It's Monday, What Are You Reading? -- 6/25/12

 I'm so glad to be back this Monday, posting for It's Monday, What Are You Reading?  In the last two weeks, I've read a wide variety of books, and have enjoyed them all.

My first goal was to read some new graphic novels:

• Giants Beware by Rafael Rosado and Jorge Aguirre -- very fun book whose main character is a very tomboyish-looking girl named Claudette.  She and her friends are going to save their town by defeating the horrible giant that lives nearby.  And while Claudette and her friends are quite amusing, it is even more fun to see how ridiculous Rosado and Aguirre made the adults.  I think children will love how the authors poke fun at the adults' ineptness.
• Squish, The Power of the Parasite -- this is the third book in the series done by Jennifer and Matt Holm.  Squish is such an enjoyable character, and who wouldn't enjoy the adventures of an amoeba vs. a parasite?!!
• Knights of the Lunch Table: The Dragon Players by Frank Cammuso -- I loved the first book in this series, and the second doesn't disappoint.  It is fun how Cammuso has the connections to the original "Knights of the Round Table" - our main character is Arthur, there is a teacher who gives both sound and calm advice named Mr. Merlyn, and the school is named Camelot Middle School.   Very fun stuff!

I also wanted to read some adult books (I had just brought home a large stack from the library):

• Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell - I used to love the Kay Scarpetta series, but hadn't read one for quite a while.  Kay Scarpetta had the CSI thing going on way before the television show of the same name.
• Breaking the Rules by Suzanne Brockmann - fun spy stuff
• High Noon by Nora Roberts - a hugely fun and guilty pleasure!!

Then, at one session at All Write this past week, two pictures books were passed around that I thoroughly enjoyed:

• Last Laughs by Jane Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen - a funny poetry book with a different look at death
• Go, Go Grapes by April Pulley Sayre - a wonderful picture book by an author who has many more very similar to this.  She was a presenter at All Write which made it a perfect book to be sharing!

I had an opportunity to also read the ARC of the first book in a new series, The Templeton Twins Have an Idea.  This is the first book of what will be a fun series for kids. Cryptograms, danger, a very active and very sarcastic narrator, two lively twins, their father who is both an inventor and a professor - all this makes for lots of fun for kids. A good silly book.

TBR pile includes 3 great professional books as well!

Finally, I'm excited about what's in my TBR pile as well.  In addition to what's in the picture, I also was listening in to some authors recommending books to one another for the summer last week on Twitter, so after reading their suggestions, two more titles I'll be looking at are Plantation by Dorothea Benton Frank and This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper (one of my book club's next choice of book).  This promises to be another great reading week!

Please join Kellee and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts, who are the cohosts of this wonderful Monday event!  I love finding out what others are reading, and start planning my next week's reading using some of the participants ideas.