It's Monday! What Are You Reading? January 20, 2014

It's Monday! What are you Reading? From Picture Books to YA edition, is a meme created by Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee from Unleashing Readers.  Every Monday book lovers share their own #IMWAYR posts.  So here I are the books I've read, listened to and loved this week.

Loved Books of the Past Week

These are the books I loved from last weeks pile and will be placing 
on the desks of children and colleagues alike this week.

How to Train a Train
By Jason Carter Eaton, illustrated by John Rocco

I love Eaton's style of writing for this book.  The style brought back memories of how-to slide shows from the 70's we used to watch in elementary school.  Rocco's illustrations are lush and detailed, with artfully placed windows and bolts that bring the trains to life.  My favourite page depicts trails in the "wild" as a boy watches from above waiting for the perfect moment to coax a train closer.  Elementary students k through 5 would enjoy this story and it is a great jumping off point for student's how-to writing.

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)

by Marissa Meyer 

 

This book was a departure from my usual genre preferences.  A sci-fi fairy tale, Cinder tells the life of a cyborg living in futuristic New Beijing.  Listening to the story on my commute, I often found myself spending a few extra minutes in my parked car, and caught myself yelling at the radio more than once.  The story is well thought out, and had enough departure from the original fairy tale to keep me wondering what might happen next.  I think I will be placing Scarlet, the second in the series, on my nightstand very soon.

That's a Possibility!: 

A Book About What Might Happen

by Bruce Goldstone

 My non-fiction selection for the week, I found Goldstone explained the ideas related probability in child friendly language.  He uses real-life examples and takes time to establish each concept before moving to the next.  While my students do not study probability until next year, I'd love to have this one in our library for them to explore.

What I'm Listening to on My Commute

I have a 20-30 minute car ride to work and often pass the time with a good book.

Hattie Big Sky

by Kirby Larson

This has been on my to-read list for over a year and I happened upon it at the library this week.  This historical novel continues my trend of listening to genres I wouldn't normally pick out for myself.  I am two discs in and enjoying it.

What's on My Bedside Table This Week:

This is the book or books on my to-read list for this week.

Counting by 7s

by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Truth be told I started reading this book a few weeks ago, but had to put it down to get caught up on a few things.  I am looking forward to re-uniting with the characters this week.

 Well that's it for this week!

Let me know if you've read any of my #IMWAYR books from this week or having any suggestions of what I should read next.  Have a great week and happy reading!