It's Monday! What are you reading? 6-28-21

 

It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.

My Monday posts are generally just a highlight of what I've been reading during the week so if you'd like to see all that I've been reading, follow my Goodreads page.

Well hello again, friends. Look at me doing an It's Monday post two weeks in a row. Perhaps I'm getting back in the groove of this blogging thing. Speaking of getting back in the groove of blogging, I wrote and posted two book reviews last week, check them out: 

Hear My Voice: The Testimonies of Children Detained at the Southern Border of the United States, compiled by Warren Binford for Project Amplify 

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

Currently reading: 

Instructions of Dancing by Nicola Yoon

Currently reading with my ears: 

Sure, I'll Be Your Black Friend: Notes from the Other Side of the Fist Bump by Ben Philippe 

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

In a series of essays, John Green reviews certain aspects of the Anthropocene, i.e., our current geologic age in which humans have drastically reshaped the planet. The end of each essay results in a star review, and thus the structure and purpose of the book becomes apparent: a rating system for our current human existence.

This is a book that I would have never picked up had I not already been a longtime fan of John Green's writing. He sets up the book in the introduction perfectly, reminding readers what a gifted writer he is, compelling you to keep turning the pages, even if you're not particularly interested in the topic of the essay you're currently reading. What you soon come to realize, however, is that these essays are not just about the topic listed in the chapter heading. That title is just an entry point for Green's meandering, yet purposeful style of writing. This structure is the most notable and apparent to me in his essay about the famous hotdog stand in Reykjavík, Iceland (full disclosure: I have been to said hotdog stand in Reykjavík, so that's likely why I found that essay so compelling), where he's not actually reviewing a hotdog stand, but a time in his life where he experienced a shared moment of jubilation with not only his travel companions, but an entire country. 

Not every essay held my attention, but on the whole this book is a highly satisfying read for fans of John Green and therefore I give The Anthropocene Reviewed four stars. 

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
Published: May 18, 2021

Publisher: Dutton

Pages: 293

Genre: Nonfiction

Audience: Adults

Disclosure: Library copy

If you buy this book or any book through Amazon, it is my hope that you also regularly patronize independent bookstores, which are important centerpieces of thriving communities. While I am an Amazon Affiliate, that by no means implies that I only buy my books through their website. Please make sure you are still helping small, independent bookstores thrive in your community. To locate an independent bookstore near you, visit IndieBound. 

Hear My Voice: The Testimonies of Children Detained at the Southern Border of the United States, compiled by Warren Binford for Project Amplify

Written in both English and Spanish, and using the words of migrant children who were detained by the US government for entering the United States, this picture book shines a light on the injustices of our broken immigration system and its impact on children. This is a difficult book to read, even for adults, so it is recommended that a trusted adult read this book alongside a child. There are excellent discussion questions included in the backmatter of the book. Some adults will look at this book, start to read it and say that this book is much too heavy of a subject for a child to read about, but to those adults I say... these injustices in this book are happening to children. We need to talk with our kids about hard things, and this book gives adults the tools to do that with the excellent backmatter included at the end of the book. Hear My Voice: The Testimonies of Children Detained at the Southern Border of the United States, compiled by Warren Binford for Project Amplify Published: April 13, 2021 Publisher: Workman Genre: Nonfiction picture book Audience: Upper Elementary/Middle School Disclosure: Library copy

If you buy this book or any book through Amazon, it is my hope that you also regularly patronize independent bookstores, which are important centerpieces of thriving communities. While I am an Amazon Affiliate, that by no means implies that I only buy my books through their website. Please make sure you are still helping small, independent bookstores thrive in your community. To locate an independent bookstore near you, visit IndieBound. 

It's Monday! What are you reading? 6-21-21

It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.

My Monday posts are generally just a highlight of what I've been reading during the week so if you'd like to see all that I've been reading, follow my Goodreads page.

Hello friends. I feel like every time I write an "It's Monday!" post I always lead with, "It's been a while." The truth is, I've kept saying the past couple of years that once my tenure with the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award was over, I'd have more time to blog. Well now that my tenure with Walden is over, I haven't gotten my footing back into the blogging world. 

Is blogging still a thing? Or are we just posting on other social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok? 

Speaking of social media, I used to love Twitter. It was where I met so many wonderful and passionate educators whom I now consider dear friends. But these days I consider Twitter a cesspoll of trolls and people just shouting to be heard and not really looking for dialogue. I barely use my Twitter account anymore. And truth be told, I've locked down both my Twitter and my Instagram for personal and professional reasons. 

So where does that leave me with this blog? I hope I can find my footing again and start to find some more motivation to write some more longform book reviews, but in the meantime, here are some of the things I've been reading and loving over the past month. 

We Shall Overcome, illustrated by Bryan Collier

A stunning visual interpretation of the beloved song “We Shall Overcome” the that has a young girl walking in the present time past well-known places in African American history. Escape: One Day We Had to Run by Ming & Wah, illustrated by Carmen Vela A book that uses a series of verbs: dart, deft, disguise, flee, etc. to describe the stories of refugees throughout the past three hundred years. Excellent text and organization, culminating with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Grandad's Camper by Harry Woodgate A lovely, affirming story of a young girl who listens to stories of her grandad and gramps going on adventures together in their camper van. What Happened to You? by James Catchpole, illustrated by Karen George A touching and lighthearted story that helps start conversations with kids about how to talk about disability. Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Loren Long A wonderful book that looks at the professions that do the physical work of artistic people with dreams and vision, such as architects, engineers, even authors. Oh Look, a Cake! by J.C. McKee Fans of Jon Klassen will likely enjoy the ultimately dark humor of this book. Currently reading: The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green Currently reading with my ears:  What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera