Good Words Mean Good Reads!

COME VISIT TEACH.MENTOR.TEXTS, WITH JEN AND KELLEE WHO ARE HOSTS OF THIS KIDLIT MEME, FROM PRIMARY TO YA.  CHECK OUT THE LINKS TO SEE WHAT SO MANY ARE READING!

        It's Monday! What are you Reading? is another meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys, a variety of reviews to find even more books for your TBR list. 

          For all the #TeachersWrite Summer Camp writers!  If there's a book you really want to read but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.  ~Toni Morrison

Ivy + Bean, #1 by Annie Burrows

I heard someone mention this series and as I'm trying to learn more about books that appeal to the primary kids, heard that this series was one of the popular ones, found it on audio at the library. It's the story of two delightful young girls, adventuring into all kinds of silliness, like making spells, one of which seems to work well on Bean's older sister Nancy. At the beginning of the book, Bean resisted making friends with her new across-the-street neighbor, but ends up learning that Ivy adds much to Bean's ideas to have fun. I'm sure I'll check out a few more.

Ramona Quimby, Age 8, by Beverly Cleary

This is another book I listened to this week.  I don’t believe I’ve read the Ramona books since my children were little.  This was delightful, not even the first one, but Clearly immediately shows Ramona to be this wonderfully complex character who is not all good girl or mischievous, wonderful daughter or a whiny one, always willing to compromise or often wanting her own way.  In other words, she is a complex, quite likeable character who is beginning to know herself well, who makes good choices most of the time, but at least shows some struggles when it’s more difficult to make the good choice.  The book also shows the love between the family members, parents who stick to their rules in the face of grumpiness, and an older sister who is the more typical vulnerable adolescent, and a friend or two who appear briefly.  It was just plain fun!

The Letter Q, queer writer’s notes to their younger selves, edited by Sarah Moon

I’ll review this book more fully later in the week.  It’s good, with letters and/or messages from a variety of writers who are in our world right now.  I know there are older students out there right now who would devour this book as very needed personal advice and support from their own future selves.  The letters talk of a range of emotions as well as life values, like being true to oneself, choosing friends well, counting on parents.  One part that has stuck with me from one of the letters, and that I’ve spoken to others about too, is the thought that homosexuality is only one part of what makes a human being.  There are so many other parts that can be good or bad, likeable or not.  It’s definitely for high schoolers, & with your judgment, mature 8^th grade.

NEXT:

That’s it for this week.  I didn’t have a lot of time to read many books, but did find some good picture books recently at my favorite used bookstore for next time, and already have quite a TBR pile.  I think next will be Hound Dog True by Linda Urban, and I am in the midst of reading Penny Kittle’s Write Beside Them.