Reading Teacher Writes

IMWAYR: One Week Until Spring 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!

One week left until spring break! Yesterday started a new calendar week with straight-line winds and a huge storm that caused much damage and power outages in our area. It’s amazing that more people weren’t hurt or killed in the 15-20 minute incident that blew through around 4:15 pm. Today the storm is over, but the bitter cold has returned. So much for an early spring. Our power was restored, thankfully, around 2:30 pm, so tonight I can type on my desktop again, enjoying the wi-fi while my husband and dog relax and watch a movie. The laundry is in the washer and the phone is charging. Now I can tell you about my week of reading.

Physical books: The Pinchers and the Curse of the Egyptian Cat by Anders Sparring, illustrated by Per Gustavsson (Gecko Press, 2025). Jon Scieszka called this little mystery “Goofy, good fun, criminally good.” I agree! The characters are the Pinchers, a family of thieves, except for Theo Pincher, who cannot lie and doesn’t like stealing. Tables are turned when Theo and his sister, Ellen (named Criminellen, Ellen for short) “shop” (read, “shopLIFT”) items at Pique’s Boutique and accidentally break a statue of Bastet, the Egyptian cat goddess. When Nic (Mom) finds out, she’s sure that breaking the cat has terrible consequences for the family due to an old curse. This book is intriguing and fun to read – meant for elementary students, but silly enough for their teachers and parents to read and enjoy, too. Published by Gecko Press, this Swedish title is sure to please families of thieves and upstanding citizens, alike.

Libro.fm: I’m slowly listening to Rebellion 1776, the newest title by Laurie Halse Anderson (who I have missed!). I’m loving this one; there’s so much action in the first two chapters already. Elsbeth, age 13, seeks employment to avoid the orphanage during the forced evacuation of Loyalists from Boston in 1776. She cannot find her father and she is thrust upon the streets, looking for him while trying to survive as she tends to a wealthy family with smallpox victims (she had smallpox as a small child, so she’s immune now). War has begun, yet smallpox causes as many deaths as the battles. If you’re a fan of the Seeds of America trilogy, you MUST add this one to your list of historical fiction that matters.

NetGalley: I’m almost finished with Please Pay Attention by Jamie Sumner. It’s gripping and makes you think and want to change the world.

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: Birthday Week and Spring Holidays

Head over to Unleashing Readers to join the link-up and share your reading!

My husband and I are celebrating his birthday this week — lots of restaurant gift cards and family fun. I read a few new things, but mostly I’m spending time with family and watching Notre Dame Women’s Basketball – go Irish!

Libro.fm and NetGalley: I’m still reading along with the audiobook, Please Pay Attention by Jamie Sumner. Being disabled and having a school shooting and having to deal with all that trauma…this book is moving. Honestly, I’m not sure how many students will want to read this one, but it’s important. I will probably read it aloud to a group; we can find community with this title.

Physical Books: I received a package of books from Publisher Spotlight (Thank you, Tracy!) and I’m loving these titles! So timely, too, as spring, Eid, and Easter are just around the corner. Look!

Eid for Nylah – Nizrana Farook and Zelma Firdauzia created a celebration for Nylah the cat, who doesn’t understand why no one in the family has time to play. The family and neighbors are all so busy! Nylah searches around and finds out during a walk in the park what the big deal is…it’s Eid! This is an adorable story to be shared. Eid al-Fitr is March 30 and observed on the 31st — time to celebrate!

Ellis Island Passover – Marissa Moss is a favorite author with Creston Books, and she used her grandfather’s story as her inspiration here. I love family stories and especially now, I love joyful immigration stories. Perfect for the spring holiday!

If you know me at all, you know I’m a fan of reading and helping readers, and this book is up to the tasks. Just One More Story by Perry Emerson and Sean Julian is about Pip and Bun, two very different bunnies. Pip LOVES to read, but Bun says, “Reading is BORING!” But when Pip tells Bun that reading isn’t for LITTLE bunnies anyway, Bun becomes interested. Of course, I love this title and with Easter coming up, maybe someone could receive this as a holiday gift.

Always looking for mystery chapter books, I came across (in that beautiful box from Publisher Spotlight) A Recipe For Trouble, An Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire story. My upper elementary and middle school “foodie” students will love this – “Paris, mid-1930s. Alice Éclair is a regular 13-year-old girl, whipping up amazing confections in her mother’s patisserie, Vive Comme L’Éclair. But she’s been receiving mysterious messages…” Ah! I was hooked by the back cover. Bonus: there are codes to crack and clues to find, which is fun!

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: Middle of March

Head over to Unleashing Readers to join the link-up and share your reading!

It’s the middle of March and I’m still dealing with the remnants of illness, but the neck pain and tingly fingers are new since I fell while walking on March 9th (darn uneven sidewalks!). I’ll start with my listening this time, since that is what I’m doing the most these days.

Libro.fm: I’ve listened to Remember Us by Jacqueline Woodson and Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay. Fabulous! I love listening to audiobooks now! These stories are both still in my mind – just what stories are supposed to do – making me think.

Physical Books: So many picture books! So little time! My favorite new title is Who Ate Steve? by Susannah Lloyd and Kate Hindley. (Nosy Crow, 2025) Hilarious! According to the narrator, this book is supposed to be about BIG and small, but the small creature, Steve, cannot be found. Who ate Steve? Think of this book as a 2025 cross between This is Not My Hat (Jon Klassen) and We Do Not Eat Our Classmates (Ryan T. Higgins).

NetGalley: Please Pay Attention by Jamie Sumner is an excellent, necessary book – a realistic fiction novel-in-verse that Simon & Schuster introduces as: “A girl with cerebral palsy navigates loss, grief, and the aftermath of trauma following a school shooting in a world that wasn’t built for her in this deeply affecting novel in verse from Jamie Sumner, the acclaimed author of Roll with It.” I was moved by how students with special needs, such as a wheelchair, feel helpless even more-so than other victims because no one plans for them in these tragic circumstances. A must-read for upper elementary, middle school, and high school students and staff. (This book is also on my Libro.fm list.)

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: Find the Light

Head over to Unleashing Readers to join the link-up and share your reading!

On this President’s Day, I don’t feel much like celebrating, but I am certainly reading to find the light in the darkness. On this day of protest, I stayed home due to the chilly temperatures and taking care of the house. It’s sunny and bright, which makes me feel a bit better, and knowing that I will share these new book titles at school soon gives me “warm fuzzies.”

Physical Books: I pulled a favorite out this morning – Light for the World to See by Kwame Alexander, which holds three poems he wrote a while back that almost make even more sense to read in 2025. Perfect!

I’m preparing for some read alouds and a presentation in March, and these new books are fantastic! They are lovely (and two are nonfiction, which I am always looking to add to my collection). Paula’s Patches by Gabriella Aldeman and Rocío Arreola Mendoza is about a girl who ripped her pants just as she entered the school building and tries to hide the hole from others. But the story is so much more than that! I love the idea of “patching” up items and problem-solving to “patch” feelings, too.

How to Bird by Rasha Hamid is for anyone who wants to learn how to notice, intentionally observe, and record findings while watching birds in your neighborhood. The book includes tools needed, steps to take, and ways you can share with others.

My favorite title of the week is Hello Beech Tree, also by Rasha Hamid and illustrated by Sofia Moore. This is the true story of a class of kindergarten students who loved a beech tree, lost that tree (it was chopped down), and reunited a few years later to plant a new tree in the school yard with a new kindergarten class. The book seems like a sweet fiction story, but it’s true! Just the kind of joy I needed to experience today. The back matter is critical in this book — I will read it aloud, too.

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: Continued + A New Picture Book

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 looks like illness is rolling over to February, but I’m hoping it will be gone soon. I’m still reading the books from January. School is crazy right now, as we are preparing for “the test” soon. We are doing our best to show growth in reading and math, and our staff is working hard each day to help students.

In the meantime, I received the newest book from Travis Jonker, Caboose. Nostalgia – remember getting into line in elementary school? Remember what DRAMA that was? Well, Travis does, and he wrote a book about the phenomenon, “lining up.” You must read it! It will take you back to your early school days, too.

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: Nothing New for Black History Month

Head over to Unleashing Readers to join the link-up and share your reading!

Happy Black History Month! Yes, we are celebrating! The school library is full of excellent titles and we continue to read. (And YAY for Beyoncé! A Grammy!)

At home, I’m still reading Road Home by Rex Ogle (look at those shiny stickers now!) and I will still finish Cousins in the Time of Magic, The Trouble With Heroes, and How to Tell a True Story by next week.

Have a great February! I’m so happy January is over. Hopefully (Hope is my “One Little Word” for 2025), we can LOVE this month!

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: Book Awards Day!

Head over to Unleashing Readers to join the link-up and share your reading!

The ALA (American Library Association) Youth Media Awards were announced today for 2025 and I couldn’t have been more surprised. What we read and analyzed obviously did not correlate with the committees’ findings, but that’s what makes the announcements so fun to watch! Congratulations to all the winners! Now I have more titles on my TBR list; I’ll never run out of books to read! (Check out the complete list of #ALAYMA winners here.)

One of the books I already have at home is ROAD HOME by Rex Ogle, so I’ll start reading that one tonight. Congratulations, Rex! This title won a Stonewall Book Award Honor and a Michael L. Printz Honor! We love all of Mr. Ogle’s books, so I know I’ll finish this one quickly.

I have a few ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) to read, too, and I need to get moving! Cousins in the Time of Magic by Emma Otheguy will publish in February and The Trouble With Heroes by Kate Messner and How to Tell a True Story by Tricia Springstubb both publish in April. I love all of these ladies as authors and as humans, so I know I’ll love their books, too.

Speaking of what I know, I KNOW I need to read more widely! I say this every year after the awards are announced. I didn’t even hear about many of the titles mentioned during the webcast this morning.

I’m off to read. It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: I’m Back!

Head over to Unleashing Readers to join the link-up and share your reading!

I’m back from my norovirus absence, but now I’m cold! No school tomorrow, so I’ll be able to stay up and watch the national championship football game. Go Irish! In the meantime, January 20th, 2025 will be a day for the history books: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day AND the inauguration of the president, Donald J. Trump. Talk about opposites! As for me, I will continue to read and advocate for reading and writing initiatives and I will be an ally. #WeAreAllHuman!

On to the books! Staying home on the couch certainly gave me a lot of time to read last week, and with the weather day tomorrow, I’ll get another day to relax and read. First of all, Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! There are so many books about Dr. King and my favorites are the picture books. Martin Rising: Requiem for a King by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney is one of the best.

Physical Books: I read Catty Corner Lands On Her Feet by Julie Murphy, Is a Book a Box for Words? by Harriet Ziefert and Merce Gali, When You Have to Wait by Melanie Conklin and Leah Hong, A Cat Like That by Lester Laminack and Nicole Wong, and Elki is Not My Dog by Elena Arevalo Melville and Tonka Uzu. I am currently reading How Sweet the Sound by Kwame Alexander and Carly Palmer (Wow! My dad would have loved this tribute to music! A new favorite from Kwame Alexander) and Whale Eyes by James Robinson.

Libro.fm: I’m still listening to Flopping in a Winter Wonderland by Jason June and I’ll start After Life by Gayle Forman tomorrow (maybe).

NetGalley: I read Same Page by Elly Swartz and purchased copies for my Battle of the Books team. Such a super story and an important read for these book-banning times. Every middle school library should have at least one copy.

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: More Winter Reading

Head over to Unleashing Readers to join the link-up and share your reading!

Brr! It’s cold! I returned to school today, then came straight home to curl up on the couch and take a nap. Ha! I’m not used to working all day after winter break. This evening, I’m ready to return to the cozy comfort of the couch and read. I have several titles next to me as winter reading time continues. Some of these I have pulled aside (Grimes’, Levinson’s/Swanson’s, and Messner’s) because I want to re-read those before the new titles arrive in 2025. Glory, Too publishes tomorrow, while Who Owns the Moon? comes out January 14th. Then The Trouble With Heroes publishes on April 29th.

Physical Books: Over and Under the Snow (Messner, 2011), Winter Poems (Rogasky, 1994), Poetry Comics (Snider, 2024), Glory in the Margins (Grimes, 2021), The People’s Painter (Levinson, 2021), Free to Learn (Levinson, 2024), We’ve Got a Job (Levinson, 2012).

There are so many good books coming out as soon as tomorrow and I’m positive I’ll be behind by the end of January. No worries – I’m not going to stress about timing this year. I’m just going to read when I can. (YOU can keep me accountable! Don’t forget to ask me for my reviews!)

NetGalley: I cannot wait for my Battle-of-the-Books students to virtually meet Elly Swartz on Wednesday! She’s so generous and lovely! We are reading Hidden Truths as a “battle” title and her new book, Same Page comes out on January 14th. I will especially love this one, as the 6th-grade main character forms a group called the Book Warriors to fight a book ban at her middle school. Perfect!

Libro.fm: I’m still listening to the cozy winter title, Flopping in a Winter Wonderland by Jason June. It’s adorable!

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

One Little Word for 2025: Hope

I learned about One Little Word at http://www.aliedwards.com TEN years ago as I found writing inspiration at Two Writing Teachers (http://www.twowritingteachers.org). After much contemplation and anticipation, I want to renew my positivity for my life. My #OLW2025 is HOPE.

What is One Little Word^®? (From the website)

In 2006 I began a tradition of choosing one word for myself each January—a word to focus on, to live with, to investigate, to write about, to craft with, and to reflect upon as I go about my daily life. These words have each become a part of my life in one way or another—a process I document via simple creative monthly prompts from January to December.

You’re invited to join me in choosing your own One Little Word^®. (From Ali Edwards)

I cannot believe it’s been a decade since I chose my first word of the year (One Little Word = OLW). Back in 2015, I was a mess — trying to do too much, too fast, too chaotic — and seeking out other people to experience joy. I needed to pare down, to get fit, to be lean in all areas of life. Since then, my One Little Word^® each year became a goal for the future: Dream, Progress, Venture, Grow, Purpose, Peace, Focus, Cultivate, and Change. Last year, I saw many changes: a new home, a lost job, a heartbreak. It was probably the most true OLW I have ever chosen – change.

I have growing concerns about what is next for me, but I have HOPE. Using hope as my One Little Word^® for 2025, I hope to keep a positive attitude, work hard, be nice, and fulfill more dreams. I think HOPE is a good word to carry around, think about, and live by. I hope that you will choose a One Little Word that helps you through 2025, too. What is your #OLW2025?

Happy New Year!