It’s Monday! What are you reading?
Each week I share a reading photo of the week. Here are some displays of previous Caldecott award winners set up to greet my students when they return from their break. We launch our Mock Caldecott unit on Tuesday! I am so excited!
Join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers and share all of the reading you have done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. Follow the links to read about all of the amazing books the #IMWAYR community has read. It’s the best way to discover what to read next.
On the blog:
Nonfiction favourites from 2016: 10 titles I loved
Year End Update for #Mustreadin2016
Want to join us in 2017? Check back on Thursday (the 5th) to connect to everyone making a #MustReadin2017 list
Celebration: Writing I celebrated a year of words and highlighted posts that told the story of my year.
Books I enjoyed:
We Sang You Home written by Richard Van Camp and illustrated by Julie Flett
This title is absolutely beautiful – lyrical and celebratory, it speaks to the joy and wonder of welcoming a new one into our lives. Of course, a perfect gift for new families.
This is My Book! by Mark Pett
Just saying, I think Pett might have had a little help here. See for yourself! Would be an engaging read aloud!
Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea: Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor written by Robert Burleigh and illustrated by Raúl Colón
Wow. I love when nonfiction is the perfect blend of incredible story and breathtaking pictures – increases the wonder factor exponentially! This biography of Marie Tharp is one I would like to own.
Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton by Don Tate
Truly a remarkable story. George Moses Horton loved words so much he was able to teach himself to read as a child when slaves were never permitted to learn to read and write. As a young man, George wrote such beautiful poems that he was able to earn enough money to temporarily “buy” permission from his owner to live in town and just write. This of course required that he paid for this “temporary” freedom. His master would not agree to allow George to completely buy his freedom though and it wasn’t until after the Civil War that he was finally free. Just an incredible read.
The Marvelous Thing That Came from a Spring: The Accidental Invention of the Toy That Swept the Nation by Gilbert Ford
This title tells the story of the invention of the slinky but also celebrates an entire journey of invention and its impact on a family. Really interesting!
Camp Midnight by Steven T. Seagle and Jason Adam Katzenstein
So what if you happen to board the wrong bus to camp and ended up at a camp where campers got to be their true selves at midnight but you had no true self to reveal because you were really human, not hiding in a human form? Yes, that is the storyline of this creepy little graphic novel that I am sure kids will just eat up.
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
I must admit I had no idea how this story was supposed to work and wasn’t sure what exactly was going on or how I felt about some of it and then, wow, how this all comes together . . . Kind of brilliant.
The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
I don’t often read more than a few books in a series because I find typically, the story starts to disintegrate and each book can’t hold its own and at the same time, tie everything together. Not so here. I remained completely engaged right to the end of this fourth book in The Raven Cycle.
The Nest by Kenneth Oppel with illustrations by Jon Klassen
Although this book is absolutely frightening, it is also absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking. Highly, highly recommended.
Garvey’s Choice by Nikki Grimes
A novel in verse not to be missed. Celebrate as Garvey is able to find himself and move beyond the self-doubt, the teasing and bullying and the pressure of his father’s expectations.
Reading Progress updates: I didn’t meet all of my goals for 2016 (but came very close) and I am letting that go . . . Moving on to 2017!
2017 Chapter Book Challenge: 2/75 complete
Goodreads Challenge: 2/365 books read
Progress on challenge: For today, ahead of the game!
#MustReadin2017: 1/30 complete
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 0/50 titles
Diverse Books in 2016: 1/50 books read
There's a Book for That 
Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea sounds fascinating. I still have to read The Marvelous Thing That Came From a Spring. I agree that Poet was wonderful. I am making a #mustreadin2017 list and would love to join your community!
I am so excited to hear this Lisa!
I had the same reactions to American Born Chinese and The Nest, too. I’ll have to look for Garvey’s Choice, it looks wonderful.
Garvey’s Choice is one to read and then read again. Beautiful poetry.
American Born Chinese is the book that made me understand the power of graphic novels. I had one student of Chinese origin take it home and when I asked for it back because it was so overdue, he said he couldn’t bring it back because other people in his family were reading it. I want to read The Nest, but I saw Oppel talk about it, and you know what I wuss I am about scary books…
Be brave! It’s worth it!
I wish I had time to read this Winter Break, but I just didn’t get to it 😦
I really enjoyed The Nest, but it was creepy!!
Love the nonfiction on this list.
Well – new year, new reading time! You were too busy making amazing lists!
Busy week! I loved Garvey’s Choice and Poet. My 7th graders will be reading American Born Chinese later in the year, but we’ll probably be doing some background-building about the Monkey King in traditional literature before launching into the book.
Such a book. Enjoy!
I’ve read American Born Chinese with several groups, & they love it. Some used it as a mentor text to create stories. I’m glad you liked it–eventually! I love The Raven Cycle, have seen Stiefvater speak sevaral times. She’s a fun presenter & loves to hear you talk about her books, of course! Will look for a few of the picture books, new to me, like This Is My Book, looks terrific. Happy getting back to your class, Carrie!
I read an excerpt of The Nest to a group of students at an elementary school I was visiting and they practically stampeded me to borrow a copy. I really love that Oppel respects young readers, and understands that it’s OK to share dark, creepy, even scary stuff with kids because they can handle it.
You have some fascinating books in today’s post! I think you really can’t go wrong with a Burleigh/Colon combination– and this biographical picture book looks like one that could be very inspirational and enlightening for kids of all ages! I’ve read a lot of about Garvey’s Choice lately, and know that it is a book I want to pick up. Finally – Oppel’s The Nest is a book I’ve thought about picking up numerous times, but I’m really not good with scary books. I’m not sure if it’s the right book for me…? Thanks for sharing!
I absolutely love American Born Chinese. What a brilliant book! I also loved The Nest! You read some great books! Happy New Year!
Love, love, love, We Sang You Home. I want to read the slinky book.
As always, you have some wonderful books here – some I have read and some I want to read! I read Garvey’s Choice over break and loved it. I never felt like I was good enough in my father’s eyes, so I could relate with Garvey. Still working on my #Mustreadin2017 list! :O
So many books on here to add to my #MustReadin2017 list, especially The Marvelous Thing… and This Is My Book! I, too, was fascinated by The Nest–I found it to be equal parts beautiful and disturbing.
Agreed re The Nest – so beautifully written but some scenes – oh my!
I know what you mean about the Raven Boys series of Stiefvater. I felt that it was pretty well done too. Thanks about letting me know about This is my Book – I’m doing a round-up of books about books published in 2016 for our reading theme, and now I will definitely have to add this one – just reserved it from the library.
Perfect! It is a cute one!
I love that you do Mock Caldecott as a unit in your classroom. I’d love to hear more about how you do this.
Happy new year, and happy reading this week!
I have to read American Born
Chinese. Thank you! The Nest was wonderful weird. Good to here your thoughts about all of these titles.