Thursday, December 28, 2017

Must Read in 2017 - List Completed!


In 2017, I created a list of 35 #mustread books, which I just completed with only a few days to go! I am definitely a list maker in most areas of life, and I enjoy having a reading list to guide me as I begin each new year. I tend to make great progress on this list early in the year, and then I slow down as new books pop up and the state award lists are released. This year was no exception, as I followed my typical reading pattern. My list is below:

                                                   

  • Audacity Jones to the Rescue by Kirby Larson (2/26/17)
  • Another Brooklyn by Jaqueline Woodson (2/20/17)
  • The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey (5/31/17)
  • Be Light Like a Bird by Monika Schroder (2/25/17)
  • A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold (4/6/17)
  • Compass South by Hope Larson (2/25/17)
  • Flying Lessons by Ellen Oh (3/1/17)
  • The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson (3/5/17)
  • Gone Camping by Tamera Will Wissinger (5/2/17)
  • The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (3/15/17)
  • Hero on a Bicycle by Shirley Hughes (2/5/17)
  • House Arrest by K. A. Holt (2/12/17)
  • Jumping the Scratch by Sarah Weeks (2/1/17)
  • Liberty by Kirby Larson (3/27/17)
  • Payback by Gordon Korman (3/12/17)
  • Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt (1/23/17)
  • Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke (11/10/17)
  • My Life with the Liars by Caela Carter (2/23/17)
  • The Nine Lives of Jacob Tibbs by Cylin Busby (12/27/17)
  • Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder (4/15/17)
  • Piper Green and the Fairy Tree by Ellen Potter (2/21/17)
  • The Playbook by Kwame Alexander (1/14/17)
  • Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz (1/28/17)
  • A Rambler Steals Home by Carter Higgins (5/21/17)
  • Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart (1/24/17)
  • Secret Coders by Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes (2/5/17)
  • Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan (2/10/17)
  • Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand (1/17/17)
  • The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau (2/17/17)
  • Under Their Skin by Margaret Peterson Haddix (5/27/17)
  • The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann (2/1/17)
  • The Warden's Daughter by Jerry Spinelli (2/11/17)
  • When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin (2/18/17)
  • The World From Up Here by Cecilia Galante (1/7/17)
  • When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds (3/8/17)
I enjoy being part of the #mustread community, and I know it helps me to pause and create a reading list at the beginning of each new year. Thank you to Carrie Gelson for hosting. I always look forward to checking out lists and progress of others, while gaining new titles for myself. I did miss part of my reading goal that I shared last year, which was to use a journal to write about my reading. I started out doing this with little consistency, and eventually gave it up completely. This is going to be a priority on next year's list!

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Must Read in 2017 - Spring Update, April 6



January and February are usually really good reading months for me, partially due to the fact that I am not a fan of cold weather and would be happy to stay in and read for the entire two months if I could! I have made great progress on my Must Read list, sitting at 28 of 35 at the present time. My updated list is below:

  • Audacity Jones to the Rescue by Kirby Larson (2/26/17)
  • Another Brooklyn by Jaqueline Woodson (2/20/17)
  • The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
  • Be Light Like a Bird by Monika Schroder (2/25/17)
  • A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold (4/6/17)
  • Compass South by Hope Larson (2/25/17)
  • Flying Lessons by Ellen Oh (3/1/17)
  • The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson (3/5/17)
  • Gone Camping by Tamera Will Wissinger
  • The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (3/15/17)
  • Hero on a Bicycle by Shirley Hughes (2/5/17)
  • House Arrest by K. A. Holt (2/12/17)
  • Jumping the Scratch by Sarah Weeks (2/1/17)
  • Liberty by Kirby Larson (3/27/17)
  • Payback by Gordon Korman (3/12/17)
  • Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt (1/23/17)
  • Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke
  • My Life with the Liars by Caela Carter (2/23/17)
  • The Nine Lives of Jacob Tibbs by Cylin Busby
  • Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder
  • Piper Green and the Fairy Tree by Ellen Potter (2/21/17)
  • The Playbook by Kwame Alexander (1/14/17)
  • Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz (1/28/17)
  • A Rambler Steals Home by Carter Higgins
  • Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart (1/24/17)
  • Secret Coders by Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes (2/5/17)
  • Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan (2/10/17)
  • Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand (1/17/17)
  • The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau (2/17/17)
  • Under Their Skin by Margaret Peterson Haddix
  • The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann (2/1/17)
  • The Warden's Daughter by Jerry Spinelli (2/11/17)
  • When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin (2/18/17)
  • The World From Up Here by Cecilia Galante (1/7/17)
  • When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds (3/8/17)

With a list like this one, it is almost difficult to identify favorites, as nearly all of these books have been highly recommended and they usually live up to the hype. Even with a list of exceptional books, there are still a few that stand out to me.

A Boy Called Bat
Wow, don't miss this one! You can see into Bat's heart and you will grow to love him! It is truly written in a way that children can look through that window and see life through Bat's eyes, and many will share his love for animals. I think it is an exceptional book!

The Hate You Give
I listened to the audio version of this one, which is such an important and relevant book for anyone living in our country today. I highly recommend the audio version if you enjoy listening to books!

My Life With the Liars
I could hardly put this one down once I got started reading it. It is a fascinating look into Zylynn's world after being removed from a compound where she had not been treated well. To most readers it would seem like she should be relieved to have a new start, but she is very unsure of her new family, home, and surroundings.

Payback
I have adored the Masterminds series, and this final one was no exception. This has also been a hit among my middle grade students, with many eager readers signing up to be the next person to check it out. 

Scar Island
This one is fast-paced and packed with actions. I have had many middle grade students who have loved it! It reels them in and holds their attention. When our 4th/5th grade book club discussed it, there were several wishing for a sequel!

Once the state award lists have been released around the first of March, my reading from this list always slows down a great deal, but I look forward to completing the rest of these titles and catching up on what other #mustreadin2017 participants have read. 


Saturday, January 7, 2017

Must Read in 2017


Here we are in a New Year! I am usually not one to make resolutions, but I do like to make reading goals. Last year I was one book shy of meeting my #mustread goal, reading 39 of 40. I had broken it up into New Releases, Books I've Missed, and Classics. This year I had a little more trouble making the list. It is certainly not that I don't have a large amount of books to read, but I think I was just a little less organized going into this project. After working on it off and on for a few days, I composed a list of 35 books.

Most of the books I have chosen this year are books that have been previously published, with a few upcoming 2017 releases mixed in. Many came from my own Goodreads "to read" list, while some I added after reading other #mustread updates. One thing that I want to do this year is to begin keeping a reading journal. I don't plan to write a great deal about each book, but I feel like I read so many books during the year that I really lose track of the characters and important details. I am hoping that keeping a few notes will help me to remember so that I can better help readers in their search for that perfect book!

My list for 2017:

  • Audacity Jones to the Rescue by Kirby Larson (2/26/17)
  • Another Brooklyn by Jaqueline Woodson (2/20/17)
  • The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey (5/31/17)
  • Be Light Like a Bird by Monika Schroder (2/25/17)
  • A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold (4/6/17)
  • Compass South by Hope Larson (2/25/17)
  • Flying Lessons by Ellen Oh (3/1/17)
  • The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson (3/5/17)
  • Gone Camping by Tamera Will Wissinger (5/2/17)
  • The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (3/15/17)
  • Hero on a Bicycle by Shirley Hughes (2/5/17)
  • House Arrest by K. A. Holt (2/12/17)
  • Jumping the Scratch by Sarah Weeks (2/1/17)
  • Liberty by Kirby Larson (3/27/17)
  • Payback by Gordon Korman (3/12/17)
  • Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt (1/23/17)
  • Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke (11/10/17)
  • My Life with the Liars by Caela Carter (2/23/17)
  • The Nine Lives of Jacob Tibbs by Cylin Busby (12/27/17)
  • Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder (4/15/17)
  • Piper Green and the Fairy Tree by Ellen Potter (2/21/17)
  • The Playbook by Kwame Alexander (1/14/17)
  • Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz (1/28/17)
  • A Rambler Steals Home by Carter Higgins (5/21/17)
  • Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart (1/24/17)
  • Secret Coders by Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes (2/5/17)
  • Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan (2/10/17)
  • Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand (1/17/17)
  • The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau (2/17/17)
  • Under Their Skin by Margaret Peterson Haddix (5/27/17)
  • The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann (2/1/17)
  • The Warden's Daughter by Jerry Spinelli (2/11/17)
  • When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin (2/18/17)
  • The World From Up Here by Cecilia Galante (1/7/17)
  • When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds (3/8/17)
I look forward to jumping in and having a great year of reading. Happy 2017 and happy reading!