It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 8/22/22

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:

 

Frances and the Monster by Refe Tuma

It’s 1939 in Bern, Switzerland and 11 year old Frances is beyond excited to accompany her scientist parents to a symposium in Brussels.  Ever since her car accident seven years ago, her parents have been reluctant to let her leave the manor (originally owned by her scientist great-grandfather) and Frances discovers that this trip is regrettably no different.  Instead, they present her with a robot tutor named H.O.B.B.E.S (Household Operations Bionic Butlery and Education Servant) since Frances drove away all her previous teachers.  Angry and frustrated, Frances tries to evade and confuse Hobbes wandering the mansion and stumbles upon a hidden entrance to a secret workshop.  In that laboratory, Frances discovers not only her great-grandfather’s journal but also uncovers a body frozen in ice.  If Frances can figure out how to complete her great-grandfather’s invention, she can join her parents at the next conference and prove her place in the family. 

As soon as the creature stands up, fear, not pride, consumes Frances. Her only response is to run  allowing the monster to escape the manor and head to the city.  Frances knows she has to right her wrong so she ventures into Bern with Hobbes and Fritz, a chimpanzee.  In her pursuit, she meets Luca who knows the city well and becomes her first true friend.  When finding the monster and evading the constable prove challenging, Frances feels defeated, but Luca provides these encouraging words-“We didn’t fail. We just haven’t succeeded yet.”  

Debut author Tuma’s retelling of Shelley’s Frankenstein drew me in right away.  From the moment I met Frances, I was rooting for her. While written in third person, readers really get to know her as a character.  I admire her thirst for knowledge, persistence, courage and that she defies convention preferring short hair and trousers.   What I loved most was her relationships with Hobbes, Fritz, and Luca which provided lots of chuckles amid the frantic hunt. Frances also teaches readers a valuable lesson about perspective. Thanks to the author for sending a copy to my #bookexcursion group. Frances and the Monster releases tomorrow on August 23, 2022. 

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My Pet Feet by Josh Funk Illustrated by Billy Yong

A girl wake up to find her pet is all feet, a policewoman is riding a hose, and her pal Lucas is acting like a fiend.  What is causing all the commotion?  On close inspection, it appears that letter R is missing.  Where did it go or who could have stolen it? 

Always creative and comical, I am a BIG fan of all of Josh Funk’s stories.  My Pet Feet takes wordplay to a whole new level.  I am in awe of his ingenuity in writing a story with a fun and fantastical plot without any Rs (well, not until the culprit is caught).  Even the synopsis on the book jacket and title page is free of Rs. Yong’s bright and animated illustrations not only perfectly complement the text but also go beyond showing how the disappearance of one letter can affect a town.  As a reading specialist, I love that My Pet Feet can engage kids of all ages in building phonemic awareness at the manipulation (deletion) level.  A text feature I praise is all the words missing Rs are in a bold purple font.  Lastly, the ending gives me hope that there could be a sequel.  Yes, please! Thanks to Simon and Schuster for sharing a copy.  My Pet Feet publishes tomorrow on August 23, 2022.  

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Creepy Crayon! by Aaron Reynolds Illustrated by Peter Brown

Jasper Rabbit returns just in time for back to school.  Studying isn’t as fun as watching shows or playing games so Jasper is pretty pumped that the crayon he found can take the pressure off.  He appreciates the help in spelling and math but when the crayon puts its mark on his artwork, Jasper no longer is on board.  Can he get rid of creepy crayon and take back control? 

Like the first two books in the series, Creepy Crayon is hauntingly hilarious.  Reynolds and Brown masterfully continue to provide chuckles and chills as Jasper learns a valuable lesson about being responsible.    Kids (and adults too) will love that both the creepy carrots and creepy underwear make an appearance.  Thanks to Simon and Schuster for sharing a copy. Creepy Crayons releases tomorrow on August 23, 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.

SumoPuppy by David Biedrzycki 

In the sequel to SumoKitty, readers are introduced to a stray pug puppy who was brought to the heya (training center) by Okamisan (manager). At first, the pup named Chanko-chan is a nuisance following SummoKitty everywhere. But what if he could teach her the ways of kitty allowing SummoKItty to spending more time napping and less time mousing?   

Enthusiasm is a worthy trait but Chanko-chan’s energetic spirit was neither a good match for kitty duties nor for living in the heya.  Okamisan takes Chanko-chan to a shelter; however, her stay is short. When she finds her way back to the heya, Chanko-chan proves her pep has a purpose.    Biedrzycki’s humorous and heartwarming tale teaches that sometimes talents may need time to be fully appreciated. Thanks to Charlesbridge for sharing an eARC.   I can’t wait to see the gorgeous artwork in person and share this sweet story with my students.  SummoPuppy publishes on October 18, 2022. 

Bella and I thank you for visiting Beagles and Books!