realistic stories of what happens to Ruby and her friends and the boys in her life. It is a fun and quick read. I highly recommend this one for middle school or high school readers.

The Treasure Map of Boys by e.lockhart is the third Ruby Oliver book. It is also a fun read and I enjoyed the way the story really came to a nice conclusion for Ruby.

I was intrigued by the book Bone in the Throat by Anthony Bourdain because of the author. This was an okay mystery, but there really wasn’t much character development. I also am not too interested in organized crime stories. What I did like about this book is the fact that it was centered around the lives of chefs so there was a lot of reference to food.

Books Abandoned This Week:

I decided to abandon Perdido Street Station by China Mieville. I would still absolutely recommend the book to fans of fantasy. The characters are interesting and the book is very well-written, but I was only 150 pages into the book after three weeks of reading. I am just not that interested in reading about monsters.

Books I am Currently Reading:

I am listening to Please Ignore Vera Dietz and reading Infinity Ring: Divide and Conquer and The Summer I Turned Pretty

What’s Next?

It will depend on my mood and the amount of time I have this week.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 5/19

Books I Finished This Week:

I finally finished listening to this audiobook this week. Rotters is a really creepy story. It is hard to say that I liked or enjoyed the book because of how disturbing the book gets, but I definitely thought it was a well-written story. The audio is performed really well. Definitely don’t be eating while listening to this story…

Ilsa Bick came to visit my school back in February. I have wanted to read Ashes since then, but my students were so excited about the book that I had to wait my turn. This is a very interesting science fiction story. I will be really curious to read more in the trilogy to see how this world ends up. Dr. Bick told us that this book was not a zombie book, and I see what she means since it isn’t a disease that starts the trouble. However, there is blood and gore and kids who attack and eat people. Any student (or adult) who likes zombie stories will like this one too. I would highly recommend this book.

I just finished reading this book this morning. I have enjoyed this series by Susan Beth Pfeffer, but I am glad to be finished with her depressing world. I have been reading too many post-apocalyptic books lately. I definitely need to lighten it up. That being said, I really liked the way all of the books were realistic and gritty. I would highly recommend this series.

I was caught up in this story from the first pages. There is so much mystery in the book as Cadence is trying to get back her memories of an accident that happened to her two summers ago. This is one of the books that is hardest to review, because you are better off not knowing much about it when you start reading. I devoured this book almost in one sitting. This one is highly, highly recommended.

Books I Am Currently Reading:

I started listening to Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King. So far, I like the story and the narrator. I am still reading Perdido Street Station by China Mieville as well.

What’s Next?

I need to find a few books that are not so depressing and heavy. Lately, many of the books I have read are so bleak and paint pictures of a future that would be awful. I am going to look for some more uplifting titles on my shelves for a while (I think). I cannot wait to do bookaday this summer and possibly clear some of my to-read shelves. If I can just refrain from buying more books, I might have a fighting chance.

What are you reading this week? Any recommendations for me? I would love to hear from you in the comments!