It's Monday! What are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? (#IMWAYR) is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys with a kid/YA-lit spin hosted by Kellee at Unleashing Readers and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.

Past Reads: What an amazing, inspiring, and uplifting reading week I’ve had...and, I didn’t even read that many books. Two events happened this week that reaffirmed what I’m trying to do for my students - inspire them to be lifelong readers.

First, Simone Elkeles - author of the Perfect Chemistry series and new book Wild Cards - came to visit our school. Our students LOVED her! She had them laughing, asking questions, and most importantly wanting to read! The next day, I had a waiting list for her books. Yes! If you ever have a chance for her to speak to your students, take it!

Second, I went to my first library book sale - why didn’t someone tell me what I’ve been missing?! I got 19 AMAZING young adult novels (most of them BRAND NEW!) for $9...what?!? I cannot wait to share the titles with my students. Thank you McHenry Public Library!

Oh yeah, I also read a couple books. I finished The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin in one day, and it’s just that good. If you haven’t read this series yet, do so right now. So good! I also read The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White. It took me some time to get into the story, but once I did, I was hooked. I really enjoyed it, plus I have a newfound interest in Egyptian mythology. We need to start teaching this alongside the Greek gods of Mount Olympus.

                                             

Current Reads: I’m just starting Ghost Hawk by Susan Cooper. This is a big departure for me, so I have no idea what to expect. I think it will be a great recommendation for some readers I have a hard time recommending to.

Here’s the goodreads summary of the book:

From Newbery Medalist Susan Cooper, a story of adventure and friendship between a young Native American and a colonial New England settler.

On the winter day Little Hawk is sent into the woods alone, he can take only a bow and arrows, his handcrafted tomahawk, and the amazing metal knife his father traded for with the new white settlers. If Little Hawk survives three moons by himself, he will be a man.

John Wakely is only ten when his father dies, but he has already experienced the warmth and friendship of the nearby tribes. Yet his fellow colonists aren’t as accepting of the native people. When he is apprenticed to a barrel-maker, John sees how quickly the relationships between settlers and natives are deteriorating. His friendship with Little Hawk will put both boys in grave danger.

The intertwining stories of Little Hawk and John Wakely are a fascinating tale of friendship and an eye-opening look at the history of our nation. Newbery Medalist Susan Cooper also includes a timeline and an author’s note that discusses the historical context of this important and moving novel.

Future Reads: We have parent/teacher conferences coming up this week, which usually means a lot less reading time. Assuming I find chunks of time here and there (who needs sleep?), the next two books I’m excited to get to are: Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein and Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles (I can’t let me students get to through this one before me).

What are you reading? What have you just finished? What are your top recommendations? Leave me a comment as I'm always looking for books to add to my To-Be-Read list!