We had a fun family vacation week, so there was not a whole lot of reading this week. Here are a few favorites:
Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great by Bob Shea is a 2013 title that I will be adding to my beginning of the year list. Goat thought he was pretty great, but he's no match for Unicorn's ability to make it rain cupcakes or other mystical, magical things like that. This book is a fun read because of Goat's voice, and it teaches a great lesson about valuing our own unique talents.
Wild About Books by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Marc Brown is a title that was recommended several times on Twitter to use at the beginning of the year. I picked this one up from the library, but I really think I need to own a copy. I think my kids will really enjoy this story about the Zoobrary! I always use A Sick Day for Amos McGee when we talk about routines, and I think this one will go nicely with that and Pssst! in my beginning of the year zoo collection.
Anne Ursu's new title, The Real Boy, has been getting huge buzz on Twitter. Unfortunately, it still won't be released for another month and a half, but I hadn't read Breadcrumbs yet either. I really enjoyed this modern fairy tale. It was so beautifully written and wove together seamlessly the realities of a middle grade realistic fiction with the fantasy elements of a fairy tale. I would highly recommend this one, if you haven't read it yet (especially if you're as impatient as I am for The Real Boy!).
This is the fourth John Green title that I've read, and what strikes me is just how smart he is. I already had a sense of this from following him on Twitter and watching his Mental Floss videos, but wow. I think An Abundance of Katherines is the nerdiest of John Green's books (you can probably tell from the cover), which is maybe one of the reasons I really liked it. It's full of trivia, facts, and math. Like his other books, there were great characters and a great storyline. I listened to Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Looking for Alaska on audio, and I read this one and The Fault in Our Stars on paper. I think I want to go back and listen to the audio for the two that I read, just because the audio was so well done on the others.
I am currently reading Teaching Reading in Small Groups (still...this is not a vacation title, so it stayed home this week). I'm also hoping to start The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp. What are you reading this week?
I read Unicorn Thinks He's So Great recently. So cute. Last week I picked up The Day the Crayons Quit. As a Teen Librarian I don't read too many picture books, but some are impossible to resist. An Abundance of Katherines is my favorite John Green. I have recently discovered A.S. King and love to recommend her to fans of J.G. Have a great week! http://wp.me/pzUn5-1Ck
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommendation. I'll check her out!
DeleteI loved Unicorn! I definitely recommend Fault on audio. I read it first, but I've actually listened to it twice on audio because it's narrated so well. Will Grayson is an annual audio listen for me--how I love Tiny Cooper!
ReplyDeleteI love Tiny Cooper too! I'll definitely return to that one again. I wanted TFIOS on audio too, but our library doesn't have it. Thanks for reading!
DeleteI agree that An Abundance of Katherines is definitely Green's nerdiest book. I loved all of the math! My students tend to be very hot and cold about it, and as a nerdy math geek, I enjoyed it immensely. I am glad to see you loved it too!
ReplyDeleteI could see students having that reaction, but as a nerdy math geek myself, I did appreciate it. Thanks for reading!
DeleteThe Unicorn book looks like a lot of fun. I hadn't heard of the Sugar Man Swamp book. I will have to check it out. Thanks!
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