t’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a weekly blog hop hosted by Kellee and Ricki of Unleashing Readers. The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.
Head over to Unleashing Readers to join the link-up and share your reading!
It’s Banned Books Week, so I’m teaching my students to ask for and read whatever they want in the school library. I found a few age-appropriate books explaining what banned books are and their effect on society, in general, and children, specifically. Here are a few titles that we are reading this week.
Physical Books: A Kids Book About Banned Books, created by the National Coalition Against Censorship (DK, Penguin Random House, 2025) is an informational book disguised as a fun, large-font, colorful infographic-style book for children. It reminds me of The Book With No Pictures, but that one is colored in only black and white. This is my read aloud this week. I like the straightforward sentences and the encouragement given to young people to read what they like.
This Book is Banned by Raj Haldar and Julia Patton (Sourcebooks, 2023) is a hilarious adventure to ban giraffes, hippos, beds, unicorns, horses (they look like unicorns)…and…everything! The book is humorous, but the underlying message is that people should not ban things for everyone just because THEY don’t like them. This one is a read aloud, too, although readers need to savor the small stuff on the pages, too. So funny!
Banned Book Club, by Kim Hyun Sook, Ko Hyung-Ju, and Ryan Estrada (Iron Circus Comics, 2020) is a YA graphic novel that chronicles Kim Hyun Sook’s entrance to college on a campus that held many protests, some violent and scary for the English major. As she finds a place to belong, she settles in with a group of students who read banned books, The Banned Book Club. I love that this nonfiction account comes in graphic-novel format that appeals to students.
NetGalley: I have a few days left to read Jax Freeman and the Tournament of Spirits by Kwame Mbalia and I’m loving it! My students are going to need multiple copies of this one in the library.
Libro.fm: I downloaded A Little Too Haunted by Justine Pucella Winans (narrated by Katie Beudert) for the October “scary” season. I’ll check in next week with more news.
It’s Monday! What are YOU reading? (Hopefully you’re reading whatever YOU choose!)
Reading Teacher Writes 