#IMWAYR May 28, 2018

Each week I try to join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee 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 enjoyed three middle grade books. I also read a book to honor Memorial Day.

Picture Book

This is a beautiful story of a boy and a father's visit to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington, DC.

Middle Grade

I have heard nothing but praise about this book so I was so glad to finally get my hands on a copy. Bob is the story of a girl named Livy and a creature named Bob. Livy had befriended Bob when she was five and living in Australia. She had made him a chicken suit, taught him chess, and hid him in her closet. But when Livy and her mother left Australia, she had completely forgotten about him until the day she opened the closet and there he was, still waiting. Livy is determined to finish what she started at the age of five, figuring out where Bob came from and how to send him home. A delightful story told in two voices. I hope they will write the prequel because I would love a book about Livy and Bob at age five.

In this book, also told in alternating points of view, two kids, separated by distance, come together to share their love of scrabble. Both are having difficulty navigating middle school and friendship but they can at least count on the friendly competition. I found Charlotte's story uplifting and hopeful. The bullying Ben experiences is real and raw. I would have liked it to be resolved a bit more by the end, but maybe, as in life, it had to be left as it was. I would love to know what happens next for both of them.

The Unicorn Rescue Society is about two kids, a strange teacher, and an unusual creature. It was a light, fun, read. I can't wait to get the next one.

 We lost the great Richard Peck this week. I heard him speak three times and each time his words, and his voice, were memorizable. The Best Man is the story of Archer Magill, a young boy looking to understand life by learning from adult role models and friends. It's a modern story, but has an old time feel. - Rest in peace Richard Peck. Like the characters in your books, you are a role model and a man who will never be forgotten.

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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?