It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #imwayr [8.17.20]

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? originated as a meme that started by Shelia at Book Journeys, then it passed onto Kathryn at The Book Date. Then the Unleashing Readers, Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee decided to give it a twist by having a #kidlit focus. So this is a time to share what you have been, currently are, and will be reading soon!

If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, early readers, chapter books, middle grade, young adult, or anything in those genres – then join us! This is also a great opportunity to see what others are reading and you might find your next “must-read” too!

If you join in the fun and you Tweet, tag your tweet with #imwayr!

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This week I learned that I will be a virtual teacher for this upcoming school year (potentially for the full year), which is a huge shift in the way that I would teach in a classroom full of students. So it’s been a bit overwhelming so I know that my reading will slowly dwindle, but I am going to keep my reading streak and read every day (even if it is for 10 minutes). Today is also my first official contracted day back at school. We have two weeks full of professional development, collaboration, and planning before we start virtually on August 31st. I pray that we learn a lot and we are prepared for this crazy start to a new school year!

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• Finish the Fight by Veronica Chambers and the Staff of the New York Times
  • A beautifully illustrated and well-written biography of many diverse women who fought for the 19th amendment. The collaboration, research, and writing was astounding. I’m looking forward to rereading a physical copy!
• Stealing Mt. Rushmore by Daphne Kalmar
  • Set in the 1970’s, Nellie, and her family fall apart after their mom leaves them with no explanation and no goodbye. They were planning and saving for a road trip of a lifetime—to go to Mt. Rushmore! Low and behold the father finds out the hard way that Nellie’s mom not only left them but also stole their trip money! $500 to be exact. There’s so much to learn form this book and how the family dynamics were in the 70’s. You also learn about this family during the Watergate scandal and the impeachment of Nixon. Nellie is one of my favorite strong and brave characters in middle grade lit!
• Carmen Sandiego: Secrets of the Silver Lion by Emma Otheguy
  • Thanks to HMH for sharing this book with #BookAllies! This was a fun mystery to read this week. The novel is based off of the Netflix series for kids, so I went and watched a few episodes after I finished the book. Great for kids who love action-packed mysteries with a bit of crime and escape!
• All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold
  • This was a free book gifted to me in my last Scholastic order and I just loved the premise of this story and the lovely illustrations. It would be the perfect picture book for the first day of school!
• Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré by Anika A. Denise
  • I listened to the Libro.fm audiobook of Planting Stories since it was a freebie for educators this month. The narrator did a beautiful job and now I need to listen to it again while I have the real copy of the picture book biography in front of me!
• Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney
  • This is another free book that I received in my last Scholastic order and I am shocked that I’ve never heard of this book! The way Pinkney yet again poetically crafts this telling of how four boys started the Woolworth’s lunch counter sit-in was beautifully done. The mix of quotes, poetry, and facts that created a recipe for freedom and equality was remarkable.
• American as Paneer Pie by Supriya Kelkar
  • I tend to read a lot of middle grade ARCs and this was an eARC that actually published back in June. I am glad I picked it up to read before school starts because it is one that I think kids will LOVE. I highly recommend this one for fans of A Place at the Table, Flying Over Water, and Wishtree.
• Diana: Princess of the Amazons by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale
  • I ordered this graphic novel in my Scholastic order and it was just waiting for me to pick it up and read! I loved the Hale-duo’s approach to a graphic novel for Diana. This was a four chapter graphic novel with a lot of beautiful and telling illustrations. I think this would be great for 2nd grade and up!

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Shop the books above and support me and local Indies:

• Finish the Fight by Veronica Chambers & NY Times Staff
• Stealing Mt. Rushmore by Daphne Kalmar
• Secrets of the Silver Lion by Emma Otheguy
• All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold
• Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré by Anika A. Denise
• Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney
• American as Paneer Pie by Supriya Kelkar
• Diana: Princess of the Amazons by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale
• A Whale of the Wild by Rosanne Parry
• The Circus of Stolen Dreams by Lorelei Savaryn
• AstroNuts Mission Two: The Water Planet by Jon Scieszka
• Whispering Pines by Heidi Lang & Kati Bartkowski
• The Witches: The Graphic Novel by Pénelope Bagieu
• Eleanor, Alice, and the Roosevelt Ghosts by Dianne K. Salerni

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Have you ever read any of these books? Share with me what you are reading below!

Xo, Sierra