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.

Happy Labor Day! I hope everyone is having a restful and pleasant weekend to recharge their batteries and enjoy the end of summer. And as many of us are sad that summer is almost over (although it's still plenty warm outside), the good news is that now we can enjoy football season again. As avid Buckeye fans, the Pep Squad has been assembled in the kitchen, with fresh batteries to play the fight song after scoring. This group stays there they entire season, although sometimes they're relocated temporarily if we need that chair at the table. Happily, the Buckeyes won their opener against Oregon State and so we can look forward to an awesome season!

At any rate, the weather is still awfully hot. A lot of my reading is taking place indoors in the air conditioning. Pretty soon the cool breezes of fall will make it nice to go back out on the deck. In the meantime, here's what I've been reading this past week:

Middle Grade Fiction

Property of the Rebel Librarian by Allison Varnes

I had the opportunity to read a NetGalley digital ARC of this middle grade fiction novel in exchange for this review. This book takes a look at book censorship at a middle school that has everyone on edge, and kids that love to read are made to feel like troublemakers. This is somewhat of a cautionary tale of how trying to keep a tight rein on the types of books kids read can get way out of hand.

June Harper, a seventh grader a Dogwood Middle School, loves to read just about any book she can get her hands on. When her parents discover that she’s been reading a book that they disapprove of, they start a crusade at her school to eliminate all books that don’t meet their very strict guidelines. The school librarian is suspended and most of the books are removed from the school’s library. New rules are put in place that severely restrict what kids can read and harsh penalties are inflicted on any student caught with unapproved reading materials in their possession.

June and her new friends are determined to continue reading, so they start an underground library of their favorite novels. They promise each other to stay tight-lipped about the book loaning, but when school officials start getting suspicious, things really heat up for these kids.

There’s quite a bit of suspense for readers trying to find out how these kids are going to get around these insane rules that have been instituted “for their own good.” Book lovers will also get a treat of seeing some of their favorite titles become part of the Rebel Librarian’s collection. The author helped those who would like to check out some of these books with a list of the titles at the end of the book.

I think this book will be enjoyed by middle grade kids who already enjoy reading books, especially some of the ones that are traded back and forth by the students at Dogwood Middle School. I also think that kids that enjoy reading about others’ defying unfair rules will have a good time with this book.

Bright Shining Moment by Deb Loughead 

I had the opportunity to read a NetGalley digital ARC of this historic fiction novel in exchange for a review. This book takes readers to Christmastime in Ottawa, Canada in 1942. Many families were struggling to make ends meet as World War II was taking place. Aline’s family was more fortunate than many other families, but they still had to save every penny to buy food and necessities, and they even rented the upstairs of their house to tenants to make extra money.

And while Aline had a roof over her head, warm clothes, and enough food to eat, she still resented that her parents weren’t wealthy enough to buy the extras like candy, toys, and fancy clothes like some of her other schoolmates. But there were other students like Aline’s nemesis, Jeanine, who had little in the way of food, wearable clothes, or a loving family.

Longing to be able to contribute coins to the little charity box on her teacher’s desk, Aline steals a dime out of her mother’s purse. Upon arrival to school with the money for the box, Aline discovers that the box has already been sent to the charity and it’s too late to contribute. Instead of returning the dime to her mother’s purse, however, Aline buys candy with it instead. This seems to set in motion a series of unfortunate events, that while unconnected with this misdeed, makes Aline feel very remorseful for her thievery.

While this book takes place in Canada during the 1940s, I believe that middle grade students in America now will be able to relate to many of the circumstances and feelings that Aline expresses. The temptation of stealing money from a mother’s purse, the feelings of sadness and guilt when the ill-gotten candy isn’t enjoyable, the anger and fear when fighting with the class bully are all situations that many students today find themselves in. I also think that there are some good lessons in this book as Aline learns that honesty is the best policy and the importance of treating others with kindness. This book would be good for readers who enjoy historical fiction stories that take place during the World War II era. 

Meet Yasmin! by Saadia Faruqi, Hatem Aly (Illustrations) 

This brightly illustrated early reader chapter book would be a terrific mirror/window book to share with young readers. Early elementary children will all be able to recognize their stories in this book as Yasmin deals with such familiar issues as getting lost at a farmer's market, feeling stressed out about an upcoming art contest, being unable to come up with an idea to contribute to a class project, and playing dress up with grandparents. Yet because Yasmin's family is Pakistani American, young readers have the opportunity to learn about a culture that is different than their own. The book also includes some discussion questions for readers to consider, facts about Pakistan, a recipe for a new treat to try, and some words in the Urdu language spoken by Yasmin's family.

Picture Books

Fiona the Hippo by Richard Cowdrey

Fiona the Hippo is one of the most popular animal attractions at the Cincinnati Zoo. This is a cute book with gorgeous illustrations that tells the story of Fiona's birth, her developmental milestones and her introduction to the public. While it's a sweet book that would be fun to share with young readers during story time, I wish the story could have been a more realistic portrayal of zoo life - the various other animals are peeking in the window at the baby hippo and they're all running around and playing together outside.

Neon Leon by Jane Clarke, Britta Teckentrup (illustrator) 

It's tough to feel like you belong when you don't look like everyone else. Poor Neon Leon is the only bright orange chameleon around. All the other chameleon's are able to change color to fit their surroundings. Unfortunately the other chameleon's see Leon's bright color as a barrier to building a relationship with him or accepting him into their community. Young readers will be eager to find out if Leon will ever find a place where he fits in. This would be a good book to share with kids at the beginning of the school year as relationships and communities are being built. This would be a good opportunity to talk about diversity, tolerance, and how we make everyone feel welcome.

Walt's Imagination: The Life of Walt Disney by Doreen Rappaport, John Pomeroy (Illustrations) 

For all the fans of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, here is a gorgeously illustrated biography of Walt Disney. I've loved all of the other biographies by Doreen Rappaport, and this one is awesome, too. This book takes readers all through Disney's life in a way that makes him so relatable. There is a time line and list of resources at the end of the book, making this an awesome nonfiction resource to have on the bookshelf.

Quiet Please, Owen McPhee! by Trudy Ludwig, Patrice Barton (Illustrator) 

Sometimes it's tough to listen to others when you have so many important things to say. Owen McPhee talks nonstop and it's starting to cause problems at school. When he wakes up one morning with laryngitis, suddenly he is unable to chatter and for the first time he actually listens to what others have to say. This sweet picture book is great to share with young readers at the beginning of the school year to start a discussion about how to become better listeners in order to be a good team and community member. The author has included discussion questions at the end of the book that would be a big help to teachers and parents.

Pie is for Sharing by Stephanie Parlsey Ledyard, Jason Chin (Illustrator) 

This book is a summertime celebration of all the fun, food, and games that we can share with our friends. This book uses gentle, rollicking text and beautifully detailed illustrations to extol the pleasures of sharing pies, climbing trees, jump ropes, and other fun times. This would definitely be fun to share with young readers during story time.

Pip & Pup by Eugene Yelchin 

This is a lovely wordless picture book that celebrates the joy of making a new friend. The beautiful artwork was created using colored pencils, oil pastels, and digital painting and it all comes together as Pip hatches from an egg and immediately starts exploring and looking for a friend. But new things are scary, and the two don't hit it off very well. As the rain starts to fall though, the two realize that they are better together. This would be a great book to share with kids at the beginning of the school year as relationships and community are beginning to be built.

The Old Man by Sarah V, Claude K. Dubois (Illustrator), Daniel Hahn (Translator) 

This beautiful picture book will tug at readers' heartstrings as they see the story of an elderly homeless man and the kindness of a young child. As the rainy night ends and the city awakens, the old man has the struggle of finding a place to get warm, food to eat, and someone to actually see that he is a neighbor in need. This book would be a good way to start a discussion about how we help neighbors in our communities that have all sorts of needs. 

This Is It by Daria Peoples-Riley 

For those that dream of dancing, singing, or any other type of performance art, the day of the important audition is a defining moment. It can be nerve wracking to make yourself vulnerable and put yourself out there for acceptance. The little girl in this book is about to go to a very important audition, and the lyrical language and beautiful artwork really capture the story. Young readers who have ever pursued this type of dream will really enjoy and appreciate this book.

Walk on the Wild Side (Life in the Wild) by Nicholas Oldland 

This sweet picture book takes young readers on a lovely mountain hike with three good friends: a bear, a moose, and a beaver. As the three are making their way to the mountain, they decide to make a contest to see who can get to the top of the mountain first. Hurrying along, the moose and the bear get themselves into trouble and it's up to the beaver to save them. This book with it's fable-like story and simple illustrations would be a great book to share with kids as a way to discuss teamwork, helping community members, and taking time to enjoy the journey instead of just racing along.