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?

Hope's Coming Down #IMWAYR March 17, 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

 Happy St. Patrick's Day and may the luck of the Irish be with you!
Here is a four leaf clover I picked just for you. 

Want to get in the spirit of the day? Check out this lovely little book about Curious George and St. Patrick's Day. 

Loved it, but got started slowly with A Snicker of Magic. Obviously I am not a "word catcher" and struggled with visualizing how this worked but I loved the Pickle and Harness families. All the family members were so likable in their own quirky way. Cleo was my favorite tough old broad. The friendship with Jonah was also terrific. What a great kid. I wanted to hang out with him too. It was sad to me though that Roger Pickle did not come back into their lives. I held onto hope. I just adore the catch phrase from this book. "Hope's coming down."

I am currently reading Seven Stories Up and will be chatting about it with my #virtualbookclub friends on Monday night at 9 p.m. EST.

Take a look at our #virtualbookclub Pinterest webpage

I thought I would not be able to participate because I couldn't locate a copy anywhere. I put a library hold on it weeks ago and yet the status was always "book in transit." They must have strapped it to a turtle because it took over six weeks. Actually, it was lost. 

I had gone in and begged them to track it and the next day I received a happy phone call that it had been located. Someone had "misplaced it" sure, they were probably reading it. Who could blame them? It is a very interesting book. I just received it Saturday but taxes and merchandising work have kept me from reading much of it. I do love a challenge so it is marathon reading time! I might be up all night. 

I am still plugging away listening to Fire, boy it's long and I don't have to drive too far each day. In fact, I had to swap the audiobook out for a replacement due to a badly scratched CD.  

I can hardly wait to tap into these next reads on deck. I bought The Testing through my recent book fair. It is on the Texas Lone Star list. I have been wanting to read it for a long time. I know I will enjoy The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. That Holly Black is a gifted writer. 
















I hope you are having a lovely reading week and if you are not, just remember...
Hope's coming down!

Books Worth Talking About #IMWAYR March 3, 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

My wonderful principal does a great job promoting the book fair. She has the golden touch. Whatever she talks about, sells!

These second graders are very happy to see their big, red, pal Clifford.

Book Fair means a time for book talks, book talks, and more book talks! We all know the value of a book talk in driving up book sales. Here are a few of the top books in my fair.

Smile, Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

I was thrilled to discover this treasure from the sea. I pulled out my Kohls Care Pout-Pout Fish stuffed toy and proceeded to book talk it up a storm. What was really funny to me was that 4th graders begged me to read it to them. See, you are never too old for Pout-Pout Fish. 

I really don't understand how this is a book trailer for Smile, Pout Pout Fish but it is so adorable-much like the Pout Pout Fish himself. The teachers and students in my school all love the Pout Pout Fish. See if you can watch it while resisting a big old smile.

   Clark the Shark by Bruce Hale

Clark the Shark is too loud, too wild, and jut a little too much at just about everything he does. His friends won't sit with him during circle time, play with him on the playground, or join him for lunch. With a little help from his teacher Mrs. Inky-Dink, Clark learns that a little rhyme can help him remember the rules of the school which will help him stay cool. 

Wildly successful read aloud. Kids gave Clark a Hip, Hip, 
Horray!

Bruce Hale's Clark the Shark Activities 

Teaching Kindergarten with Clark the Shark

Nighttime Ninja by Barbara DeCosta

Hatchet Book Group

Late at night, when all is quiet and everyone is asleep, a ninja creeps silently through the house in search of treasure. Soon he reaches his ultimate goal...and gets a big surprise! Will the nighttime ninja complete his mission? (source: Publisher)

Nighttime Ninja Coloring page 

Here are two middle grade titles we were very excited to see in the book fair.

Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel by Diana Lopez


We are fans of Diana Lopez-she used to teach in Corpus Christi and returns often to speak to young people about her books and becoming a writer. She has been very supportive of our school events and will be in town this Thursday to speak at my grandson's elementary school. I think the title of this book is fun and makes me remember how cool mood rings were. Ask My Mood RIng How I Feel is on the new 2014 Texas Lone Star List

If you love Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel, Choke, or Confetti Girl, then look for Diana Lopez in San Antonio at the Texas Library Association Conference in April.

It's summer before eighth grade, and Erica "Chia" Montenegro is feeling so many things that she needs a mood ring to keep track of her emotions. She's happy when she hangs out with her best friends, the Robins. She's jealous that her genius little sister skipped two grades. And she's passionate about the crushes on her Boyfriend Wish list. And when Erica's mom is diagnosed with breast cancer, she feels worried and doesn't know what she can do to help.

When her family visits a cuarto de milagros, a miracle room in a famous church, Erica decides to make a promesa to God in exchange for her mom's health. As her mom gets sicker, Erica quickly learns that juggling family, friends, school, and fulfilling apromesa is stressful, but with a little bit of hope and a lot of love, she just might be able to figure it out.

A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd

Lots of great book buzz has been popping up on Twitter for this eye catching title. My students loved that we had it in our book fair before the book release date.

Scholastic Freebie: A Snicker of Magic Activity booklet
(Description from the author's website)

Midnight Gulch used to be a magical place, a town where people could sing up thunderstorms and dance up sunflowers. But that was long ago, before a curse drove the magic away. Twelve-year-old Felicity knows all about things like that; her nomadic mother is cursed with a wandering heart.

But when she arrives in Midnight Gulch, Felicity thinks her luck's about to change. A "word collector," Felicity sees words everywhere---shining above strangers, tucked into church eves, and tangled up her dog's floppy ears---but Midnight Gulch is the first place she's ever seen the word "home." And then there's Jonah, a mysterious, spiky-haired do-gooder who shimmers with words Felicity's never seen before, words that make Felicity's heart beat a little faster.

Felicity wants to stay in Midnight Gulch more than anything, but first, she'll need to figure out how to bring back the magic, breaking the spell that's been cast over the town . . . and her mother's broken heart.