It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!
It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!
After doing the meme for a couple of weeks, we realized this would be a fun meme to start up with a kidlit focus - anyone reading and reviewing books in children's literature - it can be picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, you name it in the world of kidlit and it's in! We have loved being a part of this meme and we hope you do too! We encourage everyone participating to go and visit the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and to comment on as many posts as you can. We love talking books and believe in sharing and discussing what we're reading. We hope you join us!
Last Week's Book Adventures:
Jen Says: It is a great week for reflecting on books because I, somehow, got a lot of reading done! I finished up Fallen by Lauren Kate (on Henry, my Nook) which I loved and I zoomed through Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (on audio). I like how the plot Anna seemed believable and real. Penny From Heaven by Jenni Holm (on audio) was probably my favorite of her novels. Get this! I even got through Forgotten by Cat Patrick (on audio)! I am so on a roll. I really liked this one if you can get past her predicting the future thing. I read and loved The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate and Stitches by David Small. I got to meet and hear both of them speak at the Anderson's Children's Literature Breakfast on Saturday. My most memorable picture book this week was One Cool Friend by David Small...it was great to hear him read it himself. These are both books I will be reviewing, no doubt. Another highlight of the Anderson's Breakfast is that I got an ARC of Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth which is the first book in Jane O'Connor's Fancy Nancy chapter book. It's so cute!
I am loving NetGally right now! I was able to read Bink and Gollie, Two For One by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, Squish #3: The Power of the Parasite by Jenni and Matt Holm, and On The Day I Died by Candace Fleming. All of these are exciting!
Kellee Says: Wooo! I finished a YA book!! Now, unfortunately, Back When You Were Easier to Love was not a perfect book and I wish I'd enjoyed it more (and I'll explain my thoughts and feelings when I review it on 3/20), but I finished it!! Next to it, though, I did not do much other reading this week except for Robot Dreams, a touching, mostly wordless graphic novel by Sara Varon.
I am loving NetGally right now! I was able to read Bink and Gollie, Two For One by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, Squish #3: The Power of the Parasite by Jenni and Matt Holm, and On The Day I Died by Candace Fleming. All of these are exciting!
Kellee Says: Wooo! I finished a YA book!! Now, unfortunately, Back When You Were Easier to Love was not a perfect book and I wish I'd enjoyed it more (and I'll explain my thoughts and feelings when I review it on 3/20), but I finished it!! Next to it, though, I did not do much other reading this week except for Robot Dreams, a touching, mostly wordless graphic novel by Sara Varon.
Reviewed Last Week:
Just click on any picture above to go read the review
Upcoming Book Adventures:
Jen Says: I'm hoping my reading roll continues! I am seriously going to get to From What I Remember... by Valerie Thomas and Stacy Kramer this week. I started The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy and will finish Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming. As for audiobooks, I have Dead End In Norvelt by Jack Gantos that I'm going to actually try to read. I've heard mixed reviews, so I'll be able to decide for myself! It's exciting to start a new week of reading.
Kellee Says: I am surrounded right now by some amazing books actually as I'm planning my reading for the week. I'm going to continue working through some 2011 best of lists by reading A Pet for Petunia, Ice, Perfect Square, and Around the World and hopefully Amelia Lost and When Live Gives You OJ. I also have some graphic novels that I hadn't read from Goodreads's Best Graphic Novels for Children. Lastly, I am rereading some Dav Pilkey picture books that I loved as a child, Dragon Tales.
As for YA, I will continue to try new books and hope one grabs my attention. However, after talking to Jen this afternoon on the phone and reflecting some, I think I have figured out why I am just not putting my time into YA novels. So, for the first 5 years I taught, I was a language arts teacher with a variety of students. Their reading levels and interests varied and were all encompassing. However, this year I switched to teaching intensive reading. 90% of my students read multiple grade levels below and do not have a love of reading. Obviously, my "clientele" has changed. I began reading YA because I wanted to help find books for my students to read, but now my students primarily read middle grade and graphic novels- no wonder I have been focusing so much on that type of reading. I love YA and always will, but if my primary goal is to find books for my students and most do not read YA because they are not there as a reader, unless the book is truly sucking me in, I have found it easy to warrant abandonment. So, I feel much better now for the choices I've been making as a reader as it all makes sense to me now. I've had to come to terms with abandoning and telling myself it is okay. But now you see why I don't want to advertise the YA novels I am abandoning; because they are probably very good for someone out there, but for me and my students at this moment, they are just not what we need.
Kellee Says: I am surrounded right now by some amazing books actually as I'm planning my reading for the week. I'm going to continue working through some 2011 best of lists by reading A Pet for Petunia, Ice, Perfect Square, and Around the World and hopefully Amelia Lost and When Live Gives You OJ. I also have some graphic novels that I hadn't read from Goodreads's Best Graphic Novels for Children. Lastly, I am rereading some Dav Pilkey picture books that I loved as a child, Dragon Tales.
As for YA, I will continue to try new books and hope one grabs my attention. However, after talking to Jen this afternoon on the phone and reflecting some, I think I have figured out why I am just not putting my time into YA novels. So, for the first 5 years I taught, I was a language arts teacher with a variety of students. Their reading levels and interests varied and were all encompassing. However, this year I switched to teaching intensive reading. 90% of my students read multiple grade levels below and do not have a love of reading. Obviously, my "clientele" has changed. I began reading YA because I wanted to help find books for my students to read, but now my students primarily read middle grade and graphic novels- no wonder I have been focusing so much on that type of reading. I love YA and always will, but if my primary goal is to find books for my students and most do not read YA because they are not there as a reader, unless the book is truly sucking me in, I have found it easy to warrant abandonment. So, I feel much better now for the choices I've been making as a reader as it all makes sense to me now. I've had to come to terms with abandoning and telling myself it is okay. But now you see why I don't want to advertise the YA novels I am abandoning; because they are probably very good for someone out there, but for me and my students at this moment, they are just not what we need.
This Week's Reviews:
Check back throughout the week to hear about these books.
So, what are you reading this week?
Please link up below and don't forget to check out other blogs to see what they are reading!
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