IMWAYR: Mostly Listening

Instead of going back to work today, we had a snow day. This was a perfect day to listen to audiobooks and clean up after the holiday. More snow should fall tonight, so we will see what tomorrow brings, but this week looks like a good week to stay inside and read.

Physical Book: I finished Bright Before Us Like a Flame: Igniting a New Generation of Writers, edited by Sasa Aakil and Kathy Crutcher. I love the organization of this book! There are four major categories: Family & Friendship, Immigration & Belonging, Witness & Activism, and Identity & Self-Love. Within each category, there are consistent parts: a “story behind the story,” introductions by the editors, Sasa and Kathy (interview-style), the writings, an “in conversation,” writing prompts, and a discussion to end the theme. It’s an interesting flow and kept me engaged as a reader AND writer. This book would be perfect for a high school creative writing class or even a college course. The foreword by Elizabeth Acevedo sparked my “flame” right away!

On to the listening…Libro.fm: I listened to some new picture book titles, G is for Gratitude by Samantha Berger, My Cat is a Secret Agent by Daniel J. Mahoney, Our Solar System! A Stellar Neighborhood by Stacy McAnulty, The Truck Cat by Deborah Frenkel and Danny Snell, King Winter’s Birthday by Jonathan Freedland, and A Day With No Words by Tiffany Hammond (which I’m pairing with the graphic novel, Speechless by Aron Nels Steinke for school).

I downloaded Busted by Dan Gemeinhart, narrated by Mark Sanderlin, but I didn’t get too far yet. I love everything Dan writes, and listening is a fun experience.

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

It’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!

IMWAYR: Eat Turkey and Read Books

It’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!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I hope you have a relaxing and wonderful Thanksgiving with family, friends, and books!

IMWAYR: Nonfiction November and Picture Book Month

It’s Nonfiction November AND Picture Book Month! I have a few more days to read bunches of interesting and amazing books, and I know some titles will spill over to the end-of-year-try-to-finish-them-all reading times. Here’s what I am celebrating with my students in the library this week:

Nonfiction Titles:

Picture Books: These books are all gifts from Publisher Spotlight. THANK YOU! I am always amazed at the titles I receive and I’m happy to share them with friends, family, and students. (I’ll write more about these books later, but they are all good picks! )

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

It’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!

IMWAYR: Holding Baby; Not Reading

I haven’t read much (except my new teacher contract!) this week; I’ve been holding the new grandbaby! Here’s what I AM reading:

Physical Books: Living the Life of a Writer by Jen Vincent – I know this isn’t a children’s book, but I’ve been waiting for this PD title for a while and I’m so happy for Jen Vincent’s publication! She teaches her students 6 practices of being a writer: 1) Writers have a way to collect, 2) Writers have a writer’s mindset, 3) Writers know that writing is a process, 4) Writers know strategies to help them write, 5) Writers explore, and 6) Writers celebrate. With this knowledge, writing is a joyful experience! (Routledge/Stenhouse, 2025)

Libro.fm: I’m now listening to The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes (who is one of my favorite authors, expanding his repertoire here) and narrated by the author and Miles J. Harvey. A 13-year-old football star uses his faith and advice from others to navigate a tough world, one where his younger friend is beaten by policemen while Henson plays a game. This book would be a good “tough topics” discussion book for middle school and up. Listening to the audio is even more powerful than reading it on your own.

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

It’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!

IMWAYR: Week of Waiting

This is the week of the new grandchild! We are eagerly awaiting the birth and celebration of our grandchild, so I’m sticking with short, fun reads to distract myself. (Check out Mom, a book I received from Tracy at Publisher Spotlight. How did she know?)

Physical Books: Let’s start with the PubSpotlight books! Mom by Margarita Del Mazo and illustrated by Silvia Alvarez is so sweet. The point of view is from the baby, not the mom, so it’s even more endearing than I expected. This title is part of the new series called Family Love, published by Cuento De Luz. It’s a perfect gift for a new mother.

Next I read, The Heart: History, Science, and Lots of Love by Noemi Fabra and translated by Gabriella Aldeman and published by Post Wave. This is a title I’ll display for Nonfiction November in the school library. It’s different than the “human body”/”circulatory system” titles because the content delves into the history of how we discovered facts about the heart in animals and humans. I like the way this book is set up and it will be like an easy-to-read textbook for our middle schoolers.

NetGalley: I’m still reading The Moon Without Stars. I cannot wait to receive the physical copy of this middle-grade book.

Libro.fm: I downloaded The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes (narrated by the author and Miles J. Harvey) and I’m waiting for our long drive to listen to this highly-anticipated title. We love Derrick Barnes! There’s a lot of buzz surrounding this book.

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

It’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!

IMWAYR: Halloween Books

It’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!

Friday is Halloween, so we started this week reading Halloween books in the middle school library. Today we re-read some ol’ favorites:

The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury – a creepy classic

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler – we all remember reading this one in elementary school

Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown – a funny favorite!

New titles from Junior Library Guild: We love the new titles, too! The Slightly Spooky Tale of Fox and Mole by Cecilia Heikkila, Translated by Polly Lawson. Gotta’ love those sly fox characters!

The Grumpy Ghost Upstairs is also translated by Polly Lawson, by Mamiko Shiotani. The main character is a ghost who wants to be scary, but really just wants a friend. One class talked about the narrative arc and the “Somebody wanted…but…so…then” plot line. This one is also good for the “7 Strengths of a Super Reader” (Allyn/Morrell, Scholastic, 2022).

I’ll have more middle-grade books to share next week, after Halloween. It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: Fall Break Fun

It’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!

Fall Break was fun! I had a good time this past weekend, and also got some reading done. Sunday was the best NerdyBookClub friends reunion. It was nice to see Josh Funk again and watch him read his new “Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast” title, Who Donut? A Holiday Mystery to the crowd. If you are looking for a holiday treat, order this book from your local indie bookstore now. It’s a perfect book for reading aloud.

Hint: There are SEVEN books in this series now! Buy them all! What a set for your voracious readers!

The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly is one of our Battle of the Books titles this year in our district and I’m so excited to see Ms. Kelly on the screen when we log in to #AuthorStudy tomorrow! Kwame Alexander’s new nonprofit, One Word at a Time, gives students the gift of connecting students and authors via virtual author visits over the course of the school year. If you would like more information, check out One Word Community here!

NetGalley: Chanel Miller’s The Moon Without Stars is going to be a middle-grade must read. I downloaded the book for reading this week. This one publishes in January, 2026.

Libro.fm: I’m enjoying Into the Uncut Grass, by Trevor Noah (the book is illustrated by Sabina Hahn). My Battle of the Books students are reading this title as part of our reading challenge this school year. Trevor Noah lets readers enter his childhood imagination, and it’s great fun!

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: Almost Fall Break!

It’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!

The end of the first quarter, the end of ILearn Checkpoint 1 testing, and the coming of Fall Break are all on my mind, as well as these books:

Physical Books: I received a beauty! Amy Storey from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers sends me such wonderful material! You MUST see this one! The Tree That Was a World by Yorick Goldewijk is filled with interconnected stories (I just love this concept!) of 17 creatures that live under, on, and near a special tree. I love this book for 5 main reasons: 1) The gorgeous cover has little shiny eyes everywhere — intriguing! 2) The stories are funny, heartwarming, surprising, and interconnected, so once you read about one of the animals, you know it will show up again somewhere else. 3) The writing is perfect for both young children and adults (Check out “The Pike” and “The Other Pike.” Adults will gasp at the end of “The Jet-Black Ant.” Those are my favorite.). Onward with no more spoilers! 4) The illustrations by Jeska Verstegen are perfect mixed media creations for the stories. Gorgeous! (Look at the owl’s eyes!) 5) The translation by Laura Watkinson brings this book to the United States for us English readers to enjoy and share.

NetGalley: Next up is a title I hadn’t heard of until today. The Moon Without Stars by Chanel Miller is a middle grade book coming in January 2026 from Penguin Random House. I love Chanel Miller’s memoir, Know My Name, a Best-Book of 2019, also published by Penguin, so I know I’ll love this new one about a 7th grader who needs to find herself in the middle of messy middle school.

Libro.fm: I didn’t get very far with A Little Too Haunted, so I’ll have to spend more time over fall break with this one.

Last, but not least, Sunday will be a Nerdy Book Club reunion (I hope a lot of us can attend) with JOSH FUNK (!) in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Josh’s latest LPASFT title, Who Donut? is out now, and we will celebrate! (LPASFT = Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast is a fabulous series. You should read them all!)

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: Banned Books Week

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!)

IMWAYR: Last of September

It’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 hard to believe that it’s the end of September! The month just started! I’ve been reading more slowly this past week, trying to savor the scenes of the books and imagine the worlds that the characters live in. Reading has been an escape from real life and that renews my strength.

Physical Books: The Last Resort by Erin Entrada Kelly is a must-read fall favorite for fans of suspenseful, scary-ish, paranormal plotlines. Lila and her family must travel from Arizona to Ohio for Grandpa Clem’s funeral. Dad needs to settle affairs, which includes arranging the funeral and taking care of the inheritance — Castle Hill Inn. The mansion hasn’t housed guests for years, and Dad doesn’t know what they would even do with it, since they live so far away. Lila doesn’t want to go – she wants to stay home with her friends, Lexi and Ava (the three of them are the Neapolitans, named after their hair colors). I’ll bet you can guess. Yep. The old, creepy inn is haunted, and Grandpa Clem did NOT die of natural causes! The published book has QR codes so you can talk to ghosts, just like Lila. This is a really fun book that your middle school students will love.

Libro.fm: I’m almost at the end of Return to Sender. Honestly, I’m going to have to listen to some parts again. It’s a good story – I wish I had a physical copy so I could read along with the audio.

NetGalley: You will be proud of me; I’m actually reading a book on NetGalley during my lunchtime and I’m glad I saw Kwame Mbalia at the National Book Festival to learn more about Jax Freeman and the Tournament of Spirits. (I love Jax’s grandma!)

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?