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...

Apple and Magnolia by Laura Gehl and illustrated by Patricia Metola

Britta knows that her favorite trees, Apple and Magnolia, are best friends. When Magnolia does not seem to be doing well, Britta is determined to help the tree survive the winter. With two cups tied to a string, a long scarf, and a strand of lights, Britta connects the two trees to each other so one can support the other. This is such a sweet story of unlikely friendship and the power of hope and positive thinking. The whimsical illustrations are lovely.

Eyes That Speak to the Stars by Joanna Ho and illustrated by Dung Ho

This companion to Eyes that Kiss in the Corners is another beautiful and empowering book. The boy expresses his hurt after seeing a picture of himself that his friend drew and his Baba leads him to celebrate his eyes, culture, and family. 

Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega

On the night of the Black Moon Ceremony, Seven hopes to be placed in House Hyacinth with her friend Poppy. Instead, she becomes a Spare along with two other girls, one of whom she does not get along. The only chance they have of becoming full-fledged witches is to defeat a Nightbeast. This is a magical and adventurous story of friendship and fitting in. Thanks to the publisher for providing my book review group, #BookExcursion, with an advance reader copy. The book publishes in April.

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

Cristian, living in Romania in the 1980s, has been blackmailed into spying on an American diplomat in return for medicine for his sick grandfather. Once again, Ruta Sepetys has given me insight into a piece of history I know little about. Her amazing storytelling transported me to a time and place that allowed me to imagine what it was like to live under a communist regime. A very compelling and powerful read from a master of storytelling.

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...

Friends Are Friends, Forever by Dane Liu and illustrated by Lynn Scurfield

Dandan spends one last Lunar New Year with her friend, Yueyue, before moving with her family to America. Together they make paper snowflakes like they usually do and Yueyue gives Dandan the supplies she'll need to make them in her new home. When Dandan makes a new friend, she shares the gift she received and the tradition with her. Based on the author's experience migrating to America, this is a heartfelt story.

No Bunnies Here! by Tammi Sauer and illustrated by Ross Burach

It's the day of the Hoppy Day Parade in Bunnyville and a wolf has shown up. The bunny narrator very humorously tries to convince the wolf that there are no bunnies. The wolf does not give up and his reason for wanting to find a bunny is a surprise. This is an amusing story of unlikely friendship with a message about making assumptions.

Powwow Day by Traci Sorell and illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight

River is still not feeling well enough to dance at the powwow. As she watches her sister and friends dance, she wishes she could, too. As the celebration continues, she remembers the reason for the dancing and takes comfort in the fact that her community is part of her healing. Gorgeous book.

Cornbread & Poppy by  Matthew Cordell

Cornbread is prepared for winter, but Poppy is not. When Poppy decides to go up Holler Mountain to forage for food, Cornbread knows it is dangerous, but, as a friend, he goes along with her. The mice have an adventure that involves a surprise and friendship. This is a sweet early reader about two friends who support one another.

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...

Olu & Greta by Diana Ejaita

Olu, living in Lagos, and Greta, living in Milan, are cousins who have never met each other. This story tells how they connect with each other and learn about the place the other lives even though they are far apart from each other. Very sweet. 

Peacock and Sketch by Allan Peterkin and illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat

Peacock is proud of his beautiful tail feathers and enjoys having fans who are always taking pictures of him. When his feathers fall out, no one is ooohing and aaahing over him and Peacock feels sad and alone. Only Sketch, who takes the time to draw him, can see how he feels. This is a cute story that includes a note at the end related to children's use of social media.

The Daily Bark: The Puppy Problem by Laura James and illustrated by Charlie Adler

Gizmo, a city dog, and his human move to a country town named Puddle. When he meets another dog who needs help finding homes for her pups, he comes up with an idea to write a newspaper bulletin. Gizmo not only saves the pups, but starts a newspaper called the Daily Bark. This is an amusing and sweet start to a new chapter book series.

Dream, Annie, Dream by Waka T. Brown

This is one of the middle grade books from the #MustReadin2022 list I made in January. Set in the 1980s, it's an inspiring story of a twelve-year-old Japanese American girl who pursues her dreams in spite of obstacles she faces because of her race. As Annie tries to make sense of the microagressions and biases she experiences, she holds on to her beliefs that there is a place for her in the theater group, as well as on the basketball team. In addition, she is also navigating challenges with friendships and first crushes. This is a compelling story that addresses important topics and themes.

Professional Read

Structured Literacy Interventions: Teaching Students with Reading Difficulties, Grades K-6 edited by Louise Spear-Swerling

This book provides an explanation of structured literacy and details the research regarding how to best support students who struggle with aspects of reading including phonemic awareness, word recognition, spelling, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and written expression. In addition, there are examples of evidence-based practices and sample lessons. There is much debate nowadays about whether structured literacy or balanced literacy is the best approach to teaching students to read. While this book is aligned with structured literacy, it provides a clear understanding of research and will be useful to any teacher who works with students facing reading difficulties.