Thursday, April 5, 2018

Must Read in 2018 - April Update

Image result for must read in 2018 carrie gelson


I can hardly believe that it is already April! As we stop to check in our our #mustread lists, I am excited to say that I am about 75 percent through the books that I chose. I have stuck closely to my list, which has helped my progress. Most years I start digging into the Illinois Bluestem List about now, but when this year's list was announced I realized that I had already read all but four of the titles, so that hasn't pulled me away too much this time. One of my goals was to do more writing about my reading, and while I have jotted down a few notes here and there, I have not been very successful in this area. This remains on my To-Do list!

For the first time, I posted my Must Read in 2018 List on our circulation desk. It has been so much fun talking to students and teachers about the books I have been reading from it. I often share pictures of books I read, but for some reason several kids have taken more of an interest in the fact that I have a goal and that I am marking the books off. I have been highlighting each book as I read it, recording the month read, and sharing my rating (out of five stars) for each book. I also noted if a title was a Young Adult book, just so our students would know that our school library wouldn't be purchasing it. It has sparked great conversations and recommendations. 


It is rare that I like the second book in any series as much as the first, but I enjoyed The Wild Robot Escapes, Knock Out, and Bat and the Waiting Game as much as the earlier books. I read Breakout as an e-book from NetGalley, and I absolutely cannot wait for the actual book to be available to share with students. Amal Unbound, Halfway Normal, and Hope in the Holler were other standout books to me.

I look forward to reading these remaining books, and I am also eager to see posts from other readers. I think I will be adding some to my list, and it will be fun to get ideas from everyone else. I would honestly recommend every book I have read so far. Happy 2018 reading!

5 comments:

  1. What a great idea to post your list for students and teachers to see. You have lots of books on your list that I have read and loved! Bat, Bob, Granted, and Just Like Jackie are a few of my favorite recent reads.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LOVE how you are sharing this list on your circulation desk! What a fun idea. I completely agree with you in terms of amazing sequels with The Wild Robot Escapes and Knock Out! Wonderful surprises.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am hoping to get to many of these this year too. How interesting that kids are more interested in your list when they can see the whole challenge and also see you marking off titles.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am impressed by your progress! I love this idea of the poster that students can see. If I were still in the library, I would borrow it from you.
    We have some of the same books on our lists. It's not on my list, but I have The Wild Robot Escapes in a pile here.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I also love your idea of placing your list on the circulation desk. I have been placing mine in a public space for a while, but yours is in a better place to promote conversation. I also totally agree with your comments on Knockout. I am still reading The Wild Robot Escapes and I am not sure if it has me like the first one did. Thunderhead was a sequel I had that did get me almost as much as Scythe.

    ReplyDelete