#IMWAYR June 11, 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. 

Middle Grade

After reading Where the Mountain Meets the Moon to my 3rd graders last month, I was very excited to finally have a chance to read the third book in the series. It was just as wonderful as the other two and I loved how many easter eggs were dropped connecting the first book to this one. I don't want to say too much about it because there are many parts of the story that need to be discovered along the way, but fans of this series will not be disappointed.

When Aru Shah lights a lamp in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, she thinks she is just showing off for some kids. Instead she discovers that lighting the lamp has set off the end of the world and she is one of the few people who can save it. An exciting adventure fans of Rick Riordian will love.

Young Adult

In a world where people have been cursed to be ugly and grey, only the Belles can bring beauty. Each season one Belle is chosen as the Queen's favorite. There is nothing Camellia  wants more. But a world where beauty has a price is much less than perfect and being the bringer of beauty is not as wonderful as Camellia has been taught to believe. A scary take on the quest for beauty.

_______________

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 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.

_______________

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 May 21, 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. 

Middle Grade

One of my favorites from childhood, and now a favorite again, The Westing Game is about sixteen heirs to a fortune who have to compete in a game of clues in order to win the money and find the murderer. Among the heirs, besides a possible murderer is a bookie, a bomber, a burglar, and a mistake. I was not supposed to finish this book this week because I am reading it with my 4th graders and forcing them to go slowly and look for clues. The only problem was I couldn't put it down. Kids who have loved The Candymakers by Wendy Mass and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein will love this book.

_______________

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?