It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/10/19

Beagles and Books is excited to share our current reads in It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR is a community of bloggers who link up to share what they are reading. Kellee Moye of Unleashing Readers and Jen Vincent of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give it a #kidlit focus and encourage everyone who participates to visit at least 3 of the other #kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Our Current Reads:

Awesome Dog 5000 by Justin Dean

A video game fanatic, Marty is nervous about starting a new school and making friends.  While he failed to follow any of his first day rules (do not do anything weird, embarrassing or uncool), Marty did meet Ralph and Skyler who both share his love for his favorite video game Sheriff Turbo-Karate.  One day, the trio find a robot dog at Marty’s house which was was left behind by the previous owner who was an inventor.  The robot dog, Awesome 5000, is well, pretty awesome because a walk means a flight in the air at 300 miles per hour.  But Marty’s adventure hits a snag when he and Awesome 5000 accidentally ruin Dr. Crazybrains’ birthday party, an eccentric scientist with a mad passion for making evil potions.  Dr. Crazybrains vows revenge on Marty which leads to a comical adventure that is so engaging, it will be hard to put Awesome Dog 5000 down.

Author/illustrator Justin Dean’s new series (yup, Book 2 comes out in Spring 2020) is perfect for a wide variety of readers.  At 160 pages long with short, illustrated chapters. Awesome Dog 5000 will appeal to kids who are transitioning into chapter books. Within those 160 pages is an intriguing plot with dynamic characters so solid middle grade readers will devour the novel in one sitting. As an adult who grew up in the 80’s and fondly remembers playing video games at an arcade or at home on our Atari system,  Dean’s old school video illustration transported back to my childhood which was a lot of fun! What I love most about Awesome Dog 5000 is it’s also a story of friendship between 3 kids who not only love playing Sheriff Turbo-Karate but also have each other’s back.  Special thanks to Random House for sending an ARC to my #bookexcursion group. Awesome Dog 5000 releases on July 2, 2019.

Being Small (Isn’t So Bad After All) by Lori Orlinsky

Being one of the smallest in my class for pretty much my entire school career (and still only 5′ 3), I can easily relate to the main character in Being Small (Isn’t Bad After All).  While the little girl focuses on all the negatives of being small (having to stand on a stool to get a drink, getting picked last for a team), her mother identifies the benefits of her small stature (squeezing through small spaces and having the most leg room on a plane).

Written in rhyme, Being Small (Isn’t Bad After All) is a heartwarming story that promotes a positive self image for the mother tells her daughter to not dwell on her height because “you can do anything when you give it your might.”   As a reading specialist, I have shared this picture book with primary grade teachers as well as our guidance counselor to teach the virtues of empathy, respect, and tolerance.

Special thanks to the author for sending a copy to Beagles & Books. Being Small (Isn’t Bad After All) recently published in April 2019.

 Etta and Bella’s Dog Pick of the Week:

Wanting to spread the dog love, Beagles and Books has a weekly feature of highlighting a literary selection with a canine main character.

Kayla & King and the Case of the Found Fred by Dori Hillestad Butler Illustrated by Nancy Meyers

Our second graders have a mystery genre unit and at our school, students have an option of reading books from the Kayla and King series.  In the Case of the Found Fred, King discovers a lost dog who needs help finding his family.  Told from King’s point of view, he is able to learn the dog’s name (Fred) and his family’s location (campground).  But of course Kayla doesn’t know this but with King’s help (and nose), the duo works together to piece the clues together.

To solve the case, Kayla models effective problem solving skills by making a list of all that she knows and writes questions about what she doesn’t know.  King’s amusing narration (nine or three days go by showing a dog’s concept of time) keeps the reader both interested and entertained.  With less than 50 pages, short chapters, an engaging plot, and humorous and colorful illustrations, King and Kayla is perfect for early readers transitioning to chapter books.  Special thanks to Peachtree Publishers for sending an ARC to my #bookexcursion group.  Kayla & King and the Case of the Found Friend recently published in March 2019.

Etta, Bella & I thank you for visiting Beagles and Books. Happy Reading!