It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey. Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers have adapted it to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.
This past week I was a bit all over the place with my reading. I have been working on a presentation for a training that I am doing about Ezra Jack Keats. As a result, I went to the library and took out as many of Keats books that I could find and sat down and read and re-read them (I did not list them below for sake of space). It was interesting to read them in publication order and to begin to see things I had missed when I read them years ago. I have learned so much about Keats and admire his skill and his stories more than ever.
Here is what jumped out of the pile...
Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith (Dutton Juvenile, February 11, 2014) - This upper YA book by Andrew Smith is not for everyone and certainly not for those who are squeamish about very large insects. However, I did find it to be brilliant and creative.
Lunch Lady and the Schoolwide Scuffle (Lunch Lady #10) by Jarrett K. Krosoczka (Knopf Books, January 28, 2014) - What a fun conclusion to the Lunch Lady series. I will miss these books.
Scholastic Reader Level 2: Ugly Cute Animals by Melvin and Gilda Berger (Scholastic, January 7, 2014)- This has a certain aww factor - seriously, ugly but cute animals?! Loved it.
Extraordinary Jane by Hannah Harrison (Dial, February 6, 2014) - Sometimes ordinary is extraordinary. Such a cute story.
Ezra Jack Keats: A Biography with Illustrations by Dean Engel and Florence B. Freedman (Silver Moon Press, 1995) - A perfect middle grade biography on Ezra Jack Keats. I really enjoyed learning more about Keats.
Still reading...
Kiss of Deception by Mary Pearson (Henry Holt, July 15, 2014) - High fantasy with solid characters and good world building. Can't wait to get back to this one.
So, what are you reading?
