#IMWAYR Aug. 19

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!

Our Kid Lit to YA version is hosted by Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers.
GREAT IDEA! Check out all of the What Are You Reading? participants for title ideas.






Last Week
Black Ice by Andy Lane
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was thoroughly enjoying things ... until all of a sudden it was over. #pacingfail






Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists by Chris Duffy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fun ... but not for actual young kids. Much of the text is handwritten in a way that made it hard for ME to read ... and I'm a teacher used to deciphering student writing.

I can see a few of our older elementary students picking it up and enjoying a few pages but not reading it all the way through. I skimmed a good deal of it myself.


Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas by Jim Ottaviani
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading about these three women. I didn't know their lives were so intertwined. The graphic novel format was fun ... the animals were given great facial expressions.

Only reason it's not a four is that there were many times when I felt like it kind of skipped around. Nature of the beast, I guess, covering three women in one book. But it felt a bit disjointed in places.


Audition & Subtraction by Amy Fellner Dominy

Didn't write even my usual short review for this one. But I liked it. Great for middle school!






Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

I enjoyed it as a very believable and heartbreaking (but in a way that makes you believe in the redeeming power of teen relationships ... both friendships and romance) story. Plus awesome music references.

I just ... really could have done without the language. Say all you want "It's how teens talk" but it's not how ALL teens talk. Even now ... cause I know I'm not a teen anymore. Actually the same can be said about adult friends. But as a teen my friends that might have used that sort of language when I wasn't around were careful not to around me, and if they slipped apologized before I ever said a word. In fact it was rare I ever DID point anything out ... they were just perceptive enough to notice I didn't and adjusted themselves accordingly. Once or twice in a book and I hardly notice. There were several pages, though, were it seemed like every other word was bordering on offensive.

Definitely a young adult. Worth reading but I really wish it could be read WITHOUT the language because it really brought the story down for me.


Ollie by Olivier Dunrea
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Too cute. My sis just had a little boy and he has two older sisters. His name is Ollie but their names are not Gossie and Gertie. I might deface the book and put stickers over the text and change the names. ;)


Ollie the Stomper by Olivier Dunrea
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Can't wait to see if OUR Ollie is as stubborn as this one.


The Tell-Tale Start: The Misadventures of Edgar & Allan Poe, Book One by Gordon McAlpine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a very high three. Really a four in terms of writing but three in terms of premise. There were funny lines sprinkled throughout the story, and some fun (at least for an adult, kids may not recognize them as such but they'll still enjoy the book!) literary references. The illustrations were fun for a "chapter book."

Only thing I wasn't as keen on was the premise of why the professor was after the boys in the first place.

Will read the second and probably get them both for our school collection. Not perfect but enjoyable all the same.


Coming Up
Well ... summer's over. And the fun doesn't start for another week (lucky kids). This week is all PD. Not PD we picked, either. C'est la vie.

ALL SUMMER I meant to finish Notice and Note. And several other professional titles. Where did you go, summer?

I greatly enjoyed the audiobook of book one. The library didn't have 2&3 in audio format so I guess I'll just have to read them with my eyes instead of my ears. ;)

And remember all those fun e-arcs? Need to schedule those. Oh, plus I have a blog tour stop coming up. Never done that before ... I should figure out what I'm supposed to do. And finish that book. It's pretty fun so far so that's good. Would be awkward if I didn't like the book.

Good luck to anyone getting ready for school to start!