It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey as a way to share what you have read and/or reviewed in the past week. It's also a terrific way to find out what other people are reading.

Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye of Unleashing Readers have given this meme a children's literature focus: picture books, middle grade novels, etc. They "encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting the other bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Now that we've digested the awesome Thanksgiving feast and eaten all of the leftovers, it's time to turn our attention to Christmas shopping and getting ready for the holidays. This is the time of year that seems to go by so quickly. With all of the shopping, decorating, planning, and traveling, hopefully you'll also get some time in for reading. There's no better way to relax at the end of a busy day, than curling up with a cup of tea and a great book. Here's what I managed to read this past week:

Middle Grade Fiction

The 11:11 Wish by Kim Tomsic

Navigating the social scene in middle school is tough. And trying to figure out the do’s and don’ts when you’re the new kid is even tougher. Megan Meyers just moved to Arizona with her dad and sister, and she sees this move as her opportunity to start fresh and not be the Science Fair dork that she was at her old school in Colorado. But from the first moment, Megan finds herself in the middle of a ZAP war between two popular seventh graders vying to become Spirit Week Captain in an upcoming school election. So, when Megan sees an enchanted cat clock that is just like one that belongs to her grandmother, she recalls the rhyme that allows her to make a wish at 11:11 a.m. I’m reminded of the saying “Today’s solution becomes tomorrow’s problem.” Be careful what you wish for!

I was sent an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book from the author to share with the members of my #BookRelays group. It was a lot of fun to read, as it was easy to imagine how tempting it would be to take advantage of magical help when dealing with the precarious social terrain of middle school. But like all other stories involving wishes, this magic comes with a cost. And Megan must decide if it’s worth it. I think middle grade readers will enjoy this book because the voice of the storyteller is authentic and taps into today’s adolescent world of texting, social media, and social drama while staying appropriate for the intended age group. It also has some great positive messages to kids about being authentic and embracing the qualities that make a person unique and quirky. This book will be released in February.

The Borrowers (The Borrowers #1) by Mary Norton

It’s been a long time since I read this classic middle grade novel by Mary Norton. When I read it as a child, I was fascinated by the idea of little people living in the hidden nooks and crannies of the house. The wonderful descriptions of the borrowed objects (spools, thimbles, postage stamps, etc.) and how they were incorporated in the Borrowers’ household really grabbed ahold of my imagination. I found myself looking at the everyday objects around me and contemplating how they might be used by the Borrowers. I wondered what the Borrowers might do if they had access to my Sunshine Family dolls and their dollhouse. I also worried a little about the mice that invaded our house every fall and whether they would hurt any Borrowers, if there were any.

I think this would be an awesome book to share with middle grade students, especially when looking for good examples of rich descriptions. The interaction between the Clock family and the humans that live in the old English country house can also teach readers a lot about friendship, kindness, and bravery. As a mentor text, I’m sure this book could inspire a lot of young writers to create their own Borrowers’ households and stories.

Picture Books

Read the Book, Lemmings! by Ame Dyckman, Zachariah OHora (Contributor)

This would be a great book to share with young readers to celebrate the importance of learning to read in way that is sure to get squeals and giggles. With fun illustrations that will definitely remind fans of this author and illustrator duo’s other works, this book tells the story of Foxy’s efforts to teach these silly lemmings that they DON’T jump off cliffs. Before he can explain, the lemmings hear the word JUMP and over the rail they go. This would be a fun way to teach about the concepts of problems and solutions in stories. It would be fun to hear different ideas for how Foxy could solve this one!

Walk with Me (Los Especiales De a La Orilla Del Viento) by Jairo Buitrago, Rafael Yockteng (Illustrations)

This picture book tells the story of a little girl who has to be brave and grownup long before she should have to. Her creative mind allows her to find a way to feel safe while walking home by herself in a busy city, picking up her baby brother from daycare, and shopping for the food that she will have to prepare when she gets home. Sadly, there are many students who will be able to relate to this story. The author gives readers several opportunities to make inferences about this girl’s circumstances, and so this book would be good for working on those skills.