#IMWAYR #30BookSummer July 30, 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. In addition to discussing books on Monday, I'll also be counting them! Check out #30booksummer on twitter to see what others are reading for this challenge.

Book # 13 Young Adult (Mature Audiences)

In this world some people are born "graced." From the time she was little, Kasta has believed she was born with a killing grace, which is put to use by her uncle the King. Kasta finds small ways to fight back against her fate to be her uncle's thug, but when she meets Po, a prince from a different land, he forces her to see everything she does differently, including her grace. Together Po and Kasta must face a bigger threat than her uncle, a king graced with the ability to make people believe his lies. Kasta is one of my favorite characters. This is my third read of this book and I enjoyed it again.

Book # 14 Middle Grade Fantasy

This is a very cute story about a dragon named Miss Drake and a human child named Winnie. When Winnie's aunt died she left her and her mother a house and a dragon. Armed with keys to the dragon's basement lair, Winnie finds Miss Drake morning her aunt and her pesky and curious nature forces Miss Drake out of her melancholy and back into the world. The story is told from Miss Drake's point of view.

Book # 15 Middle Grade Fantasy

I enjoyed A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans. I adored - loved - must get a copy of A Dragon's Guide to Making Your Human Smarter. Told from both Winnie and Miss Drake's points of view, Winnie starts school and makes friends and enemies under the watchful eye of Miss Drake. But that doesn't stop Winnie from getting into trouble. 

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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 #30BookSummer July 23, 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. In addition to discussing books on Monday, I'll also be counting them! Check out #30booksummer on twitter to see what others are reading for this challenge.

Book # 8 Picture Book

I adore this book about a grandfather and grandson finding common ground through art. No spoilers, but make sure to take the jacket off the book after you finish reading it. I can't wait to share this one with my students.

Book # 9 Middle Grade Fiction

When Amal has to stay home from school to help her mother with her new baby, she thinks it's the worst thing that could happen to her - until she accidentally insults the big man in town and is forced to become an indentured servant. Set in Pakistan, this story takes on issues of forced servitude and the rights of women. It's no wonder it is a Global Read Aloud book of 2018. 

Book # 10 Middle Grade Historical Fiction

I was thrilled to get an advanced reader copy of this book at the Scholastic #ReadingSummit last week because I've heard so much about it and love Jennifer A. Nielsen. It didn't disappoint. When Chaya's family is forced to move into a ghetto in Poland, she quickly decides she can't wait around to be killed or taken away like her younger brother and sister. Instead she joins the resistance, risking her life to help Jewish people in ghettos all over Poland. Based on true acts of resistance and heroism during the Nazi occupation. Resistance releases on August 28.

Book # 11 Middle Grade Fiction

This book has been on my TBR list for a long time. GiGi has a recipe for everything left to her in a cookbook from her mom. When she and her sister DiDi move to a new town and GiGi starts to make friends (and enemies) she starts to question what she knows about her mom, which leads her on a path of family and self-discovery. A wonderful coming of age novel.

Book # 12 Young Adult Fantasy/Science Fiction

I'm a big fan of dragons, so I was surprised to have missed this series. Trinity thinks her biggest problem is making sure her grandfather doesn't spend all their money, especially when he pays for a dragon's egg. Dragons are creatures of myth, or so Trinity thinks until she is visited by two twins from the future. One is there to kill her before she releases dragons into the world. The other to help dragons save it. But neither boy knows the truth about the past, Trinity, and what they've been told. They will both risk it all for the girl and her dragon.

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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 #30BookSummer July 16, 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. Believe it or not, today starts my first official day of summer so in addition to discussing books on Monday, I'll also be counting them! Check out #30booksummer on twitter to see what others are reading for this challenge.

Book # 6 Middle Grade Novel in Verse

I started this book when my daughter brought it home for a class assignment this year and forgot to go back to it after she snatched it away. Fortunately it has come up on a few blogs in the past two weeks so I was reminded to go back to it. House Arrest is the story of Timothy, a boy who is on house arrest for stealing a wallet. But what you find out within the first few entries of his court appointed journal, Timothy didn't steal money for fun or to buy himself something special. He needed the money for medicine for his baby brother. A beautiful novel in verse. 

Book # 7 Middle Grade Realistic Fiction

Tristan loves living in NYC so when his parents announce they bought a house in the middle of the woods near a tiny little town to "do something different," he is less than thrilled. Since he can't start school until January, Tristian's parents decide to have him choose an independent project. Inspired by the mystery behind a sign in the General Store window that reads, "Yes, we do have chocolate cream doughnuts," even though the store sells none, Tristian has no idea that choosing doughnuts as his project will teach him so much more than starting a business. He'll also learn about friendship, fitting in, and self-worth.  I really enjoyed this novel. I'm not a baker, but I may have to try to make one of the recipes that came from this book.  

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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 #30BookSummer July 9, 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. In addition to discussing books on Monday, I'll also be counting them! Check out #30booksummer on twitter to see what others are reading for this challenge.

Book # 4 Middle Grade Graphic Novel

Bina can't wait for her summer of fun after seventh grade to begin but when her best friend/next door neighbor Austin leaves for soccer camp and starts ignoring her, Bina thinks this may be one of her worst summers ever. Fortunately she has her guitar and her love of music to keep her going. I'm always looking for graphic novels to recommend to my students and this was one of my favorites. 

Book # 5 Young Adult Fantasy (Mature Audiences)

Tess of the Road takes place in the medieval kingdom of Goredd, introduced in the books Seraphina and Shadow Scale. Tess is the one of the human half sisters of Seraphina, a half dragon/half human, who is well loved in the kingdom. Unlike her half sister, no matter what Tess does, she is always in the wrong and when she falls from grace, her only hope is to find adventure chasing the legend of the world serpents.    

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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 #30booksummer July 2, 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. Believe it or not, today starts my first official day of summer so in addition to discussing books on Monday, I'll also be counting them! Check out #30booksummer on twitter to see what others are reading for this challenge.

Book # 1 Middle Grade Fantasy

13 has lived most of his life in The Home for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures among other Wonderlings (part man/part animal beings) who have no family to claim them. When he befriends a groundling bird named Trinket, he realizes that he needs to find out what life is like beyond the walls of The Home and to search for his family. But the world outside is a dangerous place for a one eared groundling. 13, now called Arthur by Trinket, must face prejudice and other challenges in order to find where he belongs. An exciting, somewhat dark, story about staying hopeful and recognizing the power of friendship.

Book # 2 Middle Grade Fantasy

Bryx is a Dairne, a doglike species who are known for their ability to recognize when someone is lying. When the rest of her pack is hunted and killed, and their extinction is "mourned" by man and the other species, Bryx realizes that she is now an Endling. And the men who wanted her tribe wiped off the planet, now want to capture her and use her for her ability to tell a truth from a lie. Aided by an unlikely band of adventures, Bryx must search for more of her kind while trying not to be captured or killed. An exciting adventure. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Book #3: Middle Grade Sports Novel in Verse

Charlie Bell feels like life will never be the same after the death of his father. He fights with his mother all the time and can't seem to care about anything except his two best friends, Slim and CJ. In a desperate attempt to help Charlie move forward, his mother sends him to live with his grandparents for the summer. There Charlie finds basketball and learns to appreciate what he still has. Fans of The Crossover will love this prequel. And if you haven't discovered Kwame Alexander's novel in verse books yet, what are you waiting for?

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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?