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Monday, July 22, 2019

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. To find out what other bloggers are reading, check out the host blogs or follow on Twitter at #imwayr.

Recent Reads...


Mighty Reader and the Big Freeze by Will Hillenbrand

Hugo realizes that a classmate, Barkley, is struggling to read a book to his class and decides to come to the rescue. He disappears without anyone noticing and reappears as his secret alter ego to put his superpowers to good use and give his classmate some advice to help him read. Hugo and Barkley give readers an empowering message about reading and the comic book-like format will appeal to many readers.

One Shoe Two Shoes by Caryl Hart

This is a concept book that appears to be about counting and shoes, but an adorable dog and some mischievous mice give the book a fun twist. Even though it's a concept book there is a loose story line with an ending that circles back to the beginning. There's a fun rhythm to the book and bold illustrations that will delight young readers. Thanks to Bloomsbury for providing my book review group, #BookExcursion, with a review copy.

The Curse of the Werepenguin by Allan Woodrow

Bolt is an orphan who would love nothing more than to be reunited with his family, but instead he's sent to Brugaria at the request of Baron Chordata. Brugaria, with its creepy penguins, is a mysterious and strange place and the Baron is not at all the father Bolt was hoping for. He's a twelve-year-old kid. An evil one who places a curse on Bolt. With the help of a bandit turned friend, Bolt sets out to reverse the curse and save Brugaria. The plot is ridiculous, but the humor is fantastic and it will appeal to kids who enjoy books that are a bit scary. Thanks to the publisher, I read an advance reader's copy. The book publishes in August.

Saving Fable (Talespinners) by Scott Reintgen

Indira travels to Fable where she hopes to be chosen as a Protagonist, but when her auditions go poorly she is assigned to the training for side characters. When odd occurrences happen, like her homework mysteriously disappearing, Indira becomes involved in an adventure to save Fable. This is a fun and imaginative adventure about a girl determined to the be hero of her story. The setting of Fable, which is a world that revolves around stories, is intriguing and will definitely capture the hearts of those with a passion for books. Thanks to Random House Kids for providing my book review group, #BookExcursion, with an advance reading copy. The book publishes in September.

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

Ollie encounters a woman about to throw a book in a river. Although she doesn't understand the woman's talk of a smiling man or the warning to avoid large spaces and stick to those that are small, Ollie steals the book. She becomes intrigued with the story, but when she takes a school trip to a farm, it turns out there's a mysterious connection between the book and real life. The trip becomes spooky after the bus breaks down on the way home and Ollie's watch alerts her to run. This is a ghost story, appropriately creepy and mysterious for middle grade readers. But, this isn't just a scary story as the book also explores Ollie's grief over losing her mother and friendship.

Dead Voices by Katherine Arden

The sequel to Small Spaces, which publishes in August, is equally spooky, if not a tad bit more. This time, Ollie and her friends, Coco and Brian, travel to a Vermont ski resort where they get snowed in. When a ghost hunter arrives, the three friends learn about the history of the resort and the ghosts that haunt it. As the mystery of the resort unravels, Ollie, Coco, and Brian must work together to save themselves from the evil of ghosts and the ghost hunter who they thought they could trust. Just like the first book, this is kid horror at its best. I will definitely recommend the series to kids who want a spooky, spine-tingling read. Thanks to the publisher for an advance reader's copy of the book.

9 comments:

  1. I read Small Spaces and loved it, but my ten year old thought it sounded too creepy to read. Maybe in a few years he'll change his mind! I'm looking forward to Dead Voices.

    Have a great reading week.

    https://wendimlee.blogspot.com/2019/07/its-monday-what-are-you-reading_22.html

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  2. The Arden books do sound spooky & just right for those who like that kind of book, & there are two! I had to laugh at the word "Werepenguin", although it sounds like a fun plot, too. Thanks for all, Lisa. It's fun to see Mighty Reader twice today!

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  3. I'm sure I will meet readers who will devour those Katherine Arden titles, but I am a sorry adult who doesn't like scary books at all!

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  4. Small Spaces has been wildly popular with my students, who adore creepy books. Thanks for these reviews!

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  5. I really enjoyed Small Spaces and am going to check out the sequel when I can. I enjoyed learning about Werepenguin, that one sounds funny. Thanks for the shares!

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  6. Of course, I just loved Mighty Reader and the Big Freeze for obvious reason. How fun that we both shared our review this week. I have not read Small Spaces or Dead Voices. Must add to my TBR and read this fall!
    Have a great week!

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  7. I'm really looking forward to checking out Mighty Reader! Saw it quickly at ALA but not enough time to read. Not enough time for most of what I wanted to get done that weekend :)

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  8. Thanks for sharing Katherine Arden's books. We get customers asking for spooky stories.

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  9. Oh my, I'd completely forgotten that the Small Spaces sequel was coming out next month. I really enjoyed Small Spaces so thank you for the reminder, Lisa!! #superlatecomment

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