Pages

Monday, July 13, 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...


Finding Françoise: A Story About the Healing Power of Friendship by Gus Gordon

This is a charming story about a chance friendship and the power of that friendship to heal a hurting heart. There are many delightful details in the illustrations. After reading this book once I reread to notice more about the illustrations and I think young readers will do the same. Thanks to the publisher for sharing a review copy with my book review group, #BookExcursion.

Lift by Minh Lê and illustrated by Dan Santat

A girl always pushes the elevator button until, to the delight of her parents, her brother
takes over the task. Upset with her brother, the girl imagines her own elevator button which takes her on magical journeys. This is a sweet story about imagination and siblings. Written in graphic novel style, the artwork is amazing.

Monsters 101 by Cale Atkinson

This book has everything you've ever wanted to know about monsters and more! Like the author's previous book, Unicorns 101, it's clever and amusing. Once they reach the end of the book, readers earn a diploma and the honorary title of Monster Scientist. Thanks to Random House Kids for providing my book review group with a review copy. This book publishes in August.

A Perfect Day by Sarah S. Brannen

A sweet friendship develops between a sea gull and a crab even though they disagree about whether it's truly a perfect day. The illustrations are lovely and one two-page spread will surprise and delight readers.

Raising Lumie by Joan Bauer

Olive's dad has died, she is in the care of a stepsister she barely knows, and is now living in a new town. She wants a dog more than anything, but it's not something her stepsister is willing to take on. When Olive learns of an opportunity to train a puppy to be a guide dog for the blind, she jumps at the chance. This is a heart-warming story about coping with loss and, also, gives insight into the process of raising a guide dog. Olive is a charming character with a good sense of humor and lots of grit.

The Talk: Conversations About Race, Love, & Truth edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis

This is a powerful anthology that includes stories, poems, letters, and other writing pieces by authors sharing their personal experiences related to systemic racism and the lessons they have learned. It's personal, honest, and empowering. The list of authors and illustrators who have contributed to this book is amazing. This is a book that should be shared and discussed widely. Thanks to the publisher for a digital review copy. The book publishes in August.

Grown-Up Summer Reading Recommendation


We Came Here to Shine by by Susie Orman Schnall

This was one of the complimentary audiobooks offered in the month of June through Libro.fm's ALC (Audio Listening Copy) Program for educators. It's a historical fiction novel set in 1939 during the New York World's Fair. It's a story of friendship that explores the inequalities women faced at the time. I loved the characters of Vivi and Max and was captivated by the details of the Worlds' Fair.

5 comments:

  1. These books sound great! Lift sounds like a super-fun read! Raising Lumie sounds great as well—I'm always intrigued by Joan Bauer's books, but I've still only read one, Tell Me. The Talk sounds great as well! Thanks for the great post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm planning on reading Monsters 101 this week, so I skipped over that review. Finding Françoise and A Perfect Day look like delightful books. Anything by Joan Bauer was always popular in my school library with long reserve lists. Happy reading this week.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I loved The Talk. Great contributors.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is my first visit to your blog, and I thoroughly enjoyed your post! :0} I've added a few of these titles to my TBR list. I appreciate your 'Grown-Up Summer Reading Recommendation' novel as I love historical fiction. Thanks for the great post.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I also really enjoyed Lift and Monsters 101. A Perfect Day and Finding Francoise are books I knew little about and I enjoyed adding those to my to-read list. Thanks for all your reviews.

    ReplyDelete