It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

These are memes started by Teach Mentor Texts and Book Journey, and I'm excited to participate, along with many other bloggers, in reviewing books I read the previous week. I'll be reviewing picture books through adult books.

 

 

PICTURE BOOKS

 

 

Papa's Mechanical Fish by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Boris Kulikov

 

2013-book, bookaday2013, creativity, humor, imagination, onomatopoeia, picture-book     This is a lively fictional story based on the real inventor, Lodner Phillips. Papa loves to invent things, but he hasn't invented anything that works perfectly. However, one day, he takes his family fishing, and he gets an idea! He starts to design a mechanical fish, and he calls it the Whitefish. But it doesn't work. It sinks. He tries several more times, but all his designs fail UNTIL the Whitefish IV! I love the ending. I also love Mama, who lovingly supports her husband's trials and errors....more This is a lively fictional story based on the real inventor, Lodner Phillips. Papa loves to invent things, but he hasn't invented anything that works perfectly. However, one day, he takes his family fishing, and he gets an idea! He starts to design a mechanical fish, and he calls it the Whitefish. But it doesn't work. It sinks. He tries several more times, but all his designs fail UNTIL the Whitefish IV! I love the ending. I also love Mama, who lovingly supports her husband's trials and errors. The illustrations are humorous and energetic. The note at the end tells more about Phillips who really did build submarines. This book reminds me of The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester by Barbara O'Connor.     A Long Way Away by Frank Viva 2013-book, bookaday2013, mock-caldecott-2014, picture-book, point-of-view   This is an interestingly designed book as it can be read two ways; one as the alien child in space leaves his family and goes all the way down to Earth and then the ocean, and another as he starts in the ocean and goes all the way back up into space to his family. That way is much happier! Kids like these kinds of reading challenges. It reminds me of Mirror Mirror and Follow Follow by Marilyn Singer -  the story, points of view, and mood all change depending which direction you read it.     Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld   2013-book, bookaday2013, books-for-children-about-writing, humor, model-for-writing, personification, picture-book, puns     This book is so cute! I love how much expression the simple drawings create. Kids will love the story of how the exclamation point discovers his true talent. The question mark is hilarious. Great book to use for puns, writing mechanics, personification, and just plain fun!   MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS     Seven Wonders: The Colossus Rises by Peter Lerangis   2013-book, adventure, audio-book, bookaday2013, fantasy-science-fiction, intermediate-kids-book     Thirteen-year-old Jack has an accident and finds out he has a genetic condition that makes him a candidate for the Karai Institute where they can treat him or he's going to die. Professor Bhegad informs him he has a genetic marker that connects him to an old Atlantean civilization.  There are other kids there, too, who all have talents it seems, except for Jack, who can't seem to pinpoint his, and they're all needed to save the world. I liked that the story involves the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and I think kids will enjoy the action and adventure.   I saw Peter Lerangis when he was promoting this book.  If you ever get a chance to see him, go!  He's awesome!     The Water Castle by Megan Frazer Blakemore   2013-book, bookaday2013, fantasy-science-fiction, flashback, friendship, intermediate-kids-book, mock-newbery-2014, mood-tone, setting, theme

 

This book has such a strong sense of mood and setting. It reminds me of classic children's fantasy stories like Tuck Everlasting and Dark is Rising instead of the more contemporary, popular frenetic action and adventure fantasies. It also has two stories interwoven - one taking place at present time and another in the past, similar to Clare Vanderpool's Moon Over Manifest. Ephraim Appledore-Smith's family moves to the Water Castle in Maine, an old family home, when his dad suffers a stroke. The...more This book has such a strong sense of mood and setting. It reminds me of classic children's fantasy stories like Tuck Everlasting and Dark is Rising instead of the more contemporary, popular frenetic action and adventure fantasies. It also has two stories interwoven - one taking place at present time and another in the past, similar to Clare Vanderpool's Moon Over Manifest. Ephraim Appledore-Smith's family moves to the Water Castle in Maine, an old family home, when his dad suffers a stroke. The town of Crystal Springs comes alive with gossip when the citizens learn the Appledores have arrived. Mallory Green's family has always been the caretakers of the Water Castle, and she's been hearing stories about its mysterious Fountain of Youth all her life.  She is suffering from the recent departure of her mother. Will Wylie rounds out the trio. His family has been at war with the Appledores for years, and he doesn't believe in magic. Ephraim is desperate to make his father better, and if the water he hears about is actually magic, he wants to find it. The three eventually put aside their differences and work together to figure out what magic the old house holds.  Like Winnie in Tuck Everlasting, Ephraim is faced with the question: If you could drink from the Fountain of Youth and become immortal, would you?  I think kids will really enjoy this book.   YOUNG ADULT   Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan   allusion, audio-book, character-development, coming-of-age, fears, friendship, humor, lgbt, romance, song, theater, young-adult-book     I debated over what audio I wanted to listen to when I drove to Nerd Camp in Battle Creek (a literacy conference), MI, and tweeted about possibilities with several Twitter friends. This title came up several times, and since I've read books I've loved (The Fault in Our Stars and Every Day) by both authors, I chose it. I am so glad I did. It is laugh-out-loud funny (be careful - it's definitely YA), and I loved the characters. There are allusions galore, and I was rooting for the happiness of all...more I debated over what audio I wanted to listen to when I drove to Nerd Camp in Battle Creek (a literacy conference), MI, and tweeted about possibilities with several Twitter friends. This title came up several times, and since I've read books I've loved (The Fault in Our Stars and Every Day) by both authors, I chose it. I am so glad I did. It is laugh-out-loud funny (be careful - it's definitely older YA), and I loved the characters. There are allusions galore, and I was rooting for the happiness of all the characters. The narrators are perfect - especially since they had to sing!! John Green and David Levithan are truly brilliant. I don't know if I'd have the same reaction if I had read the book instead of listened to it - I will definitely recommend the audio!   CURRENTLY READING     I've been saying that I was currently reading this one for awhile, but I'm just now actually cracking the cover!    CURRENTLY LISTENING TO       I've added the feature of what my family is reading on my #IMWAYR blog posts, and readers seem to be enjoying it, so I'll keep it!   My husband is between books right now.  He's the type of reader that can't stop reading a book when he gets one he likes and will stay up until the wee hours of the morning to finish it.  Therefore, he can't always have a book going or he'd never sleep!  In the meantime, though, he's constantly reading short texts - newspapers, magazine articles, and Internet articles and news.   My 17-year-old is reading:     Her June of reading YA romances is over. :-(  Now she has to start her AP summer assignments.  This one is for Government.   My 20-year-old:       I Skyped her from Ecuador (she's on a mission trip there until the end of July), and she's still reading The Source.  It's a LONG book, and she only has a little time to read.    My mom:     My dad:    If you like reading my blog, I'd love for you to follow by joining it or signing up for e-mail.  Just scroll to the bottom of the blog, and you'll find those options on the right.  It would make my day!   What are YOU reading this week?