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

 

 

Inside Outside by Lizi Boyd

 

2013-book, art, birds, cats, creativity, curiosity, dogs, home, mock-caldecott-2014, nature, picture-book, play, read, seasons, wordless   I was lucky enough to win this book from Margie Myers-Culver when she gave away wordless picture books for Mr. Schu's birthday.  I loved all four that she gave away, but I already owned the other three, so I tried for this one.  I was so glad to receive and read it!  Fans of Laura Vaccaro's GREEN will enjoy this celebration of nature and childhood. Die cuts throughout enhance this book about a child's creative and curious life inside his home and outside in his yard throughout the seasons. I love the feel and weight of the pages and the adorable dog and cat. Be sure to notice the mice! Thanks, Margie ( and Mr. Schu for having a birthday)! #11 in the Award Winning Books Challenge Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan by Mary Williams, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie based-on-true-story, civil-rights, multicultural, picture-book, strong-children, survival, war   I read this book aloud to my sixth graders about the Lost Boys of Sudan to build some background knowledge for A LONG WALK TO WATER by Linda Sue Park. It's an excellent picture book about Garang, a young boy who has to flee his village in Sudan after it is attacked. He befriends a younger boy and takes care of him during their walk to Ethiopia. This picture book parallels A LONG WALK TO WATER closely, so it makes a great introduction.   MIDDLE GRADE     The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt   2013-book, animals, audio-book, character-development, character-motivation, death, environmental, fantasy-science-fiction, grandparents, great-read-aloud, humor, intermediate-kids-book, journey, mock-newbery-2014, nature, personification, quest, sensory-details, setting

 

 

I LOVED the audio of this book, narrated by Lyle Lovett. It's so charming, poignant, and funny. Lyle Lovett's voice was just perfect for the story. I've got a student reading it right now, and I can't wait to hear what she thinks. I don't know if the actual reading of it will be as good as the audio, but I hope so! Twelve-year-old Chap is missing his grandpa something awful, and he loves the swamp. Bingo and J'miah are raccoon brothers and new scouts of the Sugar Man Swamp, keeping watch from Chap's grandpa's missing Desoto, reporting Intel. Alligator wrestler Jaeger Stitch is trying to turn the swamp into an Alligator World Wrestling Arena and Theme Park, and if that's not enough to worry you, there is a gang of wild hogs on the way, intent on destroying everything! It's up to the Sugar Man to save the day, but no one has seen him in decades, and he's awfully hard to wake up. The characters and setting are unforgettable; I'm looking forward to recommending this to my Mock Newbery Club! A good pairing for this book would be Carl Hiassen's CHOMP.

 

ADULT

 

 

Don't Go by Lisa Scottoline

 

	2013-book, adult-fiction, audio-book

Poor Mike! This compelling novel begins with Chloe Scanlon struggling to get help as she bleeds on the floor from an accidental, self-inflicted stab wound. She is hazy, barely conscious, and senses someone walking in, standing over her, and then leaving. She can't reach the phone, and she dies. We find out her husband, Dr. Mike Scanlon, is a doctor and has been serving in Afghanistan. He receives the horrific call that his wife has died and rushes home. His wife left their infant daughter, Emily...more Poor Mike! This compelling novel begins with Chloe Scanlon struggling to get help as she bleeds uncontrollably from her arm, crawling on the floor from an accidental, self-inflicted stab wound. She is hazy, barely conscious, and senses someone walking in, standing over her, and then leaving. She can't reach the phone, and horribly, she dies. We find out her husband, Dr. Mike Scanlon, is a doctor and has been serving in Afghanistan. He receives the horrific call that his wife has died and rushes home. His wife left their infant daughter, Emily, in the care of Danielle and Bob, her sister and her husband. They take Mike in to their home, along with Emily. Shortly after his return, Mike gets embroiled in one unbelievable thing after another, finding out terrible things about his wife. It seems that he will never have a normal, happy life again. I listened to the audio version and got completely caught up in the twists and turns of this story. I recommend it!   For the third week in a row, I feel like I am not getting enough reading in, but alas, that is the fate of a teacher back at school!  Thank goodness for audio books because I can listen to them during my commute to and from school and while I walk my dog.  I know that soon I will be able to sit down and read again, but right now it seems painfully out of reach!  Meanwhile, I am enjoying recommending books for my students and getting recommendations and inspiration from them.   CURRENTLY READING          (I tend to read nonfiction in small doses while I'm reading other things. UNLOCKING COMPLEX TEXTS is our school's book study, so I'll be reading it for a while.)   CURRENTLY LISTENING TO     I also feature what my family is reading:   My mom:     My dad:     My husband:     What are YOU reading this week?