It's Monday! What Are You Reading? November 25

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. 

Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and Jen of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. 

What I've finished since my last post:

MG/YA:

Eye of the Storm by Kate Messner

I have been a fan of Kate's since her first book, The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. Unfortunately I've fallen a little behind in reading her books, lately, but I'll get caught up! I love Kate's writing. Her characters are real, her story lines are fun, and I can always confidently recommend her books to anyone! 

Adult:

Along the Way: The Journey of a Father and Son by Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez

I've been working on this one for a while, and gushing about it when ever I have the chance. Even if you are not as huge a fan of Martin Sheen as I am, this is such a beautiful book. The story of their respective journeys in the entertainment industry is fascinating, but their reflections on their choices and their relationship as fathers and sons are amazing. I highly recommend the audio- Martin and Emilio narrate.

What I'm currently reading:
I have several books in process right now and some I may end up abandoning until a future date when I can pick them up again. This is completely due to the constraints on my time and the limits on number of renews at the library and absolutely nothing to do with the books themselves.

YA:

The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida

Adult:

Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robison

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

I started with the print book and have switched to the audio because of library due dates. I love the audio because it is read by the author. 

Professional:

Pathways to the Common Core by Lucy Calkins, Mary Ehrenworth, Christopher Lehman

Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller

Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess

Curriculum Re-reads:

Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston & James D. Houston

My juniors will start this book this week. We just finished Arthur Miller's The Crucible and will tie that and Farewell to Manzanar together with a discussion of the American Dream.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

I will start this with my freshmen and sophomores after the Thanksgiving break. We are just now wrapping up Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, which we have be reading through the lens of relationships. Among other themes in A Tale of Two Cities, we will be looking at our responsibility to our fellow man. 

Natalee Stotz is Head of High School at Windham Christian Academy in Windham, Maine. There she teaches English for grades 9-12 as well as Civics. She also advises the preK-12 school on curriculum, professional development, and literacy. Her passion is for connecting readers with books, and her goal is to create life-long readers. You can follow her on Twitter, @nataleestotz, or read her blog at nataleestotz.blogspot.com

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? November 11, 2013

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. 

Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and Jen of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. 

My reading time continues to be limited, but I try to carve out a few minutes here and there to read. One of the benefits of doing in class independent reading with my students is that I get to read. 

My Recent Reads:

Young Adult

One Came Home by Amy Timberlake

I really enjoyed this book set in 1871 Wisconsin. The main character, thirteen-year-old, Georgie, is a delightful, if at times frustrating, narrator. Georgie is a strong main female character, and reminds me very much of Mattie from True Grit.

Adult

The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls

Jeannette Walls is a talented writer and the story just seems to slip by you. I read The Glass Castle this summer and recognized much of Jeannette's own story in the story of Bean and Liz. At first I was concerned that it was going to be a recap of The Glass Castle, but it wasn't long before I was drawn into Bean's world and the unique characters.

My Current Reads:

Adult

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner is one of my favorite novels, and I was eager to read this new novel. I'm just a little way into it and am captivated by the characters and the story telling. 

Along the Way: The Journey of a Father and Son by Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez with Hope Edelman

I've been listening to the audio of this book, which I absolutely love. I purchased the print copy for my husband. When it arrived Friday, I said, "Merry Christmas, Honey!" then took it back to read where I had left off with the audio. I love the comfortable way that Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez narrate the book and the lessons that they share from their life together. This is a beautiful book about the relationship between father and son.

Current Read Alouds with my classes:

9th grade

The Giver by Lois Lowry

No explanation needed here!

10th grade

Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements

Most people know Andrew Clements' middle grade books but his Things Trilogy is rather over-looked in my opinion. When I gave my 10th graders several books to choose from for our read aloud, this was their choice. 

11th & 12th grades

Variant by Robison Wells

Both my 11th and 12th grade classes were intrigued by the idea of being trapped in a private school that turns out to be completely different from what you thought it was going to be. We have had many discussions about what they think is really going on and why, and there have been many days when they wouldn't let me stop with just one chapter. I don't normally read sequels to my class, but I may make an exception with this series and read Feedback to them once we finish. I have already been told by several students that I have to read them the second one. 

Natalee Stotz is Head of High School at Windham Christian Academy in Windham, Maine. There she teaches English for grades 9-12 as well as Civics. She also advises the preK-12 school on curriculum, professional development, and literacy. Her passion is for connecting readers with books, and her goal is to create life-long readers. You can follow her on Twitter, @nataleestotz, or read her blog at nataleestotz.blogspot.com