It's Monday, What are You Reading? (my first time to join in!)

Joining in for the first time on the "It's Monday! What Are You Reading?" fun at Teach Mentor Texts.

I am "not working" today, so here is how I spent my morning!



Gingersnap by Patricia Reilly Giff
Which readers? 8 and up

Two-time Newbery Honor winner Giff gives us this lovely novel about home, family, and finding a place to belong. Since the death of her parents when she was a baby, Jayna has been bounced around from foster home to foster home. After a brief and happy stay with her brother, she is forced to live with their landlady when her brother must ship out to serve in the Pacific Theater in WWII. Jayna remembers that her brother mentioned that there was a box on a high shelf that might hold some secrets about their family When news comes that her brother might not return, she decides to take her destiny in her own hands and find out if there is a place where she might really belong.

This is a fast read, and it involves a little bit of a ghost story. The ghost is friendly, and there is nothing here that will scare young readers. There are several little mysteries wrapped up in this story, and readers will enjoy unwrapping all the little puzzle pieces to find the whole picture. I think third grade and up, especially girls, will enjoy this heartwarming tale.


Unwholly by Neal Shusterman
Which readers? middle school and up

Eek, this awful picture after that sweet little title above! With only one John Green title left that I haven't read, I am waiting to read An Abundance of Katherines. I listened to Unwind by Shusterman last week, so this week I am reading Unwholly on the Ipad. I am enjoying it, so far, but I'm not devouring it as quickly as I did the first in the series. Perhaps the difference is because I am not listening to it. I also listened to Bruiser by Shusterman in the last couple of weeks. Although I had mixed feelings about the ending and some aspects of the story troubled me, I fell in love with Bruiser in spite of myself.

What's on deck? This is what's in my cart on Amazon and on hold at the library: (And I can't WAIT to read the next Bink and Gollie with my very favorite kindergartener!)