It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This week I realize how dependent I am on the twitter, blogs and the Goodreads community especially Mock Newbery 2013.

 These networks have helped me to read some fantastic books that I would never have found on my own.   We can really celebrate how technology brings our teaching community together - glad to finally be joining in on a more participatory way!

My last post talked about how many YA books have parents who are missing in the young characters lives.  I felt like a was still on this theme a bit lately.  

Since that post, I finished  As Small as an Elephant.  This boy gets abandoned by his mother while they are on a camping trip.  For the most part the child remains sympathetic and understanding about his mother's condition.  What I loved about this story was that it reopens our eyes to the idea that things are not always as we think they are.  You witness this theme unfold with the main character's ah-ha moments, his moments of clarity.  


Fitting in the foster child theme I absolutely loved    One for the Murphys.  This book is beautifully written and warmed my heart.  I don't want to ruin the story for anyone but I have to share this quote from page 12: "The tone, the look on her face and the look on his, a gentle brush of his hair. A kiss on top of the head.  I struggle to decipher a foreign language.  She's looking at him like she's seeing the best thing ever. Even though he's done something wrong."  This is how I hope my face reads with my students every day - whether when giving a simple hello in the hall to instructional times.  This quote just struck a chord.  Kids know.


 After reading   Jake and Lily, I knew the perfect two people to share this book with - a set of twins in our 5th grade, boy/girl twins just like in the book.  I have read with these two in after school club and the brother is always trying to slam his sister.  I think he would truly love this book.  And possibly admit, if only to himself, his love for his twin sister.  This is a great story about growing up with the message of finding yourself rather than depending on others for your happiness. While the main characters are twins, many readers will be able to relate and grow from reading this book. There is a great side character in the book too, a self-admitted hippy grandfather who is very wise and quirky and adds a humorous dimension to the book. 


I just started Inside Out and Back Again.  I look forward to blogging next Monday about this book and any other reading I can squeeze in during our last week of school.  Until then... happy reading to all of you as you wrap up another school year.