It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/15

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? --From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.

I have two weeks worth of books to share today. I am hoping to get back on track with posting every Monday over the summer. 

Books I Finished This Week:

Shadows by Ilsa Bick is the second book in her Ashes series. It is a disturbing post-apocalyptic book about a world in which an electromagnetic pulse stopped the world and killed many people. The pulse also somehow caused all kids to turn into cannibalistic creatures. The books are quite graphic, but full of thought-provoking ideas. Ilsa Bick has a background in psychology and it really shines through in her books. Recommended for high school and up.

The Black Tower by Betsy Byars is a mystery in the Herculeah Jones series. It was a fun middle grade read. I will definitely be looking for more from this series soon. I think it could give some students the love of mysteries. I recommend it for grades 3 and up.

I love, love, love Kate Messner. I think this time-traveling dog is so fun. It would be a great book for middle grades to learn some more about history. The adventure on the Oregon Trail is a great story for the first one in the series. I am looking forward to more from Ranger.

The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale is really a fun book! I love the strong female character and I know that girls will love her too. I would recommend this for grades 2 and up.

Circling the Sun by Paula McLain (the author of The Paris Wife) will be out this summer. I got this book from NetGalley and really enjoyed it. This is a captivating story, rich with descriptions of a beautiful and wild African countryside. I was riveted to the story and could not believe the twists and turns that Beryl's life took. It is always great to read about a strong female character. It is even better that this remarkable woman was a real person who lived such an incredible life. I loved the way Paula McLain brought Beryl's experience to life.

I devoured this lovely book in one sitting, with tears streaming down my face almost the whole time. How to Speak Dolphin by Ginny Rorby weaves the stories together of a dolphin in need and a young autistic boy. In the book the narrator Lily is trying to keep moving forward and to help her step-father to care for her brother. There are many sweet moments of grief that Lily has from her mother's death. The book is full of emotions and brings up many issues that I think kids would be able to connect with. I definitely will consider this book for a read aloud this coming school year (if I think I can get through it without crying through the whole thing).

I learned so much about The Great Wall of China and China's history in this book. After reading this one, I went back to my classroom to grab all the titles I have in this series. It is a great reading level for middle grades and I am excited to learn more about all the topics. I highly recommend this one for grades 3 and up.

Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead is going to be coming out in August. I got this one from NetGalley. It is another great book from this author! I really enjoyed the book and will definitely be ordering a copy for my class library. I recommend this one for grades 4 and up.



What's Next?

I will be rereading Teach Like a Pirate.  I am very pumped up after hearing Dave Burgess speak today at Summer Spark. I also just got a bunch of titles from NetGalley, so I will be reading my way through those. I am trying to improve my percentage for giving feedback there.

What are you reading? I would love to hear from you in the comments!