Creepy Pair of Underwear (Aaron Reynolds)

With great sincerity, after we read this, my class said, "Man. That is a good author. We should find more of his books."

I thought it was silly, but they LOVED it!

Goodreads says:

Jasper Rabbit is NOT a little bunny anymore. He’s not afraid of the dark, and he’s definitely not afraid of something as silly as underwear. But when the lights go out, suddenly his new big rabbit underwear glows in the dark. A ghoulish, greenish glow. If Jasper didn’t know any better he’d say his undies were a little, well, creepy. Jasper’s not scared obviously, he’s just done with creepy underwear. But after trying everything to get rid of them, they keep coming back!

The Brain is Kind of a Big Deal (Nick Seluk)

There is so much information packed into this book! My class loved it. I just read the main information and they were dying to grab it after and read all the little captions and speech bubbles. Great book. The brain is kind of a big deal, for sure!

Goodreads Says:

Oh hey, guess what? New York Times bestseller Nick Seluk has a hilarious new nonfiction picture book all about your body's very own computer -- the brain!
Have you ever thought about everything your brain does for you? It is always working to keep you alive and safe. (Plus it lets you think about funny stuff, too.) So why is the brain such a big deal? Because it makes you YOU, of course!

This funny and factual picture book from Heart and Brain creator Nick Seluk explains the science behind everything the brain helps you do: keeping your heart beating, telling you when you are sleepy, remembering stuff, and more. The brain is in charge of everything you do, every minute of every day for your entire life. That's kind of a big deal.

Each spread features bite-sized text and comic-style art with sidebars sprinkled throughout. Anthropomorphized organs and body parts -- recognizable from Nick Seluk's New York Times bestselling book -- help readers learn through funny jokes and comic panels. Funny, smart, and accessible, The Brain Is Kind of a Big Deal is a must-have! 

A Stone for Sasha (Aaron Becker)

It's very good for me...and my students to read wordless books. It makes me slow down and really think about what is happening in the story. I really love reading books like this with my class and allowing them to discuss and figure out the story as we go. The illustrations in this story are beautiful and thought provoking. Goodreads says: A girl grieves the loss of her dog in an achingly beautiful wordless epic from the Caldecott Honor–winning creator of Journey. This year’s summer vacation will be very different for a young girl and her family without Sascha, the beloved family dog, along for the ride. But a wistful walk along the beach to gather cool, polished stones becomes a brilliant turning point in the girl’s grief. There, at the edge of a vast ocean beneath an infinite sky, she uncovers, alongside the reader, a profound and joyous truth. In his first picture book following the conclusion of his best-selling Journey trilogy, Aaron Becker achieves a tremendous feat, connecting the private, personal loss of one child to a cycle spanning millennia — and delivering a stunningly layered tale that demands to be pored over again and again.

Ella May and the Wishing Stone (Cary Fagan)

What kid doesn't think about what they'd do if they could have their wishes granted?

This may be my favorite Cary Fagan story yet. My class was captivated by it as well. It definitely had some gasp moments...one of my favorite things when reading to my class. This would be great one to read while we're doing our Rocks and Minerals unit.

Goodreads says:
One day, Ella May finds a stone that has a line going all-all-all the way around it. Surely a stone this special must grant wishes, she decides. Soon she is busy making wishes and bragging about them. When her friends want to share the fun, Ella May objects. But she soon learns that keeping the stone for herself is a sure way to lose friends. By using her imagination – much more powerful than any stone – she is able to grant everybody’s wishes, including her own.

Cary Fagan’s witty and sharply observed story will delight young readers who are beginning to explore the pleasures and challenges of sharing and friendship. 

7 Ate 9: The Untold Story (Tara Lazar)

There were so many puns in here that it was hard to stop and help my students appreciate them all - but I enjoyed them! This is a book we could read again and again and find something new to laugh at every time.


Goodreads says:

6 has a problem.

Everyone knows that 7 is always after him. Word on the street is that 7 ate 9. If that's true, 6's days are numbered. Lucky for him, Private I is on the case. But the facts just don't add up.

It's odd.

Will Private I put two and two together and solve the problem . . . or is 6 next in line to be subtracted?

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

My book club this month is The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor. I'm excited about it. I need to get into a better habit of reading it sooner so I'm not finishing it the day of book club.

Rising Strong as a Spiritual Practice (Brene Brown)

I feel like I don't always get Brene Brown....but I get a few things here and there. I have had so many thoughts about it - the biggest one being, we are on the right track in our mastermind group. Some of my take aways:

-Writing is really important. It moves things from your flight or fight part of your brain to your logic thinking part of your brain, so those of you doing journaling, yea! For me it was interesting that I've had a few promptings lately to record negative experiences/relationships and I think that prompting was the beginning of dealing with those things.
-boundaries are dope. One of the keys to successful relationships!
-having someone to talk to changes everything
-it's okay if situations aren't pretty
-learning to believe that everyone is doing the best they can is the beginning to world peace


There are more....but those are the ones that really seem to fit with what we're doing. I totally recommend this audio book. It is a recording of a presentation she did on Rising Strong. I think Rising Strong needs to be one of my core texts.

Goodreads says:

With her previous bestsellers, Dr. Brene Brown helped us realize that vulnerability is the birthplace for trust, belonging, joy, creativity, and love. Yet a willingness to be vulnerable means accepting that life will sometimes knock us down. Where do we find the strength to get back up? In her research for her breakthrough book Rising Strong, Brene discovered a key factor. Without exception, she says, the concept of spirituality emerged from the data as a critical component of overcoming struggle.



On Rising Strong As a Spiritual Practice, Brene offers an in-depth exploration of this critical and oft-misunderstood aspect of wholehearted living. Here she defines spirituality as something not reliant on religion, theology, or dogma rather, it is a belief in our interconnectedness and in a loving force greater than ourselves. Whether you access the sacred through traditional worship, solitary meditation, communion with nature, or creative pursuits, one thing is clear: rising strong after falling is a spiritual practice that brings a sense of perspective, meaning, and purpose to our lives.

White Bird (RJ Palacio)

Sometimes, when looking at all the follow up books after Wonder, I snubbed them. Too much of a good thing? This one is definitely worth the time. I loved the story. It's a great twist that Julian was named after someone so brave and kind. I hope he lives up to his name!


Goodreads says:

In Auggie & Me, which expands on characters in Wonder, readers were introduced to Julian's grandmother, Grandmère. Palacio makes her graphic novel debut with Grandmère's story as a young Jewish girl hidden away by a family in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. Her experience demonstrates the power of kindness to change hearts, build bridges, and even save lives.

The Perfect Nanny (Leila Slimani)

This one is a quick read, but a little disturbing! I enjoyed that it was set in Paris since my daughter lives there right now. I found myself looking up places mentioned to see how close they are to where she lives.

The author did a great job of taking a story and turning it into something that really made you think. She is a journalist and this story is based on a real event that happened. I think one of the big themes was that everyone is a little disturbed and if we're not careful and don't follow our gut, we'll all end up dead! Literally. It's all wrapped up in people's inability to deal with problems in their life rather than run away from them. The nanny, whose life is messed up, presents the image of being perfect. However, it isn't long before her problems start to affect her perfect work.

I read this for my book club and most of the people at book club didn't like it, but we sure had a lot to discuss! A lot of people at book club felt like many of the themes and characters weren't developed enough, but I wondered if that was by design. After all, we all form rock-solid opinions based on the little information we get in the news.

Goodreads says:

When Myriam, a French-Moroccan lawyer, decides to return to work after having children, she and her husband look for the perfect nanny for their two young children. They never dreamed they would find Louise: a quiet, polite, devoted woman who sings to the children, cleans the family's chic apartment in Paris's upscale tenth arrondissement, stays late without complaint, and hosts enviable kiddie parties. But as the couple and the nanny become more dependent on one another, jealousy, resentment, and suspicions mount, shattering the idyllic tableau

When We Were Alone (David A Robertson)

I started out by asking my students what they knew about Orange Shirt Day. No one really knew anything except for one student. His brother had read something about Orange Shirt Day and he had quite a lot of knowledge. I started off by telling them that this was historical fiction. The characters in this story might not be real, but what happened to them was real. As we read the story my class  became more and more troubled. We have been learning about integrity and how to stand up for something when no one else does. Learning about racism, segregation and residential schools is troubling but necessary. Like Number the Stars as a great way to introduce WWII, the holocaust and all that happened then, this is a similar gentler way to introduce the topic to children.

Goodreads says:

When a young girl helps tend to her grandmother's garden, she begins to notice things that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long braided hair and beautifully colored clothing? Why does she speak another language and spend so much time with her family? As she asks her grandmother about these things, she is told about life in a residential school a long time ago, where all of these things were taken away. When We Were Alone is a story about a difficult time in history and, ultimately, one of empowerment and strength.