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Monday, May 11, 2020

Recent Reads

Every Monday, I share books I have recently read. I also participate in It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?, a community of bloggers who link up to share what they are reading. To find out what other bloggers are reading, check out the host blogs, Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers, or follow on Twitter at #imwayr.

Recent Reads...

Ollie and Augustus by Gabriel Evans

Ollie is worried that when he goes to school his dog, Augustus, will be lonely. He tries to find a dog who is compatible with Augustus so that he will have a friend. This is a sweet story about the friendship between a child and his dog with humorous illustrations.

Farah Rocks Fifth Grade by Susan Muaddi and Illustrated by Ruaida Mannaa

Along with her friend, Allie, Farah wants to attend Magnet Academy the following year when they begin middle school. But, when her brother starts to get bullied by the new girl, Farah is determined to protect him even if that means being dishonest and sacrificing what she wants. As she tries to solve her own problems in the best way she knows how, she learns that sometimes it's necessary to reach out for help. This is a story about friendship, family, and standing up for those you care about. Thanks to the author for a copy of the book.

The Next Great Jane by K. L. Going

Jane wants to be a famous writer and wants to learn the secrets of writing from the popular author who is visiting her town in Maine. When Jane's mother unexpectedly arrives in town, she expresses interesting in having Jane live with her in California. Jane would rather stay in Maine and decides to secretly find her father a girlfriend so he seems more capable of being able to take care of her. Jane learns about writing and relationships. This is a charming story of family and unlikely friendship.

Seven Clues to Home by Gae Polisner and Nora Raleigh Baskin

Joy and Lukas became friends in second grade when they discovered they both had August birthdays just days apart. It's Joy's thirteenth birthday and she's still grieving after Lukas died on her birthday the year before. The book alternates between the story of Joy on her birthday, following clues her friend left her, and the story of Lukas, a year earlier, setting out the clues. This is a heart-wrenching, beautiful book about friendship, love, and grief. Thanks to Random House for providing my book review group, #BookExcursion, with an advance reader's copy. The book publishes in June.

9 comments:

  1. Each one sounds good in a different way, Lisa. Farah Rocks Fifth Grade & The Next Great Jane are new titles to me, and I have Seven Clues to Home on my list. It sounds so sad, but good too. Thanks, & have a good week ahead!

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  2. As I read your remarks about Ollie and Augustus, I remembered that my aunt and her family ended up getting a small dog for their dog to keep it company when they were away from the house during the day. It was a brilliant idea at the time.
    I'm looking forward to reading Seven Clues to Home because I am a fan of Gae Polisner and Nora Raleigh Baskin!

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  3. Seven Clues to Home looks awesome. I've enjoyed previous books by these authors, so I'm definitely going to have to look for this one. Thanks for sharing and have a great week!

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  4. All of these books sound great! Ollie and Augustus sounds like a cute story, and The Next Great Jane sounds excellent—I imagine a lot of readers have wanted to meet certain authors as much as Jane does! Thanks for the great post!

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  5. I haven't read any of these books yet but I specifically cannot wait to read Seven Clues.

    Happy reading this week :)

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  6. I remember enjoying Farah Rocks Fifth Grade and I even tried the hummus recipe in the back of the book. LOVE me some hummus! :) I have Seven Clues to Home on my TBR list and look forward to its publication in June. Thanks for the reviews, Lisa!

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  7. Some of these were new to me, but all look good. I have a copy of The Next Great Jane that I committed to reading sometime this month. Thanks for all the shares.

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  8. Ollie and Augustus looks like the perfect book to feature for Bella's dog pick of the week. All the middle grade titles are in my TBR stack and look forward to reading.

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  9. Oops! I keep logging in with my district email.

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