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.

We are back from a wonderful cruise vacation. We climbed aboard the Caribbean Princess for a ten day vacation visiting the ports of St. Thomas, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Antigua, and St. Maarten. We had a terrific time. And when we weren't exploring the islands on excursion tours, playing on the beach, or stuffing our faces in the buffet, we had plenty of time to read good books. Here's what I've enjoyed reading the past few weeks:

Picture Books

Albie Newton by Josh Funk, Ester Garay (Illustrator)

Being in a new school can be difficult when it’s the middle of the year and most of the other kids have their established routines. But Albie doesn’t miss a beat. With rollicking, rhyming text and humorous digital illustrations, readers quickly come to know that Albie is an exceptional child. At first readers, and the other kids in this preschool class, have the impression that Albie has many social skills to learn: waiting his turn, asking others before he just starts grabbing things, etc. But before they get all bent out of shape with him, young readers will see what happens when the kids in the class stop to see what he’s working on, ask questions about it, and get to know this wonderful person who is so eager to contribute to the classroom community. This would be a terrific book to share with young readers to remind them how to treat each other kindly and build relationships, especially with new students.

But the Bear Came Back by Tammi Sauer, Dan Taylor

Sometimes it’s not easy to let new friends into our lives, especially when we’re used to things being a particular way. The little boy in this adorable picture book, is accustomed to spending time by himself. One day a big bear knocks on the door, and the boy refuses to let him come inside. This bear is persistent, but the little boy is adamant. So the bear finally leaves for good. Sometimes (to quote a famous Joni Mitchell song) “you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone” and the little boy realizes he misses the bear terribly and he’s made a big mistake. Young readers will be sympathetic to see if it’s too late for the little boy to have a wonderful relationship with this bear that loves him so much. The sweet, simple story along with the illustrations with a retro feel to them make this a great story to share with young readers.

She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History by Chelsea Clinton, Alexandra Boiger (Illustrator)

A nice follow up to last year’s She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World, this nonfiction picture book gives brief introductions to 13 women from around the globe who have been pioneers in science, politics, literature, and civil rights. I was only familiar with three of the women presented, so I like that this is a book everyone can learn from. Because there were more than a few women that were unfamiliar, I wish the author would’ve included dates that these events occurred. But, with the lovely watercolor illustrations, and the inspirational nature of the book, it is a nice nonfiction resource that could help young readers as a starting point for further research.

Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen by Deborah Hopkinson, Qin Leng (Illustrator)

This lovely picture book biography tells the story of one of the most famous writers of the nineteenth century. Jane Austen’s books have long been among my favorites, mainly because her writing style was so authentic and approachable. This book also is terrific for elementary aged children because it focuses on aspects of her life that nearly everyone can relate to: the fun times she had with her family playing games, the pleasure of dancing, and listening to a parent read aloud. Another important point made in the book is the passion young Jane Austen had for listening, reading, and writing. The details about how her writing life began make this book a nice mentor text for young writers. The nice artwork, ink and watercolor illustrations, along with the engaging text and resource information at the back of the book, make this a super nonfiction resource to have in an elementary classroom library.

Margaret and the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Lunar Landing by Dean Robbins, Lucy Knisley

With more and more girls participating in STEM coursework and activities, this is an awesome picture book biography to share with young readers to help develop a growth mindset. This book uses highly readable text, along with sharp, graphic-novel style illustrations, to tell the story of one of the earliest software engineers in the Apollo space program. Margaret Hamilton’s work was essential to the success of the Apollo 11 mission to land men on the moon. With photographs on the back endpapers and a list of resources for further research, this book makes a nice nonfiction resource to have on the bookshelf.

Middle Grade Fiction

Bob by Wendy Mass, Rebecca Stead

I had the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for this review. This wonderful middle grade fantasy story reminded me somewhat of Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate in that this extraordinary creature, Bob, returns to the forefront of 11-year-old Livy’s life at a time when she seems to need him most. She’s at a stressful point in her life: growing up, becoming more independent, and yet still reluctant to spend time away from her mother. He definitely needs her, as he has spent the last five years waiting for her return in a closet at her grandmother’s home in Australia. Unfortunately, she doesn’t remember much about her visit to her grandmother’s house so long ago and has forgotten all about Bob.

When she arrives and finds Bob dressed in a chicken suit in the bedroom closet, it doesn’t take long for her to recollect that Bob needs her help to figure out who he is and how to return to his own home and family. Helping Bob helps Livy forget about her mother’s departure with her baby sister to go visit friends in another part of Australia.

As the two piece together the mystery of Bob’s arrival and how to send him where he belongs, it becomes clear that they have developed a beautiful friendship. They need each other and both display creativity and courage in trying to help each other. The authors do a terrific job of building suspense as the two characters get closer and closer to solving the mystery of Bob. I am quite certain that this book will be very popular among upper elementary kids and early middle school students.

Breakout by Kate Messner

I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this middle grade fiction novel in exchange for this review. I must admit that I had high expectations for this book, as I am a huge fan of all of Kate Messner’s work. And this book did not disappoint. This book is a terrific book to share with middle school kids as it deals with some important issues – privilege and perspective.

Against the backdrop of a small New York town’s crisis when two inmates escape from the nearby prison, Nora’s summer plans are abruptly changed. Instead of swimming, running, and relaxing with friends, now everyone must learn to deal with the overwhelming presence of police, politicians, and the national news media. Nora realizes that this stressful situation is bringing out the worst in some people and it causes her to take a hard look at the attitudes of those she’s grown up with and herself.

Inspired by true events that occurred near the author’s home, the characters are authentic middle schoolers that are absorbed with the end of the school year and their own pursuits. Middle schoolers everywhere will be able to identify with the characters in this novel.

I also love how the author takes very serious topics and presents them in a way that can be absorbed by younger readers in the context of an engaging read. The story is told in letters, poems, text messages, new stories, and comics that the characters are going to be submitting to the town’s time capsule project. The different modalities help in mixing up heavy moments with humorous ones (Nora’s younger brother’s comics are awesome!) and keep the pacing quick. This book will be available in June.

24 Hours in Nowhere by Dusti Bowling

I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this middle grade novel that was provided to my Twitter book group - #BookRelays. This was an exciting and suspenseful read about a group of kids in a remote desert town searching for treasure and a way out of Nowhere, Arizona. Compelled by the town bully to enter an abandoned and dangerous mine to find gold, Gus is joined by one of the bully’s associates and two of his own friends on this mission. Faced with treacherous conditions and brushes with disaster, this group of youngsters discover that they have more in common than they ever realized and that they have the power to cooperate with each other to stand up to the bully and to achieve their dreams. There are a lot of tough issues in this book – bullying, poverty, abuse. But the characters in this book grow through their shared experience and come to realize that they don’t have to be defined by the actions of the people around them. They can rise above their circumstances. One of my favorite lines is when one of the kids says “I’ll be defined by what I do in this life, not by what anyone else does to me or says about me. None of that matters. All that matters is what I do. We’re not what people have done to us. We can be whatever we want.” This novel will be available in September.

Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks, Gita Varadarajan

Fifth grade is a very stressful time for kids, and unfortunately bullying and unkind behavior is pervasive in all school settings. Kids are growing up, trying to be cool among their peers, and a lot of times, knocking others down while trying to get ahead. This middle grade fiction novel deals with this in a very interesting way. The story is told from the point of view of two fifth grade boys, each on the fringes of the mainstream of their class and each the target of the classroom bully.

Adult Nonfiction/Autobiography/Memoir

Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

I absolutely adored Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life. This author’s clever observations about life always leave a smile on my face. I started reading Textbook on an airplane, and, once again I was struck by how much I could relate to Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s fascination with serendipity, her “mundane highs and lows”, and her happiness with simple pleasures. But then I was also struck with a bittersweet melancholy at the poignancy of life (hers was cut short a little over a year ago) and her eerily prescient admonitions to appreciate what we have in each moment, for they are numbered.

She had already written Textbook when she learned that she had ovarian cancer. So, when in her Midterm Essay, I read “Oh, my, here I am, living, and I would like to keep living, preferably perpetually. I would like to avoid, for as long as humanly possible, being pronounced dead and just keep being pronounced AY-mee KROWSS ROH-zihn-THAHL. I would like to say to that tomorrowless day (the one day that coyly begins like any other but then ends -so nonchalantly! So dismissively! So boorishly! – without me in it), STAY AWAY!”, I felt so sad. But the directions for us are clear – to notice and hold on to the purple flower at a café table, to realize that time is precious and not to waste it, and that eventually that giant box of Q-tips will run out.