Sunday, September 22, 2013

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 09/23/13

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is an opportunity for everyone to share their book journeys: where we've been for the week and where we plan to go next. To learn more about It's Monday! What Are You Reading? with a kidlit focus, jump over to Jen Vincent's blog, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee Moye's blog, Unleashing Readers.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-31S4x0H5Lzs/UcZ4hKabgOI/AAAAAAAAFeU/ovdom1uRi4c/s1600/IMWAYR.jpg 
We had a much better reading week at the Becker's; however, I didn't do a very good job tracking on Goodreads or posting bookpics. Maddie fought a cold the better half of the week (still fighting it) but here's where I can prove we journeyed this week.

I was supposed to write a review for Yoo-Hoo, Ladybug! by Mem Fox but somehow the week got away from me. Will make it a two-for-one on Thursday of this week when I write a review for Clark the Shark by Bruce Hale. Yoo-Hoo, Ladybug! and Clark the Shark are both books that I grabbed from my district's monthly bookclub - I need to get busy with my reviews.
Clark the SharkYoo-Hoo, Ladybug!
 This is a busy week for Twitter book clubs!!!
Turtle in Paradise
#virtualbookclub on Monday 9/23 at 6:00 pm PST




Excited for #sharpschu bookclub on Wednesday 9/25 @ 5:00 pm PST 
Deck the Walls: A Wacky Christmas Carol
 Thrilled for Erin Dealey's Skype author visit on Thursday 9/26
In audiobooks, I'm nearly finished listening to Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. I've already got a copy of Hoot by Carl Hiaasen to listen to next. 
My book journey this week will be focused on banned or challenged books in honor of Banned Books Week. Normally, I'd be making my way through the grades 3-5 Oregon Battle of the Books selection, but this week it's all about banned books. 
Looking for AlaskaThe Adventures of Captain Underpants (Captain Underpants, #1)It's hard for me to fathom banning or censoring books. When I was growing up, my parents, with their strong religious convictions, had books that they did not approve of us reading, but they NEVER said don't read the books (they just made it abundantly clear they didn't approve) and it certainly wasn't in their nature to impose their beliefs on others. I thank my parents for recognizing that books are precious and that they empowered my sister and me to choose for ourselves what we would read.


I began another class for my continuing administrator license(it's a licensing requirement even though I'm currently NOT in an administrator position) so I'm cutting myself some slack with writing - I'm committed to Slice of Life 2013 but am going to set Poetry Friday aside for now.
What are you reading and writing this week?


10 comments:

  1. Hi there, lovely pictures again! Cute! Ten Apples Up on Top caught my eye - one of those books that I enjoyed as a child. I have a copy of Hoot but haven't read it yet. My daughter read Esperanza Rising in her school when she was in the 5th grade. I didn't quite take to Looking for Alaska but here's hoping you have a different experience. Have a great reading week ahead of you!

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    1. Thank you Myra for sharing your thoughts. I finished listening to Esperanza Rising today and was sad it was finished. I LOVED it. Listened to SCAT over the summer so I anticipate enjoying HOOT.
      John Green's The Fault In Our Stars is a book that made me cry over the summer. That book alone made me a fan of his. After my TFIOS experience, I'm curious to find out what puts Looking for Alaska on a banned/challenge list.

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  2. Lots of great books that you are reading this week! I need to join a bookclub, whether virtual or not... I hope you enjoy Looking for Alaska, love that book.

    The Monster Report

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    1. Thank you, Kristen, for stopping by. The Twitter virtualbookclubs have been the most fun for me. I like how I can participate while cooking dinner (most of the chats are EST & I am PST) and if I miss a chat for some reason, the chats are usually archived. I have only attended one bookclub meeting with my school district - I enjoyed it but it has a different flavor to it because everyone grabs a stack of books and reviews them and then shares the reviews (versus everyone reading the same book and talking about it).
      I downloaded Looking for Alaska tonight and look forward to starting it.

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  3. Clark the Shark looks like a fun book. I'm definitely going to check that one out.

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    1. Hi Beth!
      Clark the Shark is adorable. I love it's friendly way of talking about how our unintentional, out of control behaviors may be what keeps others from wanting to be our friend(s).

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  4. I am conflicted about banned books-- there are a lot I don't buy from my small library, but I will help students check them out from the public library. Of course, how ridiculous to ban Captain Underpants!

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    1. Thanks for sharing Ms. Yingling! I get it that banned books can be tricky. I've been fortunate to only have a couple of incidents where parents questioned a book in my classroom library. Most of them have been satisfied with me not requiring their child to read a particular book.
      I agree about the ridiculous nature of banning Captain Underpants. I was surprised to find how long there have been challenges to Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants books. I'm still reading them. :o)

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  5. Clark the Shark is such a great book to teach children about self regulation. Loved this book when I read it over the summer and bought a copy for the school library. Also love Journey and ABC vs 123! Yoo Hoo Ladybug is a new title for me - and I can't wait to read it! Thank you for your great list!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Adrienne!
      Journey & 123 vs ABC are new to me. I was introduced to them by Colby Sharp and John Schu on Twitter. I get A LOT of fantastic book recommendations from those two. If they're having a #sharpschu book club, I tend to buy the books to add to someone's classroom library after the Twitter chat.
      I picked Yoo-Hoo Ladybug because I call Madeline Ladybug. :o)
      Have a great week!

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