It's Monday! What are you reading?

It was time to pull another kidlit book from my to-read pile, and my hands landed on an ARC (advance readers copy) sent to me from Penguin/Random House earlier this year:

What Lane? by Torrey Maldonado has already received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal.  Sixth-grade, mixed-race Stephen is trying to navigate the "lanes" he sees around him--the Black kids' lane, the White kids' lane; the don't say anything lane, the speak-up-speak-out lane; the fight-back lane, the talk-it-out lane.  The world is treating him differently now that he's growing up, and he's not liking a lot of what he sees.  But how do you handle it when you don't know which lane you fit in, which actions you should take?

This book covers a LOT of ground in 144 pages--the ever-present adolescent need to fit in, White privilege, the "talk", generational racism, White and Black allies, the ease of interracial relationships that is possible with shared interests, peaceful versus violent confrontation.  What Lane?  dovetailed nicely with the latest chapter I read of Kendi's How to Be An Antiracist, about color and the artificial hierarchy based on the lightness (or darkness, for Whites) of one's skin, even within racial groups.  In the end, Stephen decides his own lane is best--which aligns with Kendi's anti-stereotyping message.

It's Monday, and I'm recommending What Lane? as a great sliding glass door/ mirror book.  Its short chapters and overall shorter length make it an excellent read-aloud choice for middle grade educators and students, sure to start some interesting and enlightening conversations.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

I have been reading more "adult" books this week than kidlit.  I FINALLY got around to finishing The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.  Yes, I know I'm late to this party; I bought the book back in April 2018, read the first two chapters...then I'm sure the end-of-year school chaos ensued.  I'm so glad I picked it up and finished it; the story brought a much-needed smile to my face, as did the ending to Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen by Niki Lenz, just like I predicted last week.

I am currently still making my way through Ibram X. Kendi's How to Be An Antiracist for our district book study, and finishing up Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling. 

What's up next?  My annual re-read of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea.  It will be interesting to see what connections I make this year, given the text on racism, socioeconomics, and disability I've been reading.

It's Monday, and I'm visiting old and new books this week!  What's on your reading pile?  Are you visiting any old favorites?  

It's Monday! What are you reading?

As usual, I've got more than one book going on at a time!  I'm still reading Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus--and I'm really enjoying it--but I had to set it aside for a moment to read a Bluebonnet Award Nominee, Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen by Niki Lenz.

Fifth-grader Bernice is one of those kids a teacher can't help but feel sorry for--the kind always getting in trouble as armor against expected insults, with big budget dreams but living with a low budget family.  You'd think the hardest blow would come from her mother taking Bernice's fraudulently-earned money, but then Mom and her boyfriend decide to move to California, leaving the older brothers to fend for themselves and Bernice in the care of an aunt...who just happens to be a nun, living miles away in a small town.  Can Bernice change her ways and fit in to her new surroundings, as her hometown librarian suggests?

I love that the public librarian is Bernice's email-pal in this book, and that we get to hear the story through Bernice's perspective.  I'm a little more than halfway through, and have a sneaking suspicion that I'll be smiling at the end.

My educational reading during the next few weeks is How to Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi.  This is a book for young adults on up.  I'm participating in a book study offered by my school district, and hope to learn more about my behaviors and thoughts regarding racism and learn ways to promote equity in my school and library.

On a side note:  this is the last "It's Monday, What Are You Reading?" post that I'll be tweeting out on Sommer Library's Twitter account.  Since I'll be rejoining the staff of Anderson Mill Elementary School in the fall (as their librarian this time!), I will be posting this blog on that account starting at the end of July.  I will continue sharing it on my personal Twitter account as well-- @cmargocs.

Thanks to all who read this blog and are following me on my journey as a librarian in Round Rock ISD!  It's Monday--what are you reading this week to learn something new, and to bring a smile to your face?

It's Monday! What are you reading?

I'm going to confess right here:  I'm not much of a nonfiction history reader.  I'll read a biography or historical fiction now and then, but that's about as close as I get.  

I made an exception last night.  I'm still processing books for the library, and this one came up in the pile.  

They say timing is everything, right?  How could I not read about the event to which our current coronavirus pandemic keeps getting compared?

The description of the "Spanish influenza" scourge eerily matched the details of COVID19.  Transmission from animal to human, acquired by exposure to respiratory secretions, spread through travel by infected persons.  In 1917-1918, those persons were primarily soldiers, living in tight quarters and deployed to fight World War I.  They carried the virus from the U.S. to Europe, where it mutated and returned for a second, more deadly wave.  The symptoms seem to match up with COVID19, too.

If you have a middle grade-on-up reader who is curious about our current pandemic and how we've come to manage such outbreaks, this 48 page book can lend a historical perspective.  Nonfiction text features such as primary source material, photographs, web links, glossary, index, and bibliography make it a great teaching tool for beginning researchers.

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The other books I'm reading this week:  Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling (liking it so far, recommend for fourth grade on up) and White Fragility:  Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo (a book for adults).

        

A reminder for our Round Rock ISD students:  don't forget to check out our district summer reading website for more reading resources and our Beach Blanket Bingo reading challenge!

It's Monday, and ABDO Publishers' The Flu Pandemic of 1918 captured my attention!  Are you reading any books related to current events?