It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 4/6/2020

Last Week

I’m getting back to my groove and almost finished everything I set out to do this past week! I keep telling my family and friends, I’m working just as much as I have before COVID-19 and probably more, honestly. Which actually means, I’m doing really well in terms of fitting in some reading here and there!

First, I finished The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman about two girls’ unlikely friendship after the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. I didn’t have a ton of background knowledge about this event – I knew it happened and the basics, but this story really dives into the politics, the day-to-day life of people living in the town closest to the plant and the aftermath of the disaster. I learned so much and really enjoyed the whole story too!

Then read Most Likely by Sarah Watson, a YA contemporary story about four best friends, one of which becomes the President of the U.S. I loved the multiple perspectives and the twists and turns of trying to figure out the mystery. I’ll be honest, it caught me completely off-guard and I loved it!

I then read The Light In Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron. I actually had the chance to meet Sharon Cameron at a Scholastic dinner at the conference I attended last month. Just hearing her passion to tell this story had me so excited to read it. It’s based on a true story of Stefania Podgórski, a young Catholic girl that hid 13 Jewish people in her attic for 2.5 years during World War II. There was even a point for eight months that two German women lived with Stefania and her sister and never knew about the 13 people in the attic. Stefanie, who was only about 20 years old at the time and her younger sister, age 7 were courageous heroes. The story is captivating and heartbreaking and left me wondering if I could do the same.

Then I read Mañanaland by Pam Muñoz Ryan, whom I also had the chance to meet at the same Scholastic dinner. Pam is an amazing storyteller and Mañanaland doesn’t disappoint. It is also a story of bravery, but also of refugees, of family and friendship. I loved how well Pam created a world in which I could see exactly what was happening. Definitely a must-read!

Reading List for Week of 4/6/2020

Next up? A Home for Goddesses and Dogs by Leslie Connor, I’m also hoping to read Owly: The Way Home by Andy Runton, Lily to the Rescue by W. Bruce Cameron, Goldie Vance: The Hotel Whodunit by Lilliam Rivera, and maybe Brightstorm: A Sky-Ship Adventure by Vashti Hardy.

We’re under a Stay at Home order for at least the rest of this month, which means continuing to work from, reading is definitely my escape right now! Here’s to great books that let us travel the world! Where are you planning to go this week?

Join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers and share all of the reading you have done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. Check out the hashtag #IMWAYR for reading suggestions from readers across the globe.