Reading Teacher Writes

IMWAYR: Listening on Libro.fm

IMWAYR is a weekly blog hop with kid lit co-hosts Jennifer from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from 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. It’s a great way to share what you’re reading and get recommendations from others. We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs each week.

I decided to spend this week listening to Libro.fm downloads; it’s quiet at home and the dog doesn’t mind. I’m also re-reading some research from the past that I find pertinent to my current position. I know it’s summer break, but a true teacher is never truly off work. IYKYK.

I’m caught up in the return to Rainbow Realm. Mihi Whan Park and her friends, Reese and Savannah head back through the library refrigerator in book 2, “A Giant Problem,” to save Genevieve (Mihi’s nemesis)…and others. Tae Keller is such a storyteller! This plot loosely resembles a “Jack in the Beanstalk” giant encounter, but even more creepy. My students love fairy tales/scary stories, and this title is so good! The narrator, Triya Leong, really brings this story to life. (Published May 15, 2023, by MacMillan Audio/Henry Holt & Company.)

I love the idea that to teach reading, teachers should be readers themselves. But why? How? Teachers already have no free time, and many don’t see that reading has an impact on their students’ lives and their own lives. This document from 2003 is still interesting and important today.

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

Book PREview: Hidden Truths by Elly Swartz

Dani made the (formerly all-boys) baseball team at school and she’s ready to pitch! Sharing the celebration is her lifelong best friend, Eric. Now it’s summertime, and Eric’s family is off to the Cape in the RV. During the night, there’s an accident, leaving Dani unable to do the one thing she has dreamed of forever – pitch for the team.

Eric feels bad for Dani, especially because he might have caused the accident. Did he? He’s so forgetful! Determined to find the truth, Eric is caught up in hiding the perceived facts until he can prove what really happened. But people talk and rumors spread. Eric hasn’t always been reliable in the past. To make things worse, the bullies and social media influencers are giving him too much attention – he wants to get back to normal as much as Dani does. As the two head back to school in the fall, Dani wants to get on with her life – without Eric. She’s hanging out with Meadow, a new friend who is popular and seems to understand Dani’s physical and emotional pain. In the meantime, Eric teams up with Rachel, a fellow student who can help him research the case and prove the accident was not his fault. Or was it? Everyone has something at stake.

This story is told from alternating points of view, with the reader finding out the hidden truths along the way. Readers will love discovering the facts as the story moves, and each chapter seems to bring another plot twist that shakes things up. Readers will enjoy advocating for the characters, who need to be brave and do things they normally wouldn’t do to resolve mistakes.

This is a MUST-READ for fall! Teachers should read this book aloud with their classes and librarians should add this title to their shelves. Recommended for ages 9 and up. A great family read, too. Publishing on October 31, 2023, by Delacorte Press. Thank you to Net Galley and the author for the early peek.

5 Stars!

IMWAYR: Vacation!

It’s vacation time! Finally! I’m spending time with my husband at HIS work conference this week and relaxing in the sun. Happy Summer, everyone!

NetGalley: Hidden Truths by Elly Swartz

Libro.fm: Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson (I know this one isn’t kidlt, but I’m on vacation!)

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: Nothing New

It’s the last week of school! Happy Summer! I have nothing new to report this week. I AM reading some maps so that I can travel…maybe…soon! Also, I’m checking out the summer reading lists. Cheers to all the authors with summer titles being published. I cannot wait to read and share with students in the fall. Fall? No! Not yet!

LOL! It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: Time For Some Fun!

It’s Time For Some Fun! I am finally starting to read an adult title: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Now that students are choosing their own summer reads, it’s my turn, too. Oh, but wait! THIS post talks about kid lit, so let me highlight some FUN reads for you.

NetGalley: Would You Rather? Summer Edition, by Lindsey Daly (Z Kids, New York, 2023) asks some crazy questions about road trips, summer camp, rainy-day fun, and it is a hoot! Play “Would You Rather?” with family and friends. You won’t be able to stop laughing! (For more “Would You Rather…” ideas for the writing workshop, look for a back-to-school lesson that will start students with success in writing this fall. Coming soon!) I read this book on NetGalley recently, but it’s already available.

Libro.fm: I STILL need to finish Harvest House! Hopefully I will have some downtime this week without others in the room so I can listen. Such a good one!

Physical Book: The Many Assassinations of Samir, The Seller of Dreams by Daniel Nayeri is a book I’ve been waiting for. I loved Everything Sad is Untrue, and after reading some author interviews, I’m looking forward to this next read. I already have ideas about “first lines” lessons and/or “first chapter” lessons for the fall.

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: May Weather Is Nice

May weather is finally here! Sunny at 80 degrees on Sunday and this week is supposed to be nice. I will be outside more, but I plan to finish some titles. I wish you a Happy Teacher Appreciation Week, too! I appreciate all of you!

Libro.fm: I can’t wait to finish listening to Harvest House by Cynthia Leitich Smith. It’s perfect for high schoolers and Halloween.

NetGalley: If you know me at all, you know that my NetGalley account is neglected much of the time. But my friend, Elly Swartz has written yet another fabulous story that MUST be shared! We have to wait until October 31, 2023, though. (Hey! That’s Halloween! Am I on to a theme here with this post?)

Physical Books: I want to catch up on some award-winners and (again) if you know me, you know I love nonfiction! Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams’s Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration by Elizabeth Partridge and Lauren Tamaki won the 2023 Sibert Medal (nonfiction). Flipping through the ARC I have, I can see that it’s going to be amazing!

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: Happy May Day!

It’s May! The last month of this semester at school and I’m ready for summertime! I wish you the best as you finish out your school years, as well. Here’s what I’ve been reading.

Physical Books: Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life by Jerry Pinkney

Libro.fm: I’m loving Harvest House by Cynthia Leitich Smith!

NetGalley: I’m still logging on when I think about it to read Hidden Truths by Elly Swartz. I love ALL her books, and this one is great, too!

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

Book Review: Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life by Jerry Pinkney

This memoir was written over a decade ago, prior to the passing of the author, but it still needed published. Thank goodness that Jerry’s family shared — Mr. Pinkney’s story is relatable as readers are immersed into the all-Black block in Philadelphia called East Earlham Street. Readers get to know Jerry as a boy, drawing on his bedroom walls and playing cowboys with his best friends. We see Jerry coming in late for dinner, staring in silence as his sisters teased him and called him “Jerry-with-a-nickname-and-no-middle-name!” But he was not “just Jerry,” as everyone would find out later.

We learn that Jerry’s dad taught him to use a saw to build, and the importance of focus. We learn that Jerry had trouble in school, as many of us did. Jerry’s teacher recognized his struggles and helped by asking him to draw so that he could participate confidently in class projects.

As Jerry became older, he discovered that he could, in fact, draw well, illustrating some of the most important books of our time. Once Jerry met John Liney, the successful artist who created the comic strip, Henry, he knew that he could be an artist, too. Jerry Pinkney won many awards for his efforts, including the Alumni Award (Philadelphia Museum School of Art) and the Caldecott Medal.

As a teacher-librarian, I loved the Editor’s Note that explains how Jerry wanted to have this book be “friendly to readers with dyslexia, and to that end the body text is set in a font specifically designed for that purpose.” I also appreciated the historical family and book cover photos and the timeline at the end.

This book is a keepsake – a wonderful work of art itself that helps us to remember the boy, the artist, and the legend, Jerry Pinkney.

Recommended for ages 10 and up and all future artists. 5 Stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

IMWAYR: National Library Week – Let’s Read!

Happy National Library Week! Read anything you want today, on The Right To Read Day! Thank you to Unite Against Book Bans for supporting readers. Thank you to the American Library Association (ALA) for your continued work to support reading and readers. I’m also blessed to know people who support ME as a reader, teacher, and librarian.

This week, I’m still administering standardized tests, but that’s not stopping me from doing the real work – encouraging students to be themselves, to be readers, and to be “smarter than the average bear.” (Bear = School Mascot)

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: Down, But Reading

I’m down this week! ILearn testing begins tomorrow and I stayed home with a migraine today, AND I did something to my wrist and can barely type. I CAN read, though! Pictures below.

Physical Books:

Libro.fm:

NetGalley:

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?