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Monday, June 20, 2016

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?


It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a community of bloggers who link up to share what they are reading.  For more information check out the host blogs: Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers.

What I Read This Week…



What Do You Do With a Problem by Kobi Yamada

The boy in this story has a problem, which from the illustrations looks like a storm cloud following him.  It causes him a lot of worry, but that only makes the problem bigger.  The boy realizes he must face his problem and learns that a problem can be turned around into something positive.  This would be a great classroom read-aloud to discuss problems and help students understand that it is possible to work through them and overcome them.  This is a powerful follow-up to What Do You Do With an Idea?


Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book just from knowing that it was about a girl, named Raymie, who wants to win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition so that she can get her father back. The story of friendship that emerged surprised me and won me over.  I loved that the Three Rancheros, Raymie and her two newfound friends, helped each other with their problems and stuck by one another.  The uniqueness and eccentricities of the characters made it a fun read.  There was wisdom, as well, such as when Louise asks, "Aren't we all brokenhearted?" making it a meaningful read.  I enjoyed this story of friends trying to overcome their heartache.  


Rookie of the Year (Rip and Red) by Phil Bildner 

This is the second book in the Rip and Red series.  Rip and Red are friends who stand by one another and play basketball together.  In this book, they have a new classmate, Tiki, who is outspoken and, to them, seems different.  Tiki's arrival creates a problem for Red on the basketball team and gets the classmates involved in a plan to do what they feel is right, although it could get them into trouble.  Like the first book, there is lots of basketball action which fans of the sport will appreciate.  I enjoyed this book, as I did the first one in the series, and I think many of my students will find it engaging. 

9 comments:

  1. These all sound like great stories. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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  2. I need to read Raymie Nightingale, on my list, Lisa. Glad to hear you liked it! Thanks for sharing about the others, too. So many good books available for us to enjoy!

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    1. I wasn't quite sure I'd like it because although I've read mostly good reviews there were a few people who didn't seem to like it. I'm glad I read it.

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  3. I want to read Raymie again for a second time. I read the ARC, and feel like I need to spend more time with her. I enjoyed the first read, but feel like maybe I missed something.

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    1. I liked that the beginning was a bit of a mystery as I tried to put together what was going on - I had to reread a few times. I liked the quirkiness of the characters, especially Louise and her grandmother.

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  4. I really enjoyed Raymie, too. As someone who constantly lets fears and worries get in the way of enjoying life and moving forward, I appreciated the lessons learned by Raymie and her friends.

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    1. I can relate to what you said about fears and worries. Maybe that's why I liked it so much as well.

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  5. I went looking for What to do with A Problem today. Unfortunately it was not available where I was shopping. I am one of those people who thought Raymi was so so. Unfortunately, sports books don't quite sell in my library.

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    1. I didn't realize What Do You Do With a Problem was already available until someone told me she saw it at Barnes and Noble. When I went there they did in fact have it. I have some students who won't read anything but sports books, although soccer and football are the more popular sports.

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