It's Monday, What are You Reading, July 14, 2014

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 from Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki of Unleashing Readers and have become a regular linked up blog. Thanks #PLN

There were so many books that I wanted to read this spring but my students had first dibs on them. With #summerthrowdown in full swing, I have been able to dive into my Summer Reading Wish List.

The Selection series has been entertaining at best although the writing has been a bit goofy at times but sometimes I don't mind goofy.

I also read aloud some of these favorite character books to a group of mommies and their babies during my presentation on the importance of early literacy and family reading traditions.  

 

...and then because I was in a Pete the Cat mood, I read these too.

ARCs I have read this week:

Sleep Tight Little Bear by Britta Teckentrup

A little bear and his mother prepare for their long winter's nap of hibernation by visiting each of their friends to say good-night. I had an immediate positive feeling regarding this book. The pros were:  beautiful illustration, a sweet family story introducing the concept of hibernation, and I cannot resist a bear story. The cons were: I think the bears would probably eat those very same friends they were telling good-night especially in the spring when they woke up. 

I also read Pig and Small by Alex Latimer. Great title and an interesting little book about a pig and a bug trying to make their awkward friendship work.







My favorite book of the week:

Always, Abigail by Nancy J. Cavanaugh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Source: ARC received from Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky Kids
Release date: October 2014  
Realistic Fiction, ages: 9-13

I absolutely loved the story of Abigail and her terrible, horrible, no good, very bad sixth grade year. Abigail, the list maker and her two BFFs AlliCam (2 girls) have aspired to become pom pom girls since they first met in kindergarten. Disaster first strikes when Abigail is put in a different homeroom than AliCam and then her antiquated Language Arts teacher partners her up with the biggest loser in school. Ack!!!!

Always Abigail is told through a series of lists-funny, thought provoking, and much like the lists I used to find in my own daughter's room. I think it genuinely reflects the suffering, guilt, and angst a young girl can experience in her sixth grade year. I appreciated that Abigail had a very active conscience battling her daily.

Without a doubt, I will be purchasing a hard copy of this book for my school library collection. I think it can serve my young friends well.

I made a list of what I like about Always Abigail:

1. Abigail is an interesting, flawed, typical sixth grade girl striving to live up to her dreams while struggling with her conscience. 
2.  Ditto
3.  Ditto
4.  Ditto
5  Ditto
6.  Ditto 
7.  Ditto
8.  Ditto
9.  Ditto
10. Ditto

Getting ready for #virtualbookclub chat this Monday, July 14th at 8 p.m. EST. Join us!
I re-read A Snicker of Magic 

A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A sweet,charming story about a girl named Felicity Pickle and her destiny to lay down roots in the town where her mother grew up. A wonderful story of friendship and the importance of family. Read it and feel renewed by life.

This is going to be a great Twitter chat because we all loved the book so much. 

Currently reading:

Somebody on this Bus is Going to be Famous by J. B. Cheaney
Source: ARC received from Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky Kids
Release date: September 2014
Mystery, ages: 10-14







It has been a fun reading week. What are your reading?

#MustReadin2014 and Kicking off #Summerthrowdown

Teacher Carrie Gelson is calling all #MustReadin2014 readers to turn in their homework for the Quarter Quell. Oh wait, that's not right, I mean the quarterly check in to see how we are progressing in our #MustReadin2014 lists.
Check out the link up here.

 

I have read 30 out of 40 books on my #MustReadin2014 List. That's not too bad but my list keeps getting longer as I continue to add books that I must read this year. A little competition is just the thing to get me motivated (as if any of us needed any reading motivation).

Today I join dozens of other folks in the 3rd annual #summerthrowdown. I did it last year because I am one of those folks who thrive well under the spirit of competition.
I like a reading goal and I love reading as part of a book club. I need to talk about the books I am reading and it's not always easy to find adults in my home or workplace that will read children's books. It is such a thrill to stumble across another grown up in the YA section of the library. We immediately fall into conversation sharing our favorites. I have no qualms about getting older-I like it. It is simply that in my reader's heart, I am still an adventurer in need of a great quest.

The official first book in my #summerthrowdown challenge
Yesterday,  I received this book from Debbie Diesen, creator of The Pout Pout Fish. It was such a wonderful surprise and I now proclaim it as the first book I will read for #summerthrowdown.

I challenged my son and my nephew to a Harry Potter Re-Read Challenge to be completed by July 31st (Harry's birthday). I have gotten too dependent on the ABC Family's movie version of H. P. series and have been missing all the great parts that were cut out from the books. I am still plugging away and up to H. P. and the Prisoner of Azkaban but my son blew through the entire series in one week. He has more time on his hands than I do. I had to use the audio book versions just to get as far as this. (I work year round).

Harry Potter books are on my #MustReadin2014 and #MustRead4Ever

 All of these #virtualbookclub books are on my #MustReadin2014 list and so far I am keeping up with one exception, I could not locate a copy of Splendors and Gloom. 

 Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier was nothing short of FANTASTIC! I am ready for the August #virtualbookclub chat. Well, I need to read The Night Gardener too.

 The creepiest #mustreadin2014 since reading The Coldest Girl in Coldtown.

Favorite dystopian #mustreadin2014 series. I can't believe I haven't made it out to get Graduation Day-I think I don't want the series to end. This was the hottest YA check out in my library this spring for boys and girls. They loved it!

The most intense #MustReadin2014. I had to sit and deeply think about The Impossible Knife of Memory. I feel blessed not having to deal with such suffering.

We Were Liars had the most surprising twist #MustReadin2014 and wow-what a terrific novel. Look for the movie version in the near future.

This is a picture of me ----------------------------->
after some MAJOR weeding of the entire school library and university teacher resource center.
I mean it's real muscle man work taking weeks to get through and I am flat out exhausted. I have given away tons (probably not an exaggeration) of free teaching materials to university students. The great thing is I have now doubled the size of my library. I even sweet talked the Dean of Education (great guy) into giving me some bookcases I desperately needed and would have taken even without permission (but I prefer to get properly obtained permission if he is reading this). Librarians are resource people.


Well until Carrie sends out the next homework call, you will find me reading the last 10 books on my #MustReadin2014 which will certainly have grown to 20 or more books.

Until the next quarterly check in, keep reading and let me know what you are reading. We'll chat.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading July 8, 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 a great web site!

This is a Voki. Press the Play button arrow.

I read the following books this week for fun and also to meet my Book Challenge goals for 

 #Bookdare #summerthrowdown #bookaday #bigbookchallenge

 Because I'm Your Dad
by Ahmet Zappa
Illustrated by Dan Santat
Goal: read a book about parents-dad

I love this precious book about a loving dad who let's his little monster son eat ice cream in the bathtub, make mud forts, and burp like a champion. This is a terrific book to give to a new dad-a sort of "how to be a cool dad" manual.



Bats at the Beach
by Brian Lies
Goal: Read a book about summer-beach

Even bats need a beach holiday.

 Since I was already reading such sweet books this week, I decided to go full ahead into It's Duffy Time and Hurry Up and Slow Down.

 My son and I have an annual 4th of July tradition to watch the movie Gettysburg. We are both history buffs. Below is my favorite scene from the movie. My son, daughters, nephews, and I used to reenact this when they were little. Now it's just me yelling "Bayonets!!!"  in the backyard. :)






The graphic novel, The Battle of Gettysburg, by Kerri O'Hern and Dale Anderson, shown in the photo above, on the left, features large images and brief information about the Battle of Gettysburg. It serves well as a beginner's guide to the battle. I would not agree with all its statements though. It contains resource links for kids to explore.  

Gettysburg by Josh Gregory is part of the Cornerstones of Freedom collection from Children's Press. I really like it. It includes an index, glossary, timeline, and a resource mix of books, websites with a strong emphasis on primary sources.

After reading about "Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle" last week on Teach Mentor Text. I began to re-read some of my favorite Ocean themed books. Steve Jenkins is brilliant!

The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Costeau. (link to my book club) Manfish by Jennifer Berne is a nice pairing with this book as they are both about Jacques Costeau.

Down Down Down, by Steve Jenkins, is a beautiful book exploring the deepest depths of the ocean. Watch this video of Ocean Fairies

 4th of July also had me thinking of Hot dogs so I read Hot Diggity Dog: The History of the Hot Dog by Adrienne Sylver. Check out this fun web site             I created for our Bluebonnet Book Club

The Cookbook for Kids  was a fun read too. I really need some new recipes. YUM! These french crepes look delicious!

This is my TBR pile this week. I hope to make a dent in it. 
Now tell me, what are you reading?

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? July 1, 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. 

This weekend was all about family for me. My OLDER sister, came down and we all headed over to my younger sister's house for special time with my mom. We even got mom set up with her own Facebook account. I am not much of a Facebook person and doubt she will be either, but it was fun. The only issue was I would laugh and reference the latest children's book I had read and they would get this blank look on their faces. I forget that not everyone loves kit lit the way I do.

These are the books I am reading this week:

 

I would have loved to have been at the #Coldtown party at ALA2013. It looked amazing.

My week in auidio books:

                                                                                                 My library has been bustling with activity this week so I didn't even get to hang out much with Tess and Tobias this week. Sad.

 What I will soon be reading:

 Next up will be a Texas Bluebonnet nominee Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood

Glory Be Discussion Questions

 Listen to this wonderful NPR interview with Augusta Scattergood

I like a little motivation to keep me jazzed up about reaching goals (like most kids do) so I signed up for the #summerthrowdown Reading Challenge. Read about it here at Heise Reads and Recommends 

Come on! Join in and let me know how you are doing. I love to buddy read with folks on Twitter. Find me here. @JuleeMurphy

Now tell me, what ARE you reading? I want to know.