It's Monday! What are You Reading?

Jen and Kellee at TeachMentorTexts.com host a weekly meme entitled "It's Monday! What are you Reading?"  This is a chance for people to share the books that they have been reading throughout the week, especially focused on kid lit and YA lit.

Books Finished this week:

The Glass Maker's Daughter by V. Briceland.  I thought this book was going to be historical fiction, but was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be a fantasy. I really liked the strong female protagonist and will look forward to more from this author. 

Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean by Les Standiford.  This is a non-fiction book about the building of the railroad that connected Miami and Key West.  This was a near-impossible feat and the construction was plagued with horrible luck with hurricanes.  This book was recommended to my mother and me while down in Key West for the Key West Literary Seminar.  We have gone there for a few years in a row now and always enjoy it.  That connection made this book interesting for me. There were some parts of the book that were rather dry...more because I do not usually read non-fiction, but I am glad I got through the book because it is a very interesting story.

 The CAFE Book: Engaging all Students in Daily Literary Assessment and Instruction by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser.  I am excited to think about how to adapt a system like this for my 8th grade classroom and the CCSS.  I definitely need a more organized approach and I love the two sisters' ideas for keeping track of things. 

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba.  I read this book on the site We Give Books.  I did not realize they had such quality there.  I will definitely go back and read more there as well as using these ebooks on my SMARTboard this year. 

Smile by Raina Telgemeier.  I enjoyed reading this book and was transported back to middle school by this story.  I know that my middle school students will be able to relate to Raina's story and I can't wait to bring this book to them. 

Jumping off Swings by Jo Knowles.  I am so glad that I am participating in Teachers Write.  I can't believe that I had not heard of this author before.  I love all of her books that I have read so far.  She has a great way of dealing with tough issues and I just know that my students will love these books. 

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore.  It finally came in at the library!  I devoured this thick book in two days.  I love the characters that Cashore creates.  I was so glad to see Katsa and Po again.  Bitterblue is every bit the strong female character that Katsa and Fire are. 


Books I'm Reading:

The Dark Frigate by Charles Boardman Hawes, Dragons in the Water by Madeleine L'Engle, and Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles by Harvey Daniels and Nancy Steineke

Books to read this week:

   I have a huge stack from the library so I will make my way through those titles.  Boy 21 and Pearl are at the top of that stack.  I also will pick up at least one more professional book this week and I want to read about writer's notebooks with a couple Ralph Fletcher titles. 

Happy Reading!