...And they rode off into the sunset to begin their own great adventures #IMWAYR August 26, 2013

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme began by Sheila at Book Journeys as a way to share what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and what is in store for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading. I first learned about it at Teach Mentor Texts. 

What I am reading electronically:

I woke up sick in the middle of the night and decided to read until I fell asleep again. I chose The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater via my Net Galley account.

The Dream Thieves picks up a month after The Raven Boys left off and is filled with mystical forces and paranormal happenings. I sort of loved the part when Ronan throws Noah out a window (not really a spoiler, just added characterization).
I enjoy the stories Stiefvater weaves and her use of complex and flawed characters. Her works are always fresh and unique.



*Librarians and educators have free access to Net Galley.
NetGalley is a service to promote and publicize forthcoming titles to readers of influence. If you are a reviewer, blogger, journalist, librarian, bookseller, educator, or in the media, you can use NetGalley for FREE to request and read titles before they are published. (as stated on Net Galley)

What I am reading for ideas:

Scholastic's Book Fairs Ideas Guide Fall 2013 and School Resource Catalog

During our Meet the Teacher event at my school on Friday, a very special package arrived for me. It was the Scholastic Book Fair Planning Kit jammed pack with flyers, posters, and these goodies. I quickly whipped up a couple of posters to hang so families would know we have a book fair coming up soon. I decided to take home the Idea book and new Resource catalog. Hey, this is also reading, you know.






What I am reading for professional development:
Book Love by Penny Kittle

My dear friend, Mapuana, loaned her autographed copy of Book Love by Penny Kittle to me with the promise that I would read it within a week.

If you looked up the definition of a Book lover in the dictionary, it would state: Example: see Mapuana Jones. On her school district web page, she keeps a personal statement.

"When someone shares something of value with you, and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others."

I am not sure who is actually to be credited with this quote-possibly Confucius or it may be a Chinese proverb, but it is precisely the type of thing Mapuana believes in. Otherwise, I would not have been able to pry her beloved Book Love from her perfectly manicured fingers.

What the family is reading together:
From Lukas and Josiah's personal library collection

Lukas is getting ready to start Kindergarten so we needed a marathon read session in case his new teacher asks this question, "Does anyone read at home with their families?" Lukas has been carefully coached to tell her that his BB (me) reads to him all the time and will be happy to give her books for her classroom library. Yeah, he's that kid who always donates books to his teacher. She's set for the year! He has also met his new librarian, Mrs. Lynch, aka "the hat lady" who plans to wear a cute hat to school every day as part of her librarian persona. I love it!

...and filled with wonderful stories of giants, beanstalks, princesses, brave knights, and fire breathing dragons, BB's boys rode off into the sunset to discover their own magical stories and adventures.