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.
 

 

I didn't write a #IMWAYR post last Monday since I had been in Boston over the weekend for NCTE, so this includes two weeks of reading:

 

PICTURE BOOKS

 

 

Sleds on Boston Common: A Story from the American Revolution by Louise Borden, illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker

 

american-revolution, historical-fiction, history, picture-book, point-of-view, theme, war   I bought this book right before NCTE in Boston for obvious reasons - also because I love Louise Borden! I thought this was a unique story of the American Revolution. It shows a child's perspective on what remains important even in times of great conflict.  It also reveals that we can be sympathetic to people on both sides of a war.   Most stories of the American Revolution depict the British soldiers as evil, so this book will be good for discussion in the classroom.  I enjoyed the illustrations and the author's note at the end. I especially love that Louise signed it for me.    We got to hang out a bit at NCTE.  It'll be a great addition to my picture book collection.  Louise, Holly, Gigi McAllister                         My Brother's Book by Maurice Sendak   2013-book, allusion, award-winner, fairy-tale, loss, mythology    #15 in the Award Winning Books Challenge (New York Times Best Illustrated Books)   Sendak's strange but captivating last completed work is a tale of longing for his brother. Reading it after Sendak's passing makes it extra poignant. I'm not sure how to categorize the age this allusion to Shakespeare's "Winter Tale" would appeal to, but I think my intermediate students would be intrigued. I want to read this several more times because I think it requires close reading to fully understand all that is here in this little book.                     Fossil by Bill Thompson   2013-book, dogs, fantasy-science-fiction, imagination, mock-caldecott-2014, nature, picture-book,  science , wordless     My favorite part of this beautifully illustrated book about a boy discovering a surprise inside several fossils along the beach is the dog. I love his expressions of joy while riding on the pteranodon's back - even his trip down to the water looked like fun. Thompson's paintings feel so real and lively, you just want to reach out and touch them.   GRAPHIC NOVEL     Jane, the Fox, & Me by Franny Britt, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault   013-book, award-winner, bullying, character-development, character-who-reads, fears, friendship, graphic-novel, identity, intermediate-kids-book, story-within-a-story    #16 in the Award Winning Books Challenge (New York Times Best Illustrated Books)     This is a beautiful graphic novel about a girl who finds her way. She's bullied, ostracized, and lonely. Reading Jane Eyre and an unexpected friend helps her figure out her own story. Captivating - I think intermediate/middle grade children would love it. I want to read it again since there are some nuances in both the story and illustrations that make it complex enough to read multiple times. No wonder it was one of New York Times Best Illustrated Books of 2013!   YOUNG ADULT        Sold by Patricia McCormick   National Book Award Nominee (2006), South Carolina Book Award Nominee for Young Adult Book Award (2009), Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis Nominee for Jugendbuch (2009), ALA's Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults (2007), Abraham Lincoln Award    #17 in the Award Winning Books Challenge   audio-book, award-winner, award-winning-books-challenge-2013, character-traits, fears, human-rights, multicultural, realistic-fiction, slavery, strong-girl-character, survival, women, young-adult-book   This is an incredibly horrific story, told honestly and with much heartbreak. To think that sexual slavery of young girls still goes on today is appalling. It amazes me what some human beings can endure and survive. Thirteen-year-old Lakshmi will have you crying and cheering throughout this brutal story.   ADULT BOOK     Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall   2013-book, adult-fiction, book-club, historical-fiction     I LOVED this book - it's the best adult book I've read in a while, and I also see it as a book young adults would enjoy a lot. I fell in love with the red-headed nine-year-old heroine, Starla, who runs away from her abusive grandmother in the summer of 1963 and enters a world she knows little about. But she's a survivor and a fighter. She befriends Eula, a black woman who "kidnapped" a white baby, on a quest to find her momma in Nashville. Little prepares her for what the journey becomes and wha...more I LOVED this book - it's the best adult book I've read in a while, and I also see it as a book young adults would enjoy a lot. I fell in love with the red-headed nine-year-old heroine, Starla, who runs away from her abusive grandmother in the summer of 1963 and enters a world she knows little about. But she's a survivor and a fighter. She befriends Eula, a black woman who "kidnapped" a white baby, on a quest to find her momma in Nashville. Little prepares her for what the journey becomes and what Eula will mean to her. She learns that "'God's plan ain't a free pass. Uh-uh. He give us moments to make choices, and we make them. We accountable for those choices. God's job ain't to make our lives easier, it's to make us better souls by the lessons he give us.'" If you were a fan of The Help, you'll be a fan of Whistling Past the Graveyard! POETRY   Dog Songs by Mary Oliver   2013-book, dogs, poetry     This is just a beautiful collection of poetry dedicated to Mary Oliver's dogs, but if you have and love your own dogs, the poems are for you, too. I laughed at some lines and teared up at others. Oliver knows how to tug at your heartstrings and make you look at the world and its simple pleasures in a meaningful way. I love the essay at the end. PROFESSIONAL     Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller                                                  2013-book, professional-teaching-book     Finishing this follow up to The Book Whisperer the day after I got home from NCTE in Boston (I was reading it on the plane) was the perfect way to culminate a weekend of spending time with not only Donalyn, but many dynamic and passionate educators who cultivate the love of reading in their students every day. I found many new gems of wisdom and inspiration that could be implemented in my classroom right away. I love her honesty about telling us how she's evolved, and the new ideas as well as th...more Finishing this follow up (which has a BEAUTIFUL cover!) to the amazing The Book Whisperer the day after I got home from NCTE in Boston (I was reading it on the plane) was the perfect way to culminate a weekend of spending time with not only Donalyn, but many dynamic and passionate educators who cultivate the love of reading in their students every day. I found many new gems of wisdom and inspiration in this book that could be implemented in my classroom right away. I love her honesty about telling us how she's evolved and the new ideas as well as the reinforcement of the ones that inspired us in The Book Whisperer. She evaluates and thinks about her teaching practices, researches how she can be better, and teaches us how to be better.  One thing is certain; she is a reader. A wild reader.    I was lucky enough to sit by her at the Choice Literacy dinner in Boston.  She's so smart and funny!     CURRENTLY READING:     CURRENTLY LISTENING TO:       My family loves to read, too, so I feature their books every week.   My husband:     My mom:     My dad:     My 20-year-old is facing exam week, so she'll be studying, not reading for pleasure.  My 17-year-old is taking a break from reading because of AP Lit. :-(  I'm trying to convince her to read the Divergent series!   What are YOU reading this week?