Favourites of 2017

Posted on December 30, 2017 by carriegelson

Which books stand out from an entire year or reading? Titles that didn’t leave me. Books I have wanted to share. To reread. That I have particular plans for. Books that I have read to multiple audiences. Books full of the beautiful and the hopeful. Wonder. Inspiration. Humanity. Sorrow and hope. Books I recommend highly. Books I am pleased to celebrate here.

The 17 books that made the final cut? I chose everything from picture books to young adult novels. Middle grade novels. Transitional chapter books. All of it. (except for nonfiction titles – they got a list all their own)

17 books and no more than 17 words of raving. This was my challenge last year with my Favourites of 2016 (16 books, 16 words) Each year it has been the same: Favourites of 2015 (15 books, 15 words), Favourites of 2014 (14 books, 14 words), Favourites of 2013 (13 books, 13 words) and (12 books, 12 words) with my 2012 Favourites. Each year, I get one more book and one more word to play with!

17 favourites of 2017

Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell

Nearly wordless. All about important things. Kindness. Trust. Simplicity.

Town is by the Sea written by Joanne Schwartz and illustrated by Sydney Smith

Daily life in a Cape Breton mining town. Illustrations that literally freeze place and time.

The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! by Carmen Agra Deedy and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin

Our voices cannot be silenced. Timely and timeless.

Little Fox in the Forest by Stephanie Graegin

Wordless and wonderful. Rich with kindness and longing for how we connect.

My Beautiful Birds by Suzanne Del Rizzo

How can we leave one life to begin another? A refugee experience full of sadness and hope.

The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken

A creative and inspiring journey that celebrates how what goes wrong is equally exactly right.

Now by Antoinette Portis

Being in the moment has never been celebrated with such lovely wonder and beauty.

Out of Wonder Poems Celebrating Poets by Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderley and Marjorie Wentworth illustrations by Ekua Holmes

Oh this book of poems and art. Kind of speechless.

Charlie & Mouse & Grumpy (Charlie & Mouse, #2) written by Laurel Snyder and illustrated by Emily Hughes

Endearing and lovely. Sibling antics. Silly stories. Hilarious illustrations. Reading gold.

A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold

Bat, his family and a little orphaned skunk make up a cast of characters that you must meet.

Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia

So I kind of love everything about Clayton Byrd.

Me and Marvin Gardens by Amy Sarig King (A.S. King)

I can’t get Obe and Marvin Gardens out of my head.

Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder

Suspend belief. Be uncertain. Allow yourself to get lost in this story. Incredible writing.

See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng

I adore Alex Petroski. His journey to capture the essence of Earth reveals his vulnerable, complicated existence.

Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk

An isolated setting. Unique characters. Mystery and intrigue and simplicity that makes a can’t put down story.

Refugee by Alan Gratz.

You will cry. Shake your head. Fret. Dream terrible things. Read this book. Hand it to everyone.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Necessary reading for anyone who happens to currently be human. Deserving of all the hype.

Please share your own favourites of the year . . .

Wishing everyone a 2018 full of new favourites and lots of reading!

Monday July 24th, 2017

Posted on July 23, 2017 by carriegelson

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

Each week I share a reading photo of the week. I have been in my classroom for a few hours here and there. Look at how lonely my empty bookshelves look. They are patiently waiting to be filled up as I begin reading with a new room of readers!

Scrolling back through photos from June 2016, I am reminded about how excited I am to work with primary students again.

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.

Books I enjoyed:

Grand Canyon by Jason Chin

Jason Chin is incredible. I believe that more and more with each book I read. Take a journey back and forth through time as you hike down, up and around the Grand Canyon.

Fabulous Frogs written by Martin Jenkins and illustrated by Tim Hopgood

These illustrations are absolutely fantastic! An ideal book to share in the primary classroom. Learn about the diversity of frogs and all kinds of cool and interesting facts.

Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk

I immediately passed this book on to my husband because, quite simply, everyone should read it! These characters. This isolated setting. The mystery and intrigue and simplicity that makes a can’t put down story. Highly, highly recommended!

Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan

And such voice! Amina is an incredible middle grade character. This would have been a beloved title for my Grade 4 and 5 class this year. Amina struggles with family pressures and expectations, friendship dynamics and finding her confidence. So much to this novel.

Reading Progress updates:

2017 Chapter Book Challenge: 39/75 complete

Goodreads Challenge: 162/365 books read

Progress on challenge: 43 books behind schedule (Yikes!)

#MustReadin2017: 18/30 complete

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 23/50 titles

Diverse Books in 2016: 28/50 books read

Up next? I am in the middle of many books and hope to be writing about them next week.

Monday November 14th, 2016

Posted on November 14, 2016 by carriegelson

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

Each week I share a reading photo of the week. We had a shortened week last week due to a Curriculum Day and Remembrance Day. I was also home sick for 2 days. So, I was only in the room with students for one day. Instead of a reading photo, I have a math photo – but some of our book shelves are in the background so it has reading ambiance.

We have continued to explore themes for our #classroombookaday titles. This theme was all about exploring fears.

On the blog (slowly beginning to post more often although I only seem to be getting to a IMWAYR post every 2 weeks):

Celebration: There are Books for All of Us

A Slice of Life post: Tracking Truth

Celebration: Vague Musings

Books I enjoyed:

The Airport Book by Lisa Brown

I echo what so many others say – oh, if this book had only existed when my children were small. It has so much going on! Each page is full of details and yet a very lovely story of one family unfolds throughout.

Steamboat School by Deborah Hopkinson and illustrated by Ron Husband

Based on a true story of Reverend Meachum who ran a secret school in his church in St Louis Missouri until a new law passed that it was not legal to educate blacks. And so . . .

Reverend John Berry Meachum decided to build a new school-a floating school in the Mississippi River, just outside the boundary of the unjust law. (from Goodreads)

What an important story of courage, persistence and the joy of education. Illustrations are incredible.

Almost a Full Moon by Hawksley Workman and illustrated by Jensine Eckwall

This is a picture book of Workman’s song coming to life. A midwinter gathering in the woods hosted by a small boy and his grandmother. Cozy and comfort

Lola Levine and the Ballet Scheme written by Monica Brown and illustrated by Angela Dominguez

What a fantastic series this is! If I return to teaching a primary classroom, this is a series I will want in my collection. When a new student Bella shows up in Lola’s classroom, the girls seem to be total opposites. Bella loves ballet. Lola is a dedicated soccer player. When conflict arises, the girls’ mothers hatch a “scheme” to help them learn about each other. Explores friendships and family in some wonderful ways.

Dream Jumper (Book One Nightmare Escape) by Greg Grunberg and Lucas Turnbloom

Can see this being a hit with kids. Hoping it isn’t going in the direction I think it’s going because that would be too predictable and too borrowed . . . One of those – I don’t really love it but students probably will titles.

Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan

Joe and Ravi seem to have very different lives. Ravi has just moved from India. Joe has been here for what seems forever. They share a few things in common – a relationship with a bully and the daily classroom and lunch room experiences of middle school. Alternately narrated by both characters, this book reminds us that it is challenging to fit in, find your way and be noticed for who you are for all middle school kids. Joe and Ravi are particularly endearing.

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

Whoa this book. Heavy. Seeped in drama, cruelty and history. It’s heavy – sits somewhere between a middle grade and young adult read. This is one of those titles that you don’t need to know a lot about to pick up – just that there is reason for all of the buzz. Absolutely gripping.

Making Friends with Billy Wong by Augusta Scattergood

Set in small town Paris Junction, Arkansas in 1952, this title has all of the ingredients for a gentle, comforting historical fiction title while still managing to explore some heavier themes. Azalea and Billy become friends one summer when Azalea is dropped off to support the grandmother she hardly knows as she recovers from an injury. We learn about Billy’s experience as a Chinese American in the segregated south. We watch as Azalea’s independence and character develop. There are some pretty wonderful relationships here – I particularly love the grandmother/granddaughter dynamic.

Just My Luck (Zack Delacruz 2) by Jeff Anderson

Oh the middle school years – so full of social complications as kids try to figure it all out. Zack is particularly charming and perfectly flawed. This book is full of humour, mistakes and some pretty terrific characters.

Be Light Like a Bird by Monika Schröder

Death is hard. Healing is complicated. Grief takes time. This title allows the reader to experience all of the complicated, the hard and the time through Wren and her mother’s experience after the death of Wren’s father. Wren is a pretty wonderful character – true to herself and beautifully honest. Highly, highly recommended.