Monday, March 17, 2014

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? March 17, 2014

It's Monday! What are you Reading? From Picture Books to YA edition, is a meme created by Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee from Unleashing Readers.  Every Monday book lovers share their own #IMWAYR posts.  So here I are the books I've read, listened to and loved this week.

I finally finished up report cards this week, so I spent the weekend catching up on my reading.  There were lots of good finds that I can't wait to share.


Loved Books of the Past Week
These are the books I loved from last weeks pile and will be placing 
on the desks of children and colleagues alike this week.

Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3)
by Marissa Meyer
I only just discovered The Lunar Chronicles Series a few months ago, so I was delighted to discover book three had just coming out.  I have loved the first two books, but Cress was by far my favourite.  Marissa Meyer has a gift for introducing new characters into each book without losing any momentum in the established characters' story lines.  The series, based loosely on familiar fairy tales, strays far enough away from them to keep you guessing about what will happen next.  There is some romance, but nothing more than the occasional kiss between action scenes.  My only complaint is that now I have to wait a whole year for book 4 aptly named Winter.


Francis, the Little Fox
written by
My Canadian book of the week, Francis, the Little Fox tells the story of adventure at the laundromat.  Francis and his father go every Saturday to wash their clothes.  Kids will enjoy the familiar routines the father and son have such as going for ice cream and and playing games while waiting for the spin cycle.  Francis has a run in with Lily, who likes to play tricks on people, and has to help find the laundromat owner's cat when it gets frightened by her latest trick.  The illustrations are simple with muted colours, and bring added humour to the story.  In the end, when Francis and his dad return home, we find out what Lily's final trick of the day is.  I promise its something the kids will get a kick out of.  A great book for kids in grade 1- 3, but it may be a big long for anyone younger than that.


Fraidyzoo
by Thyra Heder


When You Reach Me
By Rebecca Stead
Over the past few months I have seen several people talking on twitter about this 2010 Newberry winner.  I happened to find a copy on CD at my local library and put it in this week to see what all the fuss was about.  For the first quarter of the book I wasn't sure if I liked it or not.  I wasn't a fan of Miranda's mother, or Sal her former best friends, or even of the main character Miranda.  But Rebecca Stead's words seemed to draw me in as it talked of a book about time travel, and a strange homeless man that sits on Miranda's corner every day.  Stead slowly unwraps each mystery and reveals its connection to the story.  If you give it a chance, When You Reach Me will draw you in.  There are several layers of story happening at the same time, and I know that I would discover new pieces of the puzzle if I re-read it.



What I'm Listening to on My Commute
I have a 20-30 minute car ride to work and often pass the time with a good book.

hush, hush (Book 1)
by Becca Fitzpatrick
This is an older series, which I just started yesterday.  I am not sure how I feel about it yet, the first few chapters have a very "Twilight" feel to them.

What's on My Bedside Table This Week:
These are the books I'm looking forward to reading this week.

Please Bring Balloons
by Lindsay Ward


There are No Animals in this Book (Only Feelings)


Ten Birds Meet a Monster

 Well that's it for this week!
Let me know if you've read any of my #IMWAYR books from this week or having any suggestions of what I should read next.  Have a great week and happy reading!

10 comments:

  1. Cinder hasn't been as popular with my students as I had hoped, so I'm dragging my feet on buying the other books in the series. Maybe next year.

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    1. I can understand that. I wonder what it is that is making them reluctant to pick it up. Or is it that they don't enjoy it when they start reading it.

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  2. Fraidy Zoo looks like such a cute book. I'm going to have to look for it. I haven't read When You Reach Me either. I really enjoyed Liar and Spy, so I might have to get this one. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Stacey,
      Liar and Spy is sitting on my shelf waiting for me to read. Thanks for reminding me about it.

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  3. Hmm, love When You Reach Me... hope to get my hands on Fraidy Zoo, looking forward to reading. Hope you have a great reading week!

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    1. I hope you enjoy Fraidy Zoo as much as I did.

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  4. Love, love, love Lunar Chronicles. The wait for Winter is going to be tough. I listened to all of the Hush, Hush books. They aren't the greatest and definitely have a Twilight vibe, but for some reason I got sucked into them. I have a 10 minute commute and always have a book on cd with me. I love listening and can recommend tons of great books on audio for you. Have a great week! ~Megan
    http://wp.me/pzUn5-1Vr

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    1. I feel like I am getting sucked into Hush, Hush, even though its cheesy. I'd love to hear other recommendations Megan

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  5. Hi there Ms Nairn, I haven't read any of the Lunar Chronicles yet, so thank you for sharing your thoughts about the series. My adult book club read When You Reach Me several months back. Like you, it was a slow start for me, and I ended up not really loving the book as much as I thought I would. I just felt that there was too much foreshadowing that when the ending finally came, it was pretty anticlimactic and bleh for me, plus the fact that I predicted the twist in the end somewhere near the middle. Perhaps if I re-read the novel, I would think differently about it. Fraidy Zoo looks very nice too. :)

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    1. Hi Myra,
      I felt similarly about the plot, but the characters started to grow on me. I hope you enjoy Fraidy Zoo.

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