It's Monday, What Are You Reading? - Aug. 6

I visited our local independent children's bookstore, Cover to Cover, on Friday, and had the chance to browse all their new purchases.  There were a ton of nonfiction books available; it makes me happy to see so much good nonfiction being done right now (but that's a post for a later time).  However, I did walk away with 10 great NF books; one has already made my list below.  Here is what I read in the past two weeks:

MIDDLE GRADE CHAPTER BOOKS

 *****Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead - Because I think this book is incredibly special, I'm not going to say much about it here. Like When You Reach Me, things aren't always what they seem and I don't want to ruin that for anyone. I will share my favorite two sentences from the book, though:
"It means you're not alone. No matter what."
Powerful stuff! And I would love to talk to someone who has read the book, so please let me know!!

Horten's Incredible Illusions - I just read Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms this summer and really enjoyed it. This sequel did a good job tying up some loose ends for me. Once again magic is the centerpiece of the story, but the importance of knowing what you value and who your friends are is important as well. I'm glad it's coming out in September so that students who enjoyed the first book will be able to grab the second one right away.

Ungifted - Read this ARC recently, and the actual publish date can't come too soon!! (Sept. 2012) Gordon Korman is at his best in this book, as we follow the adventures of a huge trouble maker who is just an average guy, but accidentally ends up in a gifted school with kids he initially views as geeks. He is "hiding out" there as he tries to avoid the superintendent of schools after causing massive damage during one of his many pranks. Kids will love the different narrators of the story, and will love how an average guy can make all the difference in the world to a group of incredibly talented students. Must read! 

PICTURE BOOKS

Oh No!  Not Again! - written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Dan Santat - funny stuff!

Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors - For the past few years, I've had many Muslim children in my classroom, but no books that represented them within our library, I'm embarrassed to say. This is a lovely book that will serve as a great conversational starter about many different cultures.

Creepy Carrots - This book is due out in about a month - hysterical!! Kids will love it!  A fun picture book that allows for some inferring while having a blast enjoying the pictures.

Rocket Writes a Story -  If I taught primary grades, I would most definitely have this in my writing mentor tubs for kids who are stuck with what to write. Really enjoyed this.  Rocket is stuck with his story, but when given some wonderful words, is able to craft something meaningful to him.

ADULT READS

Fireproof by Alex Kava

Catch Me by Lisa Gardner (a favorite author of mine)

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.