It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Thanks to Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers for hosting this meme each week!  Please be sure to visit these awesome blogs for lots of great reading suggestions!

After finishing a very looooong adult book yesterday, I picked up something that's been on my "to read" list for quite a while. I've read The One and Only Ivan a few times now, and love it dearly, so I've been meaning to read this one for some time.

Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate tells the story of Kek, a Sudanese refugee who arrives in Minnesota having lost his parents and brother. I'm only 30 pages in, but I'm already enamored with the way Kek's innate joy leaks out of him, despite the difficulties he's been through.

What are you reading this week?

This Week in the Library...

This week, we're reading books about troublemakers!

Third grade is reading Strega Nona by Tomie DePaola.

When Strega Nona leaves him alone with her pasta pot, Big Anthony is determined to show the townspeople how it works.

Here is one of my favorite re-tellings of Strega Nona:

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Fourth grade is reading The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka.

This book is a spoof on the three little pigs story, this time told from the wolf’s point of view.

Be sure to check out Jon Scieszka's awesome website for more information about this and his other books!

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Fifth grade will be listening to a book talk about Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko.

You can read my review of Al Capone from 2011 here.

Also, be sure to check out the author's website for more information about Al Capone, Alcatraz, autism, and more!

Introducing #IYL (If You Likes)

Each Friday, starting today, I'll be posting an "If You Like..." poster of book suggestions.  Typically, I take a book that students have read together in class, or another popular title, and make recommendations that are similar.

Our third graders read Freckle Juice at the beginning of this school year, so our first #IYL of the school year is "If You Like Freckle Juice!"  Enjoy!