It’s Monday! What are you reading?
Each week I share a reading photo of the week. During the summer, these photos will be about getting my classroom library up and running for a room full of readers in September.
Still adding to the shelves. More titles have since been labelled and are out on the shelves. I will be bringing in some more titles once I have a better sense of who my students are as readers. And I meet them (finally) this week!
I was away last week on Vancouver Island and did lots of great reading and lots of fantastic walks and hikes with my family. A few pictures below.
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:
We updated our #MustReadin2016 lists. Here is mine
For #nfpb2016: First Read Alouds in a Grade 4 & 5 classroom
Books I enjoyed:
Bring Me a Rock by Daniel Miyares
I so love Miyares’ illustrations. The expressions on the faces of these insects! Rich material here to talk about power, community and contributions.
Wolf Camp by Andrea Zuill
One little dog with wolfish aspirations heads to camp to be transformed.
Monsters Go Night-Night by Aaron Zenz
Oh this is the perfect gift for little ones – bed time is a big event! It is super cute. I read this in the bookstore and there was a toddler there with his grandmother. I kind of wanted to ask if I could read it aloud to him. I think it would have been a big hit.
Inspector Flytrap #1 by Tom Angleberger and Cece Bell
Seriously silly and spirited. Part of a new series about A Venus flytrap whois a detective. He solves BIG DEAL mysteries with the help of Nina the Goat, his assistant. An illustrated chapter book.
Stinky Cecil in Operation Pond Rescue by Paige Braddock
Cecil is a toad who utilizes his stink power when necessary. Can he and his friends save their pond from development? I bought this one for my new class.
The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly
Soledad lives with her little sister Ming and their nasty step-mother in a run down apartment in small town Louisiana. Life is nothing like it was in the Philippines. The girls miss their father who went back to the Philippines and has never returned. They mourn their mother and sister who have passed away. They manage their grief over what they have lost and their anger over their present circumstances in a variety of ways. Both rely heavily on imagination and pieces of the stories that their mother once gave them. A story of family and new lives. A fantastic main character.
Counting Thyme by Melanie Conklin
Reading a book like this reminds me that books like this are my kind of books. Achy and real. Books that squeeze my heart. Characters I want to know. An emotional ride. A beautiful, teary emotional ride. But full of hope, not sad. At least not too much sad. The hope wins.
How to Speak Dolphin by Ginny Rorby
Whoa this book. Lily has lost her mother. She lives with her step father and her little brother Adam. Adam has autism and while his father can’t face the reality of Adam’s needs and struggles, Lily is fully entrenched in the day-to-day care of Adam. This story tackles many themes – family, friendships, animal rights and boundaries. An excellent middle grade novel.
Reading Progress updates:
2016 Chapter Book Challenge: 37/75 complete
Goodreads Challenge: 241/400 books read
#MustReadin2016: 20/30 complete
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 32/100 titles
Diverse Books in 2016: 30/50 books read
Up next? I am reading The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater