Sunday, June 22, 2014

It's Monday Reading!

                 Thanks to Jen at Teach.Mentor.Texts and Ricki and Kellee at Unleashing Readers for this terrific Reading community. Come share or at least visit!
          Tweet at #IMWAYR

      Happy One Year Anniversary to Kellee and Ricki! Celebrate with them this week!


           I’ve read some great picture books that I know have been suggested by others. Thanks to all who keep adding to my list. What fun it is to read these books!

Breakfast Served Anytime – written by Sarah Combs
             I am late reading this from NetGalley. It is a debut novel published in April, and I finally found the time to read it.  I thoroughly loved this young Gloria, off to Geek Camp, a month without tech (wow) before her senior year in high school.  Within the group of four students, and the teacher, all begin to feel comfortable being their true selves, especially when they accept who the others “are”. Gloria faces additional challenges with her perky roommate Jessica, also not exactly what she first seems. It becomes a summer of learning for Gloria as well as the others in the story. Sarah Combs writes beautifully as she peels off the layers of each character, using the classes led by the teacher and the experiences of the group. Told with Gloria’s strong voice, it is a poignant read of that time just before a child leaps into adulthood.  It’s definitely for teens, no younger.




Nino Wrestles The World – written and illustrated by Yuyi Morales
                I’ve seen many talk about loving this book, and it is worth the compliments. Before reading this book, I’d never heard of the story-telling, theatrical professional wrestling called “Lucha libre” where the wrestlers wear masks, guarding their identity ferociously, and creating stories as they wrestle. This time the “pretender” is a young boy, fighting those scary creatures of Mexico like El Chamuco, something like the devil, & winning because of his super powers & creative use of his toys. The surprise comes at the end, which I won’t reveal, but it’s fun. I can imagine all those young children who talk often about monsters will love this one, full of them. The illustrations are action-packed, cartoon-like pictures, very colorful!

Guji Guji - written and illustrated by Chih-Yuan Chen
             This is the cutest story, not exactly a new idea to have a different egg arrive in a nest, but this time, it’s a croc egg, in a duck’s nest. Mother duck teaches and loves her large baby Guji Guji just like her other babies, and Guji loves them back. The dilemma becomes when some tricky crocodiles discover Guji and try to get him to help them capture a good meal. The ending is terrific, all about family and love, no matter what. The illustrations are gorgeous, helping to create an even more memorable story.

Hey, You, Poems to Skyscrapers, Mosquitos, and Other Fun Things – gathered by Paul Janeczko and illustrated by Robert Rayevsky
            If you want to teach, or write, apostrophe poems, this is a good book filled with examples from numerous well-known poets, gathered for much fun (see the title) by Janeczko. An apostrophe poem is when a poet talks to a person or a thing, and in this anthology, the poets write to “things”.  One example is to a camel, by Bobbi Katz, when at the end, she asks “I wonder if your hump is stuffed/with dreams of desert places.”  Another, “Light”, shares that it “scatters dark”, and in “Straight Talk”, Nikki Grimes says to the bees, “So leave me alone, drone.” It’s a book of poems worth finding and reading.  The illustrations enhance each topic with such joyful action every time.

The Birdman – written by Veronika Martenova Charles and illustrated by Annouchka Gravel Galouchko & Stephan Daigle
            Wow, what a gorgeous book to see, and inspiring story to read. The author began by reading an article about Noor Nobi, a tailor in India who used most of his meager earnings to buy the birds at the market, and set them free. Out of tragedy, he finds that there can be hope. There is an extensive back story of the author’s beginning interest and the travel to meet the birdman, then to tell the story. It’s one of passion, and the illustrations bring magic to an already magical story. Each time I read it, I see more that these illustrators added, like the ways the sewing machine is transformed. I imagine this will be a terrific read aloud.

Next: I’m leaving on a road trip at the end of the week, will bring along a few books, although I’m not sure how much time I’ll have. I’ve started The Great Greene Heist by Varian Johnson, and will have a giveaway in a couple of weeks for the second copy I bought. 

27 comments:

  1. I'm looking forward to reading THE GREAT GREENE HEIST. I've heard such great things about it.

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    1. So far, first two chapters are good, takes me right into the story! I'll let you know! Thanks, Beth.

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  2. Have a great road trip. I've been hearing good stuff about The Great Greene Heist so I hope you enjoy it!

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  3. Niño is one of my picture book favorites and my students loved it. The Great Greene Heist is a lot of fun. Enjoy! Hey You looks like a good one. I will be on the lookout for it. Have a great trip!

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    1. I loved Nino too, & especially because of the new monsters I learned about-very fun! Thanks Crystal!

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  4. We are on our road trip to CO and I brought The Great Greene Heist too. It's competing against a lot of books so I don't know when I'll read it! I thought of you as we passed Denver! Hope you have a great week!

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    1. I just arrived home Saturday, & am leaving again. Sorry we couldn't meet for just a few minutes, Michele. Happy Travels to you!

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  5. I'm looking forward to read The Great Greene Heist, too. I have it from the library. Breakfast Served Anytime looks really good. Have fun on your road trip!

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    1. Thanks, Holly. Since you have the older teens, I hope you will get to Breakfast Served Anytime-pure teen thoughts & actions-very nicely done.

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  6. Great reviews today, Linda! I am really curious about "Hey, You!" and "Guji, Guji". The first for me, the second for my grandson. Have a great trip!

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    1. Thanks Donna. Both will be very good. I loved Guji, Guji, so darling, pictures & text!

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  7. I should start The Great Greene Heist soon. I am loving my summer of middle grade so much! There is a fun video on Youtube of Yuyi Morales reading Nino out loud. I think it adds even more to the story to hear it in her voice. She's one of my absolute favorite author-illustrators.

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    1. It's terrific that she does both, don't you think? I imagine I'll be reading lots of middle grade this summer. I've been in to too much YA. And I need to read some more beginning reader stories too. Thanks, Elisabeth!

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  8. Thanks for telling me about the link up. I have only joined this round up a few times and usually go to Jen's site. You always have new books for me to try. My list continues to grow. Have a great trip! When will you be home? Something needs to get off to you by early July.

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    1. Happy to help, Margaret. I'll be back late July 2nd. It's a quick trip so everyone can make it to other places too. Hopefully I can stay home for a few weeks then we're off to the beach. My summer is going so quickly! But fun! I agree, there are so many books to find & love!

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  9. Aww thank you for the anniversary shout out! It means so much!
    Great Greene Heist is the Sharp/Schu Book Club book this month and looks so good.
    Happy vacationing! & Happy reading this week! :)

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    1. Thanks Kellee, hope it's a very good week! I'll watch for Colby & John's posts!

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  10. I'm looking forward to Hey, You. Thanks for the great reviews. Have a fun trip!

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    1. I hope you enjoy it, Megan. I found it very good. Thanks for the wishes!

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  11. Linda, you are the best. Really. What did we do to deserve you? Thank you for sharing these books with us, and most importantly, thank you for being so wonderful. :) Bon voyage! I always remember my vacations by which books I read. I hope you have an incredible road trip!

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    1. Thanks Ricki. This road trip should be loads of fun, with my daughter, her daughters, and my grandson. Off we go to Missouri to visit my brother and family.

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  12. Enjoy your trip Linda and the reading that you manage to squeeze in! I loved The Birdman. So pleased that you did as well!

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    1. I imagine I found it because of you, Carrie. Isn't it wonderful? I just ordered "I Carry Your Heart With Me"-looks terrific, too! Thank you!

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  13. Breakfast Served Anytime sounds like a wonderful teen book to read. I also am intrigued by Nino Wrestles the World. Thanks for sharing! Have a great reading week!

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    1. Thanks Andrea. Both books are enjoyable, for very different reasons!

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  14. Hi there dearest Linda, I am so happy that you found and enjoyed Guji Guji - I thought the illustrations and the storyline were wonderful. I have always been a fan of Annouchka Gravel Galouchko's artwork so I am glad to know of another picturebook by her, will definitely look for that title.

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