It's Monday! Here's What I'm Reading...

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!

Read more: http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2013/03/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-31113.html#ixzz2NGtbE7TD

I'm almost a little embarrassed to say that I have not done much reading in the past month.  I can thank the flu for leaving its mark on me and my family, derailing all my plans to plow through my reading list.  But if you've been following the few "It's Monday! What are you reading?" posts I've participated in, you'll find that I rarely read what I plan to read.  I usually follow whatever my inner reading spirit fancies at the moment.

Image from here

This weekend, I picked up a book that my daughter had read recently.  It was one of the first that ushered her into a love of reading -- something she did not develop until recently, and it was a source of anxiety for me.  In reading this book, I was pleasantly surprised  not only by the story, but to learn that the author was born in San Diego (I grew up there!), hails from Northern California (yay!), went to Cal (double yay!) and that her book was published by Chronicle Books --a Northern California publishing icon.  The book I'm referring to is Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows.

As much as I LOVE reading, my daughter -- as previously mentioned --  did not possess the same passion until she came across this series and Judy Blume's Fudge series.  I can thank both Ms. Blume and Ms. Barrows for starting my daughter on the road to staying up past her bedtime in order to read one more chapter. :)  And I and genuinely and wholeheartedly grateful.  My little reader is blossoming thanks to some very talented writers.

You can learn more about Ivy and Bean, and author Annie Barrows at
http://www.anniebarrows.com/ivyandbean/

You can also learn about illustrator, Sophie Blackall at
http://www.sophieblackall.com/frameintro.html

On a side note, as a member of SCBWI (Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators), I had an opportunity to attend a meet and greet event at Chronicle Book.  I was hoping to go -- especially after reading Ivy and Bean, but sadly scheduling and health issues prevented it from happening.  Perhaps another time.


What do I plan on reading next?
I know not.  But here are some new titles on my ever growing list:

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Happy Monday, and Happy Reading!

RTW: Best book I've read in January

It's time for YA Highway's RTW!  Read about this "blog carnival" here.  This week's topic:  What's the best book you read in January?

Given that I only read one *gasp* book in January, this week's topic is easy.  Luckily, I really liked it -- but it's not a new release at all.  It's been out for a couple years now (I'm behind the times, I know).  The Maze Runner by James Dashner was awesome.  I not only read it in January, I think I read it in one weekend.  Think Jason Bourne meets The Matrix inside a labyrinth (with a little Flowers for Algernon thrown in).

Here's the book description from Amazon:
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. 

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

I'd tell you more, but I don't want to spoil it for you.  If you haven't done so already, read it!



As for some of my students and my own children, here are some of the books they have read in January, and their comments...

Student 1
Diary of Wimpy Kid #7:  The Third Wheel
"It's the best ever!"

Student 2
Gregor the Overlander and the Prophecy of Bane
"It's totally epic.  It's better than The Chronicles of Narnia."  (I'm still tying to understand the use of the word 'epic' in this manner -- I know it's the trend to use it this way, but it still feels grammatically wrong to me.  I must be getting old.)

Student 3
Amulet
"I love graphic novels!  Can I take this home and keep it?"  (Uh, no.)

Student 4
The Sisters Grimm:  The Everafter War
"I really like this series.  Do you think they will make it into a movie?"  (I think there was some talk about it, but they had some problems during the pre-production part of things.  Not sure what's happening now, but I think it would be cool if it ever did make to a movie!)

Offspring #1
"Just one book?  Well, I really like Superfudge and Ivy and Bean." 

Offspring #2
"I liked the new book Daddy gave me, Mercy Wapson to the Rescue"  (It's actually Mercy Watson, with a 't' but he was so adamant about it, I didn't want to argue.)

Happy reading everyone!