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.

It's been a while since I've posted, but we've had an amazing time going back to Iowa for fun reunions. I attended my 30 Year HS Reunion, and it was so awesome to see people that I haven't talked to for so many years. 

I was so blessed to be able to spend time with my sister and my parents as well. I don't get to do that enough!

We even had a chance to go forward in time and visit the future birthplace of Capt. James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise in Riverside, Iowa. If you ever get a chance to stop in this fun town off of Interstate 80, you can see statues, artwork, museums, and even Murphy's Bar and Grill, which is the future shipyard bar!

With all of the fun and excitement of our Midwest Tour, I did find some free time to read. Here's what I've been reading lately:

Middle Grade Fiction

Willa of the Wood (Willa #1) by Robert Beatty

I had the opportunity to read a NetGalley digital ARC of this middle grade fantasy novel. For fans of the Serafina series by the same author, there is the breathtaking Smoky Mountain setting along with a new set of characters to love. The book takes place many years ago, when Native Americans and homesteaders were beginning to be pushed aside by loggers and railroaders in the quest to tame the mountain wilderness. Willa is a night-spirit who has been raised to steal as much as she possibly can from the humans and bring the bounty back to her clan. But Willa becomes caught between the world of the humans and that of the Faeran people that are her ancestors.

As Willa must save herself from the increasingly dangerous and malevolent intentions of her clan, she is faced with difficult choices without knowing whom she can trust. The book has some great themes for middle grade readers about loyalty, friendship, and love. But it also has engaging and suspenseful plot lines that make the book a real page-turner. Those who enjoy fantasy books that employ other-worldly creatures and wilderness adventure will also enjoy this book. There is a fair amount of violence in this book, but mature readers will see that it belongs to this story and probably won’t be too troubled by it.

Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson

I had the opportunity to read an ARC of this middle grade fiction novel that was provided to my #BookRelays reading group. I have always been a big fan of Jacqueline Woodson’s books because I believe she writes with an authentic voice that really speaks to readers, especially middle grade kids. This book tells the stories of six fifth/sixth grade kids who have been placed in a special class together.

At the beginning of the school year, Ms. Laverne pulls these kids out of the comfort of their regular classroom and brings them to a vacant classroom. She tells them that every Friday afternoon they will come to this room and talk to each other for an hour, without adult supervision. She gives them no further instruction. Haley, the narrator of the book, is using a voice recorder to capture the stories so that they can be remembered later.

As the weeks go by, this group of kids begin to share their stories. With each story, the kids become closer and more invested in each other’s circumstances. They learn to trust each other and be each other’s safe harbor.

While I’m not sure there are very many schools that would allow a group of kids to be in a classroom unsupervised for an hour, this book has lots of great messages that will resonate with kids of this age. Everyone’s story is important and everybody’s circumstances matter. When we get to know people and build relationship, we see beyond the labels that seem to get stuck to people – immigrant, black, white, rich, poor, etc.

This would be a terrific book to share with middle grade students at the beginning of the school year when a lot of kids are strangers to each other. And while I wouldn’t recommend leaving students unsupervised in a classroom to talk, it might be a good activity to find ways to let kids talk to each other without adult filters and restrictions (for example maybe take kids outside or to a larger indoor space where they could sit in groups without a teacher hanging over their shoulders, but still be supervised for safety).

In the acknowledgements, the author wants readers to “harbor each other; even strangers; every day.” In this world where there are so many marginalized and hurting people, this is an important message for all of us.

Picture Books

Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 by Helaine Becker, Dow Phumiruk (Illustrator) 

This awesome picture book biography tells the inspiring story of Katherine Johnson, a research mathematician who was an instrumental part of our country's space program during the race to the moon. Johnson was a bright little girl who overcame obstacles such as gender and race discrimination in order to become a prominent mathematician at NASA. Beautifully illustrated and engaging narrative text, along with more information in an author's note, make this a nice nonfiction resource to add to your bookshelf. This could also be a great starting point for further research for young students.

The 5 O'Clock Band by Troy Andrews, Bryan Collier (Illustrations) 

This wonderful companion to Trombone Shorty takes young readers on a musical tour of New Orleans. The author shares his experience as a young musician who is sad because he's late for his band's daily afternoon music parade around the neighborhood. But helpful friends and neighbors along the way teach him what leadership is all about. This book would be great for budding musicians and also a great way to help develop a growth mindset. 

Hoot & Olive: Brave Enough For Two by Jonathan D. Voss 

With beautifully drawn and colored illustrations and heartwarming, whimsical text, this story takes readers on a journey of discovery, faith, and hope. Olive is reluctant to try new adventures, but her good friend, Hoot, reassures her that he will never let harm come to her. They fly above the clouds and sail down a rapidly flowing river together. But when Hoot needs her help, Olive steps up and lets Hoot know that she won't ever let harm come to him either. This would be a good book to share at bedtime or as a way to talk about friendship and overcoming fears.

Don't Ever Look Behind Door 32 by B.C.R. Fegan

As we get ready to embark on our annual summer road trip, I'm really glad that I haven't made a reservation at the Hotel Hoo. In this whimsical rhyming tour of a very strange hotel, the young visitors are shown all sorts of creepy monsters and creatures. But after each room is shown to them, they're given the mysterious warning to stay away from Door 32. After young readers are shown rooms 1 - 31, they'll finally be ready to have at it and find out what's in there! The illustrations are crisp, colorful, and detailed, but the tour seems a bit long to me and might lose the attention of very young readers. This could be a nice mentor text for young writers trying to create their own mysterious tours and it could pair well with the odd school tour in The Truth About My Unbelievable School by Davide Cali and Benjamin Chaud.