It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #imwayr [10.11.21]

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!

It was a slow week of reading for me. I finished a #BookAllies ARC that I really enjoyed and two audiobooks. I hope to read a couple novels this week, but I know today and tomorrow will be jam packed so we will see!

My first day of training at my local indie bookstore was amazing, though! I learned the ins and outs of the book industry, worked at the cash register for a couple hours (learned the POS system pretty quick!), helped customers find books, and met some awesome people. I am so thrilled and blessed to have this opportunity as a full-time teacher. If you followed my posts before the summer I mentioned how it would be a dream to work at a bookstore during the summer…and now I am working at one seasonally. So so happy!

I’ve got more news to share with you soon, but you’ll have to wait! Meanwhile, have a great week of reading. Treat yourself to a little extra time this week.

The Unforgettable Logan Foster by Shawn Peters
- Wow! I loved this debut from Shawn Peters. When I was reading this ARC at school during IDR last week I had a few students look at the cover and say, “Woah! What are you reading Mrs. D?!” and then I gave them a quick sum up of the story so far and they were hooked. I told them how it was an ARC and they all said, “Awww!!!” It was precious. This book publishes in January and I think readers will be pulled in from the start with the memorable main character Logan, his new foster family dynamics, and all the “super” things he finds out about them. Such a great voice and the suspenseful ending will make readers want book 2 ASAP! #BookAllies
Roxy the Unisaurus Rex Presents: Oh No! The Talent Show by Eva Chen and illustrated by Matthew Rivera
- I listened to this via Libro.fm and loved that the author narrated the story. Her narration was great and the added special effects and music made the story even more enjoyable. This would be a great read aloud that focuses on being a good friend and listener. It would also allow great discussions about the importance of lifting others up and encouraging our friends to never give up. I recommend this for K-2.
Code Breaker, Spy Hunter: How Elizebeth Friedman Changed the Course of Two World Wars by Laurie Wallmark and Art by Brooke Smart
- Another Libro.fm audiobook success. This is a biography about Elizebeth Friedman (1892-1980). You learn about her childhood, work experience, and how she became an American code breaker. You learn in great detail for a picture book about her decoding abilities during the two world wars. This is definitely written for older young readers due to the wealth of information, vocabulary, and context of Friedman’s life. I now need to check out this book so I can see the art throughout. At the end of the audiobook you can access an activity sheet where you decode a message!