It's Monday!! What Are You Reading??

This meme was started by Sheila at Book Journey. The kid's version was started by Jen at Teach Mentor Text and Kellee at Unleashing Readers.

It is my last day of Spring Break. While I am sad that it is over, I'm excited to start this last part of the year. Even though I have been doing other things around the house during Spring Break, I've also been reading!

I've got three chapter books and four picture books that I've been reading. I'll start with the chapter books. All of these chapter books I have been eagerly waiting to read. The first book is Like Carrot Juice on a Cupcake by Julie Sternberg and illustrations by Matthew Cordell. Click here for a summary on Goodreads. This is the third book about Eleanor. I have loved them from the start. This is a great book for those students who are ready for a little bit more in their chapter books, than Junie B. and Magic Treehouse.

The second chapter book is All The Answers by Kate Messner. Click here for a summary on Goodreads. Kate Messner has done it again; this book is awesome! Once I started it, I had to know how it ended. I think at one point or another in our lives we have all wished for something to provide us with answers. Ava, the main character, finds a magic pencil which provides her with answers. The question then becomes does she really want to know all the answers. I can't say enough good things about this book. As one of my Twitter friends pointed out page 61 is a page that members of the Nerdy Book Club will love!

The third chapter book that I read was The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein. Click here for a summary on Goodreads. Anyone who calls themselves a reader has always imaged characters coming to life and being able to interact with them. When Billy starts reading books in Dr. Libris' cabin, this seems to start happening. I enjoyed this book. I was interested to see how Chris Grabenstein would follow up after Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library. I love that he kept books and reading as an important part of the core of the story. Since I work in a school library, nothing can really top Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library, but this books is high in my list of good books. Though, as an adult, I wanted a little more from the ending. I know my students won't feel the same way. I can't wait to share the book with them.

Now onto the picture books. The first book is newest from Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin, Click, Clack, Peep! Click here for a summary on Goodreads. I have always enjoyed these books from this duo that take place on the farm. Though I haven't been overjoyed with the last few offerings, but this one brought a smile to my face. Everyone on the farm is watching an egg and waiting for it to hatch. All of Doreen Cronin's book are so popular in my library I know that this will be no exception. This is a great spring story.

The second picture book I read was Stick and Stone by Beth Ferry and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. Click here for a summary on Goodreads. This is a good book about friendship and can help lead a discussion in the primary grades about bullying. It is a book with very simple text and the illustrations compliment the text so well. I hadn't heard about this book. I picked it up at my mentee's book fair because the cover really spoke to me. I will be sharing it with my teachers at the end of month when my book fair happens.


The next two picture books, I received from Penguin Young Readers. The first is Look by Jeff Mack. Click here for a summary on Goodreads. Wow, this is a very powerful book with only two words. This book has an important message, even though there is very little text. I am a huge Jeff Mack fan and this book didn't disappoint. I feel that too many of our kids our spending way too much time in front of some type of screen. Unfortunately many of them are not reading books, which is sad. I would hope that some parents can take a lesson from the book and put down their devices and interact with their kids. This book will be published tomorrow.

The second book from Penguin Young Readers is By Mouse & Frog by Deborah Freedman. Click here for a summary on Goodreads. Loved, loved, loved this book! I really liked the story within a story. It made for a great way for students to see how to use their imagination when writing a story. Sometimes if you are writing a story, in my opinion, the more outrageous the better. One of my favorite parts of the whole book takes place at the end of the book. Frog asks "Who is Deborah Freedman?" and Mouse responds "I have no idea." This conversation is happening as Mouse is adding himself and Frog as authors under the copyright date. I love when an author can make little fun of himself/herself. This book is due to be published on April 14th.

I'm gearing up for the last part of the year. I'm still in shock that we are already in April! I don't really know where January, February and March went. It seems like they were gone in the blink of an eye. I hope the rest of the year slows down a bit, so I can get my projects completed.

Happy Reading!!

Stacey (@libraryjo92)