What I Read Over the Summer

Here's what I read and loved this summer. Not as much as usual because I was distracted by binging TV. Click on the titles to read plot summaries. If you'd like to see all of my books, you can follow me on Goodreads.

Picture Books

Lift by Minh Lê
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Truly breathtaking. And could lead to some super fun activities. I need to invest in a button for the kids to press ... while covered in PPE. 

Outside In by Deborah Underwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ooh, I liked this one. As someone who has only in the past year been introduced to hiking as a thing to do, to rivers as a place to swim, and to skiing as a not-horrible pasttime, I want my kids to be outside more. Just make sure to be slathered with sunscreen. 

In a Jar by Deborah Marcero
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ooh. I kind of love it. The art teacher and I were just talking today about how we would like to try and combine lessons for virtual learning (if that's the way our district goes). This could serve that purpose. Mock Caldecott read and opportunity to draw your own jar all in one.

The Bear's Garden by Marcie Colleen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh! To hope that the kids will be inspired to create their own gardens! Even if they only consist of a sunflower or one tomato plant.



Middle Grade Fiction


Awesome Dog 5000 by Justin Dean
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bravo, RICBA Committee. The kids are going to LOVE this. Perfect hybrid for those who are ready for more than Branches: lots of action, underdog heroes, the mention of farts. Big old cliffhanger at the end means I'm going to be getting lots of requests for #2.






Nonfiction

Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots by Michael Rex
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yeah, I'll be reading this one for sure to my students. And that is a fact. 

The Fabled Life of Aesop: The Extraordinary Journey and Collected Tales of the World’s Greatest Storyteller by Ian Lendler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Impressively put together ... weaves the fables in with his [imagined?] life, and Zagarenski's illustrations are fabulous. 



Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fleming does not disappoint. Although Rohmann's illustrations were a little too scientifically accurate for comfort. I was sad when Apis died at age 35 days, which was not how I expected to feel after reading this book! Also how do you get to be a queen who lives for years v. a worker who flies 500 miles in less than 2 weeks?


A Ride to Remember: A Civil Rights Story by Sharon Langley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Clear, matter-of-fact, hopeful, and inspiring. Nice job. And the concept of not being about to go on a carousel is probably going to resonate more with kids. If I am back in the buildings next month and going into classrooms, I'm doing readalouds only, and this will be one.


The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I may need to add this into my K or 1 curriculum to try and get kids to understand that being able to read is a privilege. Gorgeous illustrations from Oge Mora as usual.




For Grownups 

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Completely bonkers! I cannot BELIEVE how much she got away with. Gasp-inducing audacity. Hooray for the whistleblowers! Truly astounding. And kind of scary.




Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How would I describe the plot? I'm not entirely sure. "Girl grieves for mother" is just a bit. But what wonderful characters - even if the choices they make drove me crazy. A fast read, but not an easy read, if that makes any sense.

Just noticed it was blurbed by Kevin Wilson, who wrote "Nothing to See Here," which I really liked and showed up at the top of the page as a book that people who like this one also like. 

Precious and Grace by Alexander McCall Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Yay, more books in the series! Perfect for summer vacation. I alternated between hard copy and audio. Lisette Lecat's voice is like a warm blanket. Well, that's not great for summer ... how about a shady seat in the sun?





Two Across by Jeff Bartsch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The plot dragged a bit in the last quarter, and the characters' actions were annoying me, but oh! that last perfect paragraph! I gave the fourth star back.

And I enjoyed the crossword clues peppered throughout.

p. 81: "She had a real, honest-to-God situation on her hands, involving an interesting boy, a boy who most certainly knew the square root of four."

p. 110: "One got the impression that the things Abby didn't hate were merely waiting in the wings for her to discover them, so she could hate them too."


The Escape Room by Megan Goldin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Is this book literature? No. Did I figure out the twist early on? Yes. Was it a great beach read? Absolutely.