This list is based on a meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish who create a fun topic each week for a top ten list. This week’s topic is ten books you would buy right away if you had a gift card. In no particular order, here is my list.
The Scourge by Jennifer Nielsen- I am currently reading this book, and really enjoying it. But I need another copy for my classroom because my students are crazy for Jennifer Nielsen books. Last year, we did The False Prince as one of our read alouds and A Night Divided as a book club/lit circle choice. Late in the year, we looked at the title and cover of the book and made some guesses as to what it would be about so I know it is hotly anticipated. This would be a pre-order as the book comes out on August 30.
Hotel Bruce by Ryan Higgins- This is another book that I am really wanting to share with students. I teach grade 5/6 but I have the library time for my school as well (30% of my assignment) and the primary students that I read this to really loved Mother Bruce. It was also a big hit with my 5/6 students who regularly wanted to read it during buddy reading. So, when we heard that there was a new Bruce book, we were very excited. Lots of guessing about what might be next in our groups and it has been fun waiting. This would be a pre-order as the book is not available until October.
Pirasaurs by Josh Funk- This is another pre-order because we were such big fans of Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast. Josh was nice enough to Skype with us in May and read Pirasaurs to us. He had all of the primary students at my school super engaged the whole time and my class really appreciated hearing him speak of how the book was published, the re-writes he went through, and the role of the illustrator. Between that and the trailer for Pirasaurs, featuring a catchy tune which got stuck in many heads in my classroom, this one is hotly anticipated and can be pre-ordered for August 30.
The Skeleton Tree by Iain Lawrence- Last year, I picked all of the books for my district Battle of the Books (we use six) but this year I am trying to get others to work with me on it. I have one teacher-librarian who suggested a few books and I have been trying to read them. This is one of those books but my public library only has an audio copy. That does not work well for me as my house is seldom quiet during my awake hours. So, I would buy this one right away as it was recommended to me and I am drawn to the survival theme and cover.
The Girl who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill- I have become convinced that I will be the last person who has a book blog and a library to read this one. I have seen so many raving about it on Twitter that I really want to read it. The cover really helps too. This would be a pre-order but it is out in exactly one week.
House Arrest by K.A. Holt- This seems to have really interesting subject of someone who has done something wrong and admits it, but there is a story behind it. Its also written with verse which is something that I am trying to explore more with my students (several have liked Kwame Alexander, Brown Girl Dreaming and Sharon Creech too). The reviews that I have read for this one suggest a lot of honest emotion and I have really liked that lately in books by Dan Gemeinhart such as The Honest Truth and Some Kind of Courage.
Buckle and Squash and the Land of Giants by Sarah Courtauld- I read the first of her Buckle and Squash books with my kids who were eight and five at the time and we laughed so much that our bellies hurt. In The Perilous Princess Plot there are so many different kinds of humour that we were all kept laughing and it is about time for me to order another one.
All-American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely- This just seems to be a really important book for the times in which we are living. My public library does not have a copy (maybe I will send them the link to this blog and make my own “gift card”).
I am going to close with two more pre-orders. I have tonnes of books to read right now, so I don’t mind that half my list are books I would not get right away. I like spreading it out. These last two books are authors that I and many of my students love. We read Kenneth Oppel’s The Nest last year and enjoyed the cover reveal for Every Hidden Thing which arrives on September 20. Mark of the Plague is the sequel to The Blackthorn Key, which was another book club/lit circle choice of ours and earned the most votes in our district Book of the Year. Naturally, we are all clamoring for the sequel which arrives on September 6.
Bonus list: Here are ten books my students recommended to me over the course of the year that I was not able to read (except for one). Please write in the comment section which one I should read first. Or tell me which of my gift card books I should stop being so cheap about and just buy. Thanks for reading!
- Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
- The Peculiars by Stephan Bachmann
- Wake Up Missing by Kate Messner
- Moving Target by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
- Monstrous by Marcy Kate Connolly
- Unwind by Neal Shusterman
- A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
- All Fall Down by Ally Carter
- Gone by Michael Grant
- The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
Wriggling Bookworms 