Reading Teacher Writes

IMWAYR: Last Summer Reads

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 reads from this week!

Physical Books: I have one more week of summer reading; I cannot believe the break is almost over! I’m wrapping up the time with two middle grade novels that I’m sure will be available in the library this school year. The Beautiful Game by Yamile Saied Mendez and It’s Watching by Lindsay Currie.

The Beautiful Game is about growing up as a girl athlete. Valeria used to be confident, used to be the greatest soccer player. But since she got her period (!), she has lost her team, and herself. Can she perform the ultimate comeback? (This one is going to be a hit with 6-8th graders.) Publishing on September 17, 2024 by Algonquin Young Readers.

Are you ready for another scary tale by Lindsay Currie? We are! Coming in February, 2025, Josie, Jackson, and Alison will discover a sinister meme on their phones while gathering evidence of a famous ghost. The Bachelor’s Grove cemetery is calling them; their phone messages say, “I’m Watching.” OOH! This one will be a page turner. I’m sure we will need more than one copy in the school’s library.

Libro.fm: I’m still listening to Invisible Isabel while I drive places. I’m sure I’ll finish soon.

NetGalley: I’m so happy to receive When We Flew Away in my account. This novel “before the diary” of Anne Frank is a wonderful historical story that middle schoolers will love.

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: After LITapalooza

Head over to Unleashing Readers to join the link up and share your reads from this week!

Last week I attended the fabulous LITapalooza, a book festival and unconference, and met many more authors and illustrators while reconnecting with some of my favorite people in the bookish world! Someday I would like to see my local colleagues there, too. They don’t know what they are missing!

I received LOTS of books at the Anderson’s Bookshop event. I also had books left over from two weeks ago that I’m still reading. This week I’m concentrating on picture books and poetry.

Physical Books: A Walk in the Woods by Nikki Grimes and Brian Pinkney (and the late Jerry Pinkney) is the sweetest tribute to a master. I’ve written about this one before, but I revisited it while I was thinking about nature recently. The Last Stand by Antwan Eady and Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey is a wonderful book, supporting black farmers and a spirited way of life. Community is so important and this book is a book to share. Alan Katz’s newest, Zooloween, is so much fun! I almost cannot wait for fall to share this one in the library! The animal characters are special. Minh Lê and Dan Santat read their new collaboration, Built To Last, to the audience during their keynote at LITapalooza, and I’ve read the book a few more times since returning home. Friendships are built to last!

Pizza and Taco: Too Cool For School by Stephen Shaskan is the perfect back-to-school read for friends. And I’ll be reading the Little Golden Book, Taylor Swift, to 2nd graders this week as they study role models.

I finished Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson and Ekua Holmes, and I have the feeling I’ll be handing this title off to a certain middle schooler in the next couple of weeks. This little collection is beautiful.

Libro.fm: I’m not very far into Invisible Isabel yet, but I have some free time this week to listen.

NetGalley: I downloaded When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary by Alice Hoffman. This one will get me back on track with NetGalley. The cover is stunning and the story is breathtaking, as we learn more about Anne, her sister, and her family when Anne turns 13.

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: “HOT” Reads

Head over to Unleashing Readers to join the link up and share your reads from this week!

It’s going to be HOT and steamy this week. Last week it rained buckets. This weather provides opportunities to stay inside and read, and whoa! I have some HOT books for you on IMWAYR today!

Physical Books: I finished Moko Magic: Carnival Chaos just as our own county fair wrapped for the summer. Written by Tracey Baptiste and published by Freedom Fire. Excellent! Action-packed! Family fun! This is a great summer read!

Sunrise Nights, by Jeff Zentner and Brittany Cavallaro, is a love story that takes place over three summers at an art camp for teens. Another perfect summer read: it’s funny, true, and romantic without being sappy. I read this one and listened to the audiobook on my road trip to celebrate the book launch with the authors. A wonderful ride!

Please read Crushed by Melanie Conklin if you are a pre-teen, teen, adult, teacher, or anyone who uses social media. This is a “Me, Too” title designed for children and a call to speak up against bullying, poor friendships, and peer pressure. As I read, I pictured Sophie, Eve, Chaz, and Carter walking the halls of my middle school – MY students need to know the truth, too. I think this book will be an important addition to our library this fall. I hope the lessons learned will last throughout life.

My favorite bookseller and friend celebrated six years at Brain Lair Books on Saturday. (Happy Anniversary!) I was able to celebrate and purchased some new books that I’ll devour this week: A Little Bit SUPER, edited by Leah Henderson and Gary Schmidt (Clarion Books, 2024), Black Girl You Are Atlas, a poetry book by Renee Watson, with art by Ekua Holmes (Kokila, 2024), The Artivist, by Nikkolas Smith (Kokila, 2023), and A Walk in the Woods, by Nikki Grimes, Jerry Pinkney, and Brian Pinkney (Neal Porter Books, 2023).

Libro.fm: I finished Sunrise Nights, and I downloaded Invisible Isabel by Sally J. Pla, which I’ve seen on many other IMWAYR lists.

NetGalley: A cute picture book showed up and I downloaded it immediately: This Book Is NOT For You, by Howard Pearlstein and illustrated by Susanna Covelli is a hilarious journey through a book (think “Stop Turning Pages!” in The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone and Michael Smollin). I love the author’s dog!

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: Picture Books are Perfect for Rainy Days

Head over to Unleashing Readers to join the link up and share your reads from this week!

Libro.fm: I’m on the last 30 minutes of And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps. Tomorrow, I’ll celebrate a long-awaited book birthday by downloading Sunrise Nights, the new YA title by Jeff Zentner and Brittany Cavallaro (narrated by Alexandra Hunter and Michael Crouch).

NetGalley: Sometimes it’s nice to listen AND follow along with the text. I’m happy to have Sunrise Nights on NetGalley, too.

Physical Books: Picture Books are Perfect for rainy days! I was able to relax and read a bunch of picture books today while I worked on a presentation. I LOVE picture books and I agree with Debbie Ohi, “I Want to Read ALL the Books!”

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

Book PREview: How To Explain Robotics To a Grown-Up

Ruth Spiro is an expert at using kid-friendly language and storytelling techniques to inform young readers (and their parents) about scientific topics. How to Explain Robotics to a Grown-Up uses authentic vocabulary paired with rhythmic and repetitive phrases that make sense. Teresa Martinez pens friendly-looking, diverse characters that appeal to the reader.

The glossary and endnotes give further information for families and/or teachers, so reading together is encouraged.

I especially love Ms. Spiro’s dedication. A personal, sweet tribute.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me this early read. This title will be published on September 17, 2024 by Charlesbridge.

IMWAYR: Summertime Reads

Head over to Unleashing Readers to join the link up and share your reads from this week!

Summertime reading is so satisfying! No time limits, no distractions…still no way I’m going to make it through my whole list before I return to school in August! This week I concentrated on picture books again so that I could recommend some titles to my middle schoolers. Check out my newest published piece for MiddleWeb here.

Libro.fm: I’m still listening to And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps. It’s fabulous and important and I want every middle school student to read this one as soon as possible.

NetGalley: As you know, I’m bad about reading my NetGalley shelf, but I’m going to get these two titles in this week: Black Girl, Black Girl by Ali Kamanda and Jorge Redmond with illustrator Amanda Quartey (coming in September from Sourcebooks Explore) and How To Explain Robotics to a Grown-Up by Ruth Spiro with illustrator Teresa Martinez (also publishing in September by Charlesbridge).

Physical Books: I love visiting my local bookstore, Brain Lair Books, and I borrowed the new Tracey Baptiste book, Moko Magic: Carnival Chaos (publishing in August by Kwame Mbalia’s new Disney/Hyperion imprint, Freedom Fire). I love this cover!

I received excellent book mail, too! Crushed by Melanie Conklin is being published by Little, Brown. I’m already half-way through reading and I’m telling you, it’s another must-read for middle schoolers. Social media is so harmful to children — this is a realistic look at what they are facing, especially at school. Parents and teachers need this book, too.

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: Summer Fun Reads

Head over to Unleashing Readers to join the link up and share your reads from this week!

It was nice of Max to host the first IMWAYR chat and I loved meeting and talking with everyone (until my silly dog thought it was time for me to leave – sorry about that!). Thank you, Max! I love the social atmosphere of the act of reading. Fun! Check out Max’s site here.

This week I’m reading…

Physical Books: (One adult, One YA)

Libro.fm: This is a wonderful audiobook by Lisa Fipps, narrated by one of my favorites, Michael Crouch.

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: New Book Mail

Head over to Unleashing Readers to join the link up and share your reads from this week!

I’m honored to receive this surprise book mail from Jill Tew, author of The Dividing Sky, a debut YA fiction novel that the publisher calls “a dazzling new dystopian romance from Joy Revolution.” Joy Revolution is a new imprint, too; I’m happy to discover this from Penguin Random House, LLC. So far, the 339-page story is a page-turner! The chapters follow alternating characters, Liv and Adrian, who are supposed to be at odds since Liv is a Proxy who has gone rogue in the year 2364, using the neurochip in her brain to sell memories to others. Adrian, the Rookie Forceman, is supposed to extinguish the threat since other citizens are at risk. But when Adrian tracks her down, he finds that Liv has lost her memories altogether.

If you like fast-paced dystopian YA fiction with romance intertwined with danger, you’ll have to read this one. The publishing date is October 8, 2024, by Joy Revolution (Penguin Random House).

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

*Thank you, Jill Tew, for choosing me to read your book. This is going to be a good week!

IMWAYR: Writing, Not Reading. Well, a Little of Both

Head over to Unleashing Readers to join the link up and share your reads from this week!

This week I’m doing more writing than reading, and although it’s not children’s literature, this book is inspiring! Tell Your Story by Pam Allyn and Ernest Morrell keeps me thinking and typing.

I love the children’s book titles that are mentioned in chapter 4 of this book: Knuffle Bunny, Fry Bread, Bright Star, Front Desk, El Deafo, Look Both Ways, and You Should See Me in a Crown, which show students noteworthly book features, craft moves the authors use, and ideas to try. This is my favorite chapter in Tell Your Story.

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?

IMWAYR: Start Summertime!

Head over to Unleashing Readers to join the link up and share your reads from this week!

I read a little over the weekend, but mostly I was finishing school work. It’s summertime! I’m looking forward to sleeping in, drinking coffee on the deck, doing whatever I want during the day, and…reading!

Happy Pride Month! I read Rainbow Revolutionaries, two favorite picture books, and two of our new Battle of the Books (2025) titles. Middle-grade access to books has never been more important.

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading?