Monday, August 15, 2016

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and #bookaday



The epitome of summer reading - deck, Ben, and book - I think I just created a new hashtag...#benandbook

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     This summer, Donalyn Miller invited us to participate in the Eighth Annual #bookaday Challenge.  Our last day of school this year was May 27th, so summer and free reading started before Memorial Day weekend!!  Joy!  It's hard to believe the summer is over.  I start back today.  So how did my #bookaday go?  I had 79 days of summer, so that means I needed to read 79 books to meet the challenge.  I read...59.  Oh well, I didn't quite average a book a day, but I read a lot of good books!

Here are my 5 star books...

PICTURE BOOKS


Pink Is For Blobfish: Discovering the World's Perfectly Pink Animals

Pink is for Blobfish: Discovering the World's Perfectly Pink Animals by Jess Keating, illustrations by David Degrand

Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay

Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay by Susan Hood, illustrated by Sally Wern Comfort

Freedom in Congo Square

Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford and R. Gregory Christie

The Night Gardener

The Night Gardener by The Fan Brothers

Flora and the Peacocks Cover

Flora and the Peacocks by Molly Idle

A Beetle Is Shy Cover

A Beetle Is Shy by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long

Cloth Lullaby: The Woven Life of Louise Bourgeois

Cloth Lullaby: The Woven Life of Louise Bourgeois

Mother Bruce Cover

Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins

Return Cover

Return by Aaron Becker

Wendell the Narwhal Cover

Wendel the Narwhal by Emily Dove

Toys Meet Snow Cover

Toys Meet Snow by Emily Jenkins and Paul O. Zelinsky

What Do You Do with a Problem?

What Do You Do With A Problem? by Kobi Yamada, illustrated by Mae Besom

My Book of Birds

My Book of Birds by Geraldo Valerio



MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS


Maybe a Fox Cover

Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee

The Honest Truth Cover

The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart

Some Kind of Courage Cover

Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemeinhart

Wolf Hollow Cover

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

Raymie Nightingale Cover

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

YOUNG ADULT
(5 stars)

The Serpent King Cover

The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

The Memory of Things Cover

17 comments:

  1. Some big faves for me on this list Holly. I just got The Serpent King on audio and can't wait to listen to it.

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  2. So many great books here! A Beetle is Shy is new to me. My 11 year old had me read The Honest Truth, and I'm currently reading Raymie Nightingale. All the Light We Cannot See has also grabbed my attention. Thanks.

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  3. I've read a number of them this summer but there is always more to add to the TBR pile. Thanks for the recommendations.

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  4. Ahh! What an incredible list! Thank you so much for including BLOBFISH in such wonderful company, Holly! You made my day! <3

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    1. I just love that book, Jess! Can't wait to book talk it with my students!

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  5. I have loved many of the books on your list here. I'm not such a fan of Wolf Hollow, but loved All the Light We Cannot See and many many more.

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  6. Love your picture books! I need to get to Serpent King. Hoping this fall I'll have some time!

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  7. Thank you, Holly! Appreciate the shout-out on such a lovely list of books!

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  8. Fabulous picture books.

    I really need to read The Serpent King. Everyone is giving that book a lot of love lately. I'm feeling some major FOMO on that book. :)

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  9. Thank you for this collection of 5 star reads! I am definitely taking this straight to Goodreads! I Return, Fox, Raymie, and Honest Truth, but I haven't read any of the others.

    Hope you had a great first day back! And happy reading :)

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    Replies
    1. Oh! I forgot about Blob, Freedom, and Night! I've read those too! I especially liked Blob! :)
      Enjoy Harry Potter! I really liked it :)

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  10. What a perfect way to spend a summer day! I hope you get many more beautiful reading days before fall arrives.

    How did you like Raymie Nightingale? My son loved The Tale of Desperaux and my daughter loves Mercy Watson, so we are big Kate Di Camillo fans around here!

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  11. 59 books is still a great accomplishment. Best of luck as the school year begins.

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  12. When I was teaching I love following what Donalyn Miller was reading and talking about. That bookaday challenge is sure something. You chose a heap of great looking books. 59 is pretty awesome. All the best for the new school year. Life in retirement is good too!

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  13. How fun to have access to those juvenille books. My tween is a big fan of middle grade books. My youngest likes to read about girls her age. You must start school early; our old, SF friends have started today and always get out by the last Friday of May. I miss that. In the east bay we start end of August and get out early June.

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  14. Love your list. You did some heavy lifting in the Professional Book category. Which of your MG titles do you deem Newbery worthy? I'm in search of our Mock Newbery titles.

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  15. I just borrowed Cloth Lullaby from the library and really looking forward to reading it. So many great books here. :)

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