It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 7/18/22

Bella and I are excited to share our latest 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.

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Our Recent Reads:

Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez and Gabriella Epstein

Five students who have been completing community service hours in the cafeteria are called to Principal Powell’s office at Conrad Middle School.  Why?  To share their recollections of what happened on April 18th.  On the surface, they all appear to be similar in that they speak Spanish, but they are completely different.  As the synopsis states, George is the brain, Sara, the loner, Dayara, the tough kid, Nico, the rich kid, and Miguel, the athlete.  Wait a minute…wasn’t there a 1980’s movie with the same cast of characters?  These kids are usually invisible to everyone around them, but once they meet someone in need, they need to decide whether to extend a helping hand knowing they could get in trouble. 

As I read Invisible, I was a rollercoaster of emotions.  Angry at first that an adult thinks they are all Mexican.  Worry for George because his family has moved, but doesn’t want it to jeopardize his chance to get into the magnet school.  Sadness for Miguel who is talented artist but his father wants him to concentrate fully on baseball.  Heartache for Dayara who needs support in learning English as well as Sara who has a huge heart but is shy.  Annoyance for Nico who seemed to think he was better than everyone else.  But as I read on, I got to know the characters better and witnessed the kids gradually becoming a team which warmed my heart and on the final pages, I cried happy tears.  Written in both English and Spanish, Diaz Gonzalez’ text is authentic and moving.  Epstein’s detailed comic panels are full of energy and expression making the the story come alive.  Can’t wait to see the finished color artwork!  Highly recommend pre-ordering Invisible.  It is a middle grade must read!  Thanks to Scholastic for sharing a copy with my #bookexcusion group.  Invisible releases on August 2, 2022. 

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Llama Rocks the Cradle of Chaos by Jonathan Stutzman Illustrated by Heather Fox 

“I AM LLAMA” is back for a third adventure in the series.  Llama just celebrated his birthday with his friends and a doughnut with extra sprinkles.  The yummy dessert consumes his mind and as a result, he gets a deliciously dangerous idea to go back in time to savor the donut again.  Unlike his dancing pants, time travel pants come with directions. But Llama is too rushed to read them. so when he goes back in time, he goes back way farther than a day.  Based on the clothing and music, Llama traveled back to the 1980’s to his birthday when he was a wee, little llama.  After eating the donut, Llama travels back to the present bringing his younger self with him.  Not one for sharing, Llama sends Baby Llama back to the past but is unsuccessful and with each attempt. Baby Llama bring more “friends” with him.  Worried about his house but mostly about his secret cake cellar, Llama wonders how can he end the chaos?

Llama is one of my favorite picture book characters because his penchant for food especially sweets always gets him in trouble.  I love how Llama is just reckless and doesn’t worry about any ramifications from his risky decision thinking once he has satisfied his stomach, life can just go back to normal.  His lone action sets off a chain reaction that seems impossible to solve but somehow, Llama wins!  Stutzman’s lively and witty text and Fox’s adorable and whimsical illustrations perfectly complement each other.  Thanks to Macmillan Kids for sharing an eARC.  Llama Rocks the Cradle of Chaos recently released on July 5, 2022. 

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K is for Kindness by Rina Horiuchi  Illustrated by Risa Horiuchi

Looking for an alphabet book with a positive message?  This ABC book teaches young children the 26 letters with animals showing kindness to each other.  As a reading specialist, I love so many aspects of K is for Kindness!  On each page, a sentence concisely captures one animal’s goodwill to another.  The targeted letter is blue and begins each sentence. Not only does the text have some alliteration, but it also rhymes with the subsequent sentence.  For example, “Cow covers Cat with a coat ’cause he’s cold. Donkey gives Dog her dear dolly to hold.”  Accompanying the text is a charming, uncluttered illustration that shows the animal’s altruism.  All the benevolent acts are simple yet powerful such as saying thank you, reading a book or signing XOX in a letter showing kids that good deeds are free.  At the end of the book, kids are asked to think about something considerate they could do which will promote a rich conversation and inspiration. Thanks to the author for sharing a copy.  K is for Kindness published in April 2022. 

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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 character.

Millie, Daisy, and the Scary Storm (Life in the Doghouse #3) written by Danny Robertson, Ron Danta & Crystal Velasquez Illustrated by Laura Catrinella

In the third book in the Life in the Doghouse series, Millie and Daisy are bonded pups rescued during Hurricane Katrina.  Although they are best friends, they are completely different.  Daisy is scared of storms and Millie watches them from the front door. Millie is excited about getting adopted in contrast to the worried Daisy.  What if the two get separated?  Millie hatches a plan to ensure they are adopted together, but Daisy isn’t certain that is what she wants.  She likes living at Danny and Ron’s Rescue.  Will both Daisy’s and Millie’s dreams come true? 

At only 108 pages with short chapters and black and white illustrations, Millie, Daisy, and the Scary Storm (along with the other books in the series), is a great chapter book for children transitioning to middle grade.  Kids will also enjoy learning about the true story of Daisy and Millie which comes after the fictionalized story.  Of course, being a rescue dog mom, I love that this series features a rescue dedicating to finding furever homes for dogs and the text shows how the dogs like Daisy can be scared or anxious given the trauma they experienced. Thanks to Simon Kids for sharing for a copy. Millie, Daisy, and the Scary Storm recently released on July 12, 2022.   To learn more about this engaging and informative series, click here. 

Bella and I thank you for visiting Beagles and Books!