#IMWAYR September 25, 2017

Each week I join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers to share all of the reading I've done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. 

This week I had to put aside a book I had started to be prepared for school. My 5th graders are in a memoir and autobiography unit. They made predictions about an author's life and values by reading their novels. Next they will read the author's memoir or autobiography to find out if their predictions are on target. I used Jacqueline Woodson's picture books as mentor texts and will be reading aloud Brown Girl Dreaming. As an author, I love the concept of the unit and since I never assign students books I haven't read, I gave myself the goal of reading the four author's autobiographies my groups have chosen. 

Here's what I read this week:

Middle Grade Autobiography

Jean Little tells about her struggle as a cross-eyed child who was legally blind, what she learned about the world, people, and how books and story telling became her saviors. 

Jerry Spinelle's autobiography bounces around like a yo-yo, but by the time it is finished the reader understands why his stories are so rich with interesting details. He writes through the attic of his memories and is drawn to the way he wishes the past might have been.

Sid Fleischman's straight forward autobiography takes the reader on his path through magic and American history.

Middle Grade Fiction

Amica loves to sing but she has stage fright. When she is forced to take part in Quaran Competition, she is worried she is going to disappoint her family by freezing on stage. When her Islamic Center is vandalized she has to find a new kind of courage. A story of friendship, diversity, and finding your own voice.

Young Adult

In this twist on the story of Aladdin, the genie is a courageous girl who has fallen in love with her master.

Jane, Unlimited is a sliding doors story following the character Jane as she makes different choices of who to follow in the mysterious mansion she is visiting. 

Currently reading:

Still reading:

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Stacy Barnett Mozer is a teacher and a middle grade author. If you like what she's been reading follow her on Goodreads. Please leave a comment below. 

It's Monday, what are you reading?

#IMWAYR September 18, 2017

Each week I join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers to share all of the reading I've done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. 

Here's what I read this week:

Middle Grade

I am thankful to one of my students for suggesting I move this book to the top of my reading pile. Like The Loser's Club by Andrew Clements, this book is a tribute to those of us who love books and libraries. In this town, the kids have never experienced a library because it had closed the year before they were born. Mr. Lemoncello, the famous game maker, has created them a new one and twelve kids have been invited to stay in the library overnight to celebrate it's grand opening. What they don't know is that the library itself is a giant game designed to encourage a love of books. If I were locked in this library, I don't think I would want to try to escape.

Florian Bates and his best friend Margaret are back for another mystery adventure using the power of TOAST, the theory of small things. This book was just as exciting as Framed. I can't wait until the next one. Florian is an Encyclopedia Brown for this generation.

In this dystopian high fantasy, the people of Quill are separated into Necessaries, Wanteds, and Unwantededs. The Necessaries are assigned the jobs that must get done and the Wanteds are trained to lead the town. But the Unwanteds are sentenced to death, or so the people of Quill believe. Really, they are hidden away in Artime, a magical secret place where creativity is admired. But what will happen when Artime stops being a secret? A fun story for lovers of fantasy.

Young Adult

After Syrah is almost killed in a snowboarding accident she is finding it hard to be the girl she used to be. Her best friend is acting differently and her famous parents are watching her every move, an easy thing to do when the paparazzi are always following her. As Syrah looks for a way to move forward, snowboarding again becomes her outlet, just not in the way she expects.

Currently reading:

_______________________________

Stacy Barnett Mozer is a teacher and a middle grade author. If you like what she's been reading follow her on Goodreads. Please leave a comment below. 

It's Monday, what are you reading?

#IMWAYR for September 11th

Each week I join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers to share all of the reading I've done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. 


Since today is 9/11, instead of sharing the books I read last week, I am reposting three books to share with kids about this day.  

Picture Book

14 Cows for America is a picture book that features a true story about a Kenyan tribe that gifted 14 cows to America in order to help in our time of need. There are some strong images so parents should read it first. You can see more about the true story of these cows by reading this CNN article.

Middle Grade

In nine, ten, we are introduced to a number of kids who are all at the airport at the same time. They notice each other, but do not meet. We follow these characters for the next two days, experiencing their lives and family relationships. Each one comes close to the tragedy, but does not experience the tragedy directly. They are all changed by the events and at the end of the book the kids are again at the same place at the same time, but this time instead of ignoring each other, they bring us a message of hope.

Young Adult

The Memory of Things is a love story. Told from two points of view (one in verse), it is about a boy and a girl who are forced to experience the aftermath of 9/11 together when the girl gets hurt and loses her memory as she escapes the city. Their two lives are drawn together in a deep and intense way as they bear witness to history. 

There are a number of other new books that have been written on this topic which I have personally read. For other suggestions, take a look at this article from the NY Times.

#IMWAYR September 4, 2017

Each week I join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers to share all of the reading I've done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. 

Here's what I read this week:

Middle Grade

Jinny knows the rules: 

"Nine on an island, orphans all,

Any more the sky may fall." 

But now that she's the elder and it's almost her turn to leave the island she's called home, she's willing to risk anything to stay. Orphan Island is a story about growing up, becoming independent, and facing your inner demons. 

In this future society, words have become the enemy. As Wordsmith apprentice, Letta is the only child in the colony who knows more words than the List, a group of 500 words that are still legal. When she learns that the society's leader Noa wants to destroy language all together, she realizes she needs to take action to save the people from the war on words.

_______________________________

Stacy Barnett Mozer is a teacher and a middle grade author. If you like what she's been reading follow her on Goodreads. Please leave a comment below. 

It's Monday, what are you reading?