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.
 

 

These are the books I read this week:

 

MIDDLE GRADE

 

 

Beholding Bee by Kimberly Newton Fusco

 

2013-book, bebrave, bullying, character-development, characters-with-disabilities, dogs, empathy, family, fantasy-science-fiction, fears, friendship, historical-fiction, homelessness, human-rights, identity, individuality, intermediate-kids-book, mock-newbery-2014, pigs,  strong-girl-character, teachers-who-inspire   WOW! This story captivated me. I loved Beatrice, Peabody, and Cordelia. I loved Mrs. Healy. I loved the aunts who reminded me of Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which. There is so much here: bullying and its consequences, acceptance, family concepts, the unconditional love of pets, educational issues, disabilities, human rights issues, and on and on. Don't let that lofty list fool you, though, because its also the simple and universal story of a girl who wants to belong. Connections to Wonder,...more WOW! This story captivated me. I loved Beatrice, Peabody, and Cordelia. I loved Mrs. Healy. I loved the aunts who reminded me of Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which. There is so much here: bullying and its consequences, acceptance, family concepts, the unconditional love of pets, educational issues, disabilities, human rights issues, and on and on. Don't let that lofty list fool you, though, because its also the simple and universal story of a girl who wants to belong. Connections to Wonder, Out of My Mind, The One and Only Ivan, and Water for Elephants come to mind. I now have my top three books of the year, and this is one of them! I got the copy for this review from the library, but I promptly bought it as soon as I finished because I want it in my classroom library and for my Mock Newbery Club! GRAPHIC NOVEL Bluffton: My Summers with Buster Keaton by Matt Phelan 2013-book, friendship, graphic-novel, historical-fiction, intermediate-kids-book, mock-caldecott-2014, visual-literacy       I was captivated by the beautiful watercolors that help tell this story about Buster Keaton and the vaudeville performers who would come to Muskegon, Michigan every summer from 1908-1938 and stay in the Bluffton neighborhood. Henry, Sally, and their families are fictional, but Buster Keaton and The Actors' Colony were real. This book reminds me of The Invention of Hugo Cabret because of the history of performance and movies. You'll root for Henry to find his passion and for the relationships of...more I was captivated by the beautiful watercolors that help tell this story about Buster Keaton and the vaudeville performers who would come to Muskegon, Michigan every summer from 1908-1938 and stay in the Bluffton neighborhood. Henry, Sally, and their families are fictional, but Buster Keaton and The Actors' Colony were real. This book reminds me of The Invention of Hugo Cabret because of the history of performance and movies. You'll root for Henry to find his passion and for the relationships of all the kids and their families. There are some conflicts that kids will need to work through while reading this, but the power of love, for life and each other, comes through. Great testimony for childhood, friendship, and the joys of summer.   YOUNG ADULT       Champion by Marie Lu   2013-book, dystopian-novel, government, point-of-view, young-adult-book     Well, gosh, I didn't want this one to end! Twists, turns, rebellions, romance, double-crosses, uprisings, plagues - the end to the Legend trilogy has it all. I didn't really want it to end the way it did, but I thought it was a smart conclusion and hopeful epilogue. Lu's author's note made me tear up. Great dystopian series!   CURRENTLY READING     CURRENTLY LISTENING TO       My family loves to read, too, so I like to feature what they're reading each week.   My husband:     My 20-year-old:     My mom:      My dad: