Here are some things that I learned from Book-A-Day...
* I read a lot of books that start with the letter "S" and followed by "B", "R", and "C".
* Graphic novels I have learned to enjoy. Manga still confuses me.
* Most books for 2nd & 3rd graders seem to contain a lot of humor.
* Picture books are a great fall back when you aren't going to reach your weekly goal. :-)
* Yes, it is possible to read this many books and still have a life in the summer. (You won't watch much TV but that wasn't an issue for me anyway.)
* There are some inspirational teachers and librarians doing amazing things to get kids to read. I have come to really appreciate all of my fellow #bookaday tweeps.
Here is the breakdown of books by general categories:
Picture books: 51 (fiction, non-fiction)
Middle Grade: 20 (mostly fiction, early chapter books, graphic novels included)
YA: 19 (includes graphic novels, and manga)
Other: 5 (includes adult books, and 3 full length unpublished manuscripts which I read in order to provide feedback)
Total number of pages: It is unclear but from a general count well over 9000 and that doesn't even consider the pages in picture books.
To look back on last week's reading:
Picture Books
Fiction:
Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts - A wonderfully touching story about friendship and giving.
My Best Friend is As Sharp As A Pencil by Hanoch Piven - A young girl uses unusual descriptions to tell her grandmother about her friends. Illustrations are multi-media and very interesting.
Our Children Can Soar by Michelle Cook - Simple text, beautiful illustrations, powerful book with a universal theme. Excellent for Black History Month.
How To Heal A Broken Wing by Bob Graham - Feel good story about a child who helps a pigeon heal from an injury.
Non-fiction:
Redwoods by Jason Chin - As a non-fiction book author friend of mine said "This is creative non-fiction." Lots of great facts about Redwoods told in story fashion with very complimentary illustrations that make the text come alive.
Middle Grade:
Bink & Gollie by Kate DiCamillo - A favorite find of the summer. A graphic novel for MG that is fun and touching. Can't wait to share this one.
A Mouse Called Wolf by Dick King-Smith - A recommendation from a 7 year old friend. The story is about a Mouse named after Mozart and who may have more in common with his namesake than you would imagine. A nice early chapter book.
YA:
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (debut author 2010) - A good debut offering from Lauren Oliver. This twist on GROUNDHOGS DAY (the movie) portrays high school in a very realistic manner. The main character re-lives her last day of life 7 times. Can she make just the right changes in the day to influence the final outcome?
Where will I go from here? Well I won't stop reading books but as I mentioned earlier with the school year returning my reading will likely turn into 1 or 2 books realistically per week. I will keep you posted with reviews and features. And I encourage everyone to set a goal of reading at least 1 book a week. If you were to do that you would read 52 books in the year.
