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 and to find out what other bloggers are reading check out the host blogs: Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers.

What I've Read This Week...

Can an Aardvark Bark? by Melissa Stewart

On my way home from the annual convention of the National Council of Teachers of English last weekend, the airport shuttle dropped me off three hours before my flight was to depart. To kill time, I popped into a restaurant in the airport and was delighted to be seated at a table next to author Melissa Stewart. We chatted about our experiences at NCTE, authors, books, and writing and she graciously gave me a copy of her latest book. Thanks to Melissa, my three hour wait definitely flew by! Written in a question-and-answer format, Can an Aardvark Bark?, gives interesting facts about the sounds of various animals. The end encourages readers to think about the sounds they make. I can hear my students making animal sounds as they read this book. Steve Jenkins illustrations of the animals are wonderful, too. Melissa Stewart has a website with many resources including minilessons for writing informational text. Visit her website here.

Love by Matt de la Pena

While at NCTE, I attended a breakfast hosted by Penguin Random House. At the breakfast, attendees were given a bag of a few books selected by the publisher, one of which was this one. Since this book has been on my radar, it was a treat and a surprise to get a copy. The book is poetic and beautiful. The message is simple, but powerful. The illustrations, which show the journey through life, are diverse and gorgeous. This is a book you'll want to read again and again and one that you'll want to give to others.

Night of the Living Cuddle Bunnies by Jonathan Rosen

Devin has a new neighbor and he and his cousin Tommy think he's a warlock. The neighbor gives Devin's sister a Cuddle Bunny, a popular toy, and it comes to life. When Devin tries to explain what is going on nobody believes him. In fact, they start to think he needs some counseling. It's up to Devin and his cousin to save their town from Cuddle Bunnies. This book is fast-paced and hilarious. It's also both evil and heart-warming. I think middle grade readers will be amused. Thanks to Wendy McLeod MacKnight, author of It's a Mystery, Pig Face!, for sending me a copy.

A Book to Look for in 2018

The Problim Children by Natalie Lloyd

This book has a winning combination - a quirky family, seven siblings each born on a different day of the week, an evil villainess, and some fun and magic. The Problim Children have returned to House Number Seven in Lost Cove just before it was to be auctioned off. The house is rightfully theirs, but they must prove it. Their neighbor, Desdemona O'pinion, wants the Problim Children out of the house because she believes there is a treasure in there that belongs to her family. The Problim Children must put their charm, determination, and sense of adventure to work to keep what is theirs. This is a fun start to a series that has family at its heart.