We are starting our 3rd week of school, and let me tell you, I have some readers this year! We have set up our interactive notebooks, talked about the 40 Book Challenge, and most classes are reading 20 minutes a day already. I’ve managed to read a little bit too, and hopefully I can catch up on my Goodreads goal by the end of the month.

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys and invites bloggers to recap what they’ve read this week while planning ahead on what to read next! Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers added their own twist by focusing on kidlit, from picture books up to YA.

 Here’s what I’ve read lately:

(Click on the covers to read a book’s synopsis and reviews)

Nest by Esther Ehrich

Historical Fiction, Release Date: 9/9/14
336 pages
My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 stars
Nest is one of those books that is hard to put down. The main character, Chirp, has such an unforgettable voice – she’s vulnerable, sassy, wise and unsure all at the same time. While Chirp is an expert on birds and loves to watch and observe them, she is still very much figuring things out at home and school. After a family tragedy, life gets very hard for Chirp and she becomes a shell of her vibrant self. It takes an adventure and a lot of understanding to come back to where she belongs. I loved the 1970’s music and culture references throughout and the themes of family, friendship and love are very strong. Beautiful book!

Payback Time by Carl Deuker

Realistic Fiction/Sports, 2010
304 pages
My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Stars
This is my first read by this author. I picked it up at a book sale, while crossing my fingers that it would be a good fit in my middle school classroom. I was super excited that 1. it takes place in Seattle, which is my favorite city, and 2. it is a great book that will be an excellent addition to my classroom library. Mitch is an overweight sports reporter for his high school and he and Kimi, the photographer assigned to work with him, stumble upon a football mystery while working their senior year. Mitch and Kimi are excellent students with bright futures, and find themselves way over their heads as they unravel a story of ineligible players, cheating coaches, and a state title on the line. Fans of Mike Lupica and John Feinstein sports books will like this one, too.

Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi

Historical Fiction Graphic Novel, 2014
128 Pages
My Goodreads Rating: 3/5 Stars
I plan on doing a quarter long unit with my seventh and eighth grade students in my reading intervention class that centers around explorers, and specifically Sir Ernest Shackleton, the great Antarctic explorer. Shackleton is a fascinating person to read about! While I am not sure this is the best book for my students, it does have some very cool layouts of the ships and some interesting maps. Bertozzi also has a similar book on Lewis and Clark that is probably worth checking out.

Happy Reading, everyone!

Lesley ♥