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. 

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...

I Found a Kitty! by Troy Cummings

Arfy has found a stray kitten so he writes letters to those in the community who might want to give him a home. None of the homes prove to be a good match until Arfy thinks of the perfect place where Scamper can be of help to others. This is a fun, cute book. 

Snow Angel, Sand Angel by Lois-Ann Yamanaka and illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky

Claire lives on the Big Island in Hawaii and wants to see snow. When her family brings her to the top of Mauna Kea, she is disappointed that the snow is not like what she imagined. A trip to Hapuna Beach helps Claire realize that she may not be able to make snow angels, but there is much to appreciate about the place where she lives. This is a beautiful book and also a fitting book to read this past weekend when we had a blizzard here in Massachusetts. Even after having lived through New England winters my whole life, I much prefer sand angels over snow angels!

Fergus and Zeke and the 100th Day of School by Kate Messner and illustrated by Heather Ross

Miss Maxwell's class is celebrating the one hundredth day of school by using the number one hundred in different ways. The class pets, Fergus and Zeke, take part in the celebration and are determined to think of a good idea for their hundredth-day collection. Students in the early elementary grades who celebrate the one hundredth day of school will find this book fun. 

Honestly Elliott by Gillian McDunn

I have loved all of Gillian McDunn's middle grade books and this one is no exception. Elliott, who has ADHD, has difficulties with schoolwork and connecting with his classmates. He is surprised when Maribel, who he considers super smart and a perfectionist, agrees to be his partner for a school project. Although he has a talent and passion for cooking, Maribel decides that their project will involve baking, which he is not a fan of at all. This story about family, unlikely friendship and belonging is charming and heartfelt. Thanks to the author for providing my book review group, #BookExcursion, with an advance reading copy. The book publishes in March.

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...

A Unicorn Named Sparkle and the Perfect Valentine by Amy Young

This Valentine-themed addition to the series about Lucy and her unicorn, Sparkle, is sweet. Lucy's making Valentine's cards to tell all her friends what she loves about them and Sparkles decides he wants to make one for Lucy. Although Sparkle's card is not as fancy as everyone else's, he gets his message across.

Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives by Dav Pilkey

Another meeting of the Cat Kid Comic Club is in session and the frogs are getting a drawing lesson to learn about perspective. The frogs not only learn about drawing, but also the importance of seeing things through another's perspective. The comics within a comic structure of this book is creative and the story is humorous with lots of kid appeal.

 

Who Sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott?: Rosa Parks by Insha Fitzpatrick and illustrated by Abelle Hayford

Who Was the First Man on the Moon?: Neil Armstrong by Nathan Page and illustrated by Drew Shannon

These books are part of a new line of graphic novels in the Who Was? series. They each tell an intriguing tale of an important historical figure. The graphic novel format will make learning history accessible for those students who are motivated by shorter texts and illustrations.  

Candidly Cline by Kathryn Ormsbee

Cline dreams of becoming a musician. When she learns about a singer-songwriter workshop she is determined to attend even though her mother insists it's not worth her while. Cline is also trying to make sense of her grandmother's memory issues and navigate a changing friendship after she reveals that she is not interested in boys. This book addresses some important issues and challenges of growing up such as first crushes. Cline is a character who readers will root for.

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

The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by Rafael López  

The creators of The Day You Begin have given us another beautiful story with an empowering message. Listening to their grandmother's advice, two siblings use their imaginations to lift themselves out of their current situation. In the note at the end of the book, Jacqueline Woodson tells about her inspiration for the book and includes these powerful words, "Sometimes the first step toward change is closing our eyes, taking a breath, and imagining a different way." 

J.D. and the Hair Show Showdown by J. Dillard and illustrated by Akeem S. Roberts

Eight-year-old J.D. the Kid Barber is off to Atlanta with his mom for the Beauty Brothers Hair Expo. As in the previous books in the series, J.D. shows what's possible when following one's passion.

Secret of the Storm by Beth McMullen

This fantasy adventure is also a meaningful story of friendship and having the courage to be oneself and do the right thing. After two schoolmates, Cassie and Joe, find a kitten in a dumpster after an unusual storm they team up to solve a mystery. It's an engaging read and I think readers will be eager for the follow-up. Thanks to the author for providing my book review group, #BookExcursion, with an advance reviewer copy. The book publishes in March.

Adult Reading Recommendation 

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

I was captivated by this book and I think it will end up being one of my top favorites of 2022. Two estranged siblings are brought together after their mother's death. Through a recording their mother has left, the siblings learn about their family's secret past. This multigenerational story alternates between the present and the 1960s and is set in the Caribbean, America, and Britain. The family drama and the mystery of the mother's life had me hooked, but it's also beautiful and moving and an exploration of many themes including loyalty, resilience, and identity. The book publishes in February.

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...

Group Hug by Jean Reidy and illustrated by Joey Chou

A slug, in need of a hug, gives one to a bug and gradually more and more animals join in a group hug. This is a warm and endearing story about kindness.

Millions of Maxes by Meg Wolitzer and illustrated by Micah Player

Max believes he is the "one and only Max" until a trip to the park where he discovers there are two other kids with his name, as well. The Maxes work together to find a missing pink pine cone which leads them to another Max. This is a fun read.

Winter Lullaby by Dianne White and illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki

Mama Bear convinces Small Bear that it's time for them to go inside and sleep. This sweet rhyming story is great for the winter season or bedtime. 

When Winter Robeson Came by Brenda Woods 

In August of 1965, Eden's cousin Winter is visiting her in Los Angeles. She is expecting to spend the time visiting Disneyland and the beach, but instead Winter reveals he wants to find his father. This is a heartfelt story about family, but also gives insight into the Watts Riots and the racial inequality of the time period. Written in verse, this is a quick and accessible read. Thank you to the publisher for sharing an advance readers copy with my book review group, #BookExcursion. The book publishes this month.

Adult Read

When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham

I read this over the holiday break in about two days. It's a compelling psychological thriller with some interesting twists.