It's Monday! What are you reading?

I was going through one of the (many) piles of books by my couch and came across an advance reader's copy (ARC) of a new book by Jon Scieszka!  (His last name rhymes with Fresca.) 

Astronuts Mission Two:  The Water Planet is the second book in the Astronuts series written by Scieszka and illustrated by Steven Weinberg.  The Astronuts are mutant animals--AlphaWolf, SmartHawk, StinkBug, and LaserShark--who are on a mission to find a new home for humans due to the ecological problems we are now facing.  The "Goldilocks Planet" must be just right for human habitation and without intelligent life.  In this second book, the Astronuts land on a planet covered in water, ruled by President P.T. Clam and an all-clam government.  The clams are eager to swap their world for Earth, and aren't above throwing a few bribes at AlphaWolf to seal the deal.  But is this bargain too good to be true?  Good thing the rest of the team has its doubts!

Most of the pages of the ARC were in black and white, but the cover promised the final copy would be in full color.  The few color pages were much more readable and fun!  

I would classify this book as a frameless graphic novel.  The Water Planet has lots of dialogue, some narration, and font changes to help you keep up with who's saying what.  There is a heavy dose of environmentalism and a not-so-subtle slam against get-rich politics--but do not fear, the citizens wage their protests in earnest.  There are a lot of parallels to current events!

Astronuts Mission Two:  The Water Planet is a fun stand-alone book, but could also be used to spark conversations on environmental issues and politics.  The humor involves close attention to detail and some background knowledge to get the puns, making this a story that can be enjoyed by a wide age range--I'd say older second grade on up through middle school.  

Only a few days left of summer break for RRISD librarians--I'm trying to spend a bit more time on the couch, making my way through the piles of books.  What's on your reading list during these last weeks of summer vacation?

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Hello, Armadillo Readers!  It's been HOT outside this past week!  I hope you've been able to cool off with a good book indoors.

I've been reading an advance copy of The Kids Under the Stairs:  BenBee and the Teacher Griefer by K.A. Holt, who just happens to be a local author!

If you're a Harry Potter fan, you might be thinking the kids in the title are in a closet...but they're not. Ben Bellows (Ben B.), Benita (Ben Y), Javier, and Jordan J are attending summer school in the space under the stairs in the school hallway after failing the sixth grade language arts part of the FART. It's really the FRAAT--Florida Rigorous Academic Assessment Test, but everyone calls it the FART, including Ms Jackson, their teacher.

You are divergent thinkers, Ms Jackson tells them.  All four hate reading for different reasons.  Ben B. has trouble making sense out of words; it feels like it takes forever to finish even a page, so he's never finished a book.  Ben Y has a hard time reading, too.  Javier refuses to read out loud and spends his time in class drawing comics instead.  Jordan J is the class clown, and has a hard time paying attention.

The one thing they are all good at is Sandbox, a video game in which you build worlds and avoid ghosts.  When they play Sandbox, they feel smart and accomplished--the exact opposite of how they feel in school.  Ms Jackson decides to use Sandbox as an incentive for completing work each day--but is that allowed in school?  Will Ms Jackson and the students get in trouble for playing video games?  After all, that kind of "smart" isn't measured by the FART.

If you like Minecraft, if you think school is hard, if you want to know what kids who have trouble learning might be thinking, then you'll like BenBee and the Teacher Griefer.  The story is told in the students' voices, each chapter written as they think:  Ben B's and Ben Y's free verse, Javier's comics, Jordan J's stream-of-consciousness prose.  BenBee is recommended for third grade on up.

It's Monday, and I'm reading a "windows and mirrors" book--a window into the thinking of students who have difficulty learning, and a mirror because I've taught students like Ben B, Ben Y, Javier, and Jordan J.  How have books been windows or mirrors for you?    

It's Monday! What are you reading?

I wish I could say that I am a couch potato these days, getting lost in book after book.  But I am one of those people who's having a harder time reading, even though I don't feel anxious on the surface.

But I persevere, barely keeping up with the How to Be An Anti-Racist book study I joined, and following up on book recommendations here and there to see if something new will spark a reading binge.

Two new books I picked up this week:

I've had this book on my to-purchase list for awhile; when a fellow Tuesday Slice blogger used it as her inspiration for a post, I knew I had to get a copy for myself--and I'll be purchasing one for my school library this fall.  

Irene Latham and Charles Waters also wrote Can I Touch Your Hair?, a well-received poetry book on race and friendship; this is their second collaboration.  Dictionary for a Better World is part poetry book, part writing manual, part social-emotional curriculum.  The A to Z component consists of feelings and self-care topics such as ally, empathy, nature, and wonder.  Every poem is written in a different form, explained at the bottom of the page--many of which were new to me!  There is a quote accompanying each entry.  The authors add their own thoughts and explanations for each poem, and then challenge us to action with a "tip".

As if the entries weren't enough, Latham and Waters included a list of works they referenced, as well as an extensive list of recommended books and poetry resources.  There is even a gratitude list at the end (the first item-"The 8-1-1 section of the library"--is my favorite).  I can see Dictionary for a Better World becoming a favorite resource on many teachers' desks this coming school year, at all levels.

My just-for-fun reading this week is A Phoenix First Must Burn: Sixteen Stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Hope, edited by Patrice Caldwell.  

Science fiction and fantasy are my go-to genres, and this book of short stories fits the bill nicely--especially with my shortened attention span.  I'm only one story in, and thoroughly enjoyed the focus on the female protagonists, the blurring lines of finding humanity in our enemy, and the time-traveling twist at the end.  I'm looking forward to the next fifteen stories, even if I can only manage one a day!  This book is for young adults on up.

It's Monday, and I've escaped into poetry and sci-fi this week.  What are your go-to genres when you want to get lost in a book?