It’s Monday What are you Reading? June 18/18

Taking a break from report cards to link up my week of reading with other bloggers at teachmentortexts.com and unleashingreaders.com, thanks to the hosts Jen, Ricki and Kellee for continuing to provide a place for everyone to find new books for their bulging to-read list.

This week I spent a fair bit of time on a bus ride and it meant a lot more reading time. I read two ARCs that I got from #bookportage, a Canadian ARC group started by the fabulous Casey Lyall, and I also got through a book that just came out this month that I had been waiting over two years to get a copy of.

This is the 100th book that Eric Walters will publish (according to the cover). I really enjoyed his Camp X, and Rule of Three series, although I am not quite through all of the books, so when this appeared on the list for our ARC group I really wanted to give it a try. It is being billed as Jurassic Park meets We Bought a Zoo, but the inclusion of the former book/movie may give a potential reader the impression that this book has an action movie style or pace. That is really not the case. The plot is interesting but in more of a thoughtful way. Most of the plot revolves around battling to keep the sanctuary solvent and looking after the medical needs of the herd. The author refers to this as science filled, not science fiction and I think readers will learn a lot about elephants and their behaviour. While you do not have to be an animal lover to enjoy this book that is set in an animal sanctuary, I do think young readers that have an interest in animals will not be disappointed. There are some really interesting human relationships in the book as well. This book comes out August 28.

I didn’t even know there was a sequel to The Fourteenth Goldfish until recently, but I jumped at the chance for an ARC. This is another science filled, thoughtful read with great parts about relationships. One of the things I loved about this book would be a spoiler to fully explain, so I will try to do so partially. The relationship between Ellie and Raj could have gone full romantic comedy style. Boy and girl are friends, boy and girl fall in love, but Holm writes their relationship in a way that I think MG readers will both appreciate and need to see as a possibility. The resolution is one that is not common in film and TV in particular but quite healthy. This book also continues the story of Melvin’s which was memorable from the first book. It comes out on September 4.

This is the book I first read about two years ago. I think it was shortly after I had read Kate Messner’s Wake Up Missing and I saw the summary and the title and thought that it was going to be another fast-paced thriller. That’s not really what this book is all about. While there is that aspect of the plot, this is more like The Seventh Wish in that it is not about the person who commits the most action based part of the plot, but about the people around the action. This is an intense book at times, but is also more of an introspective book in which the characters see their world in a whole new light. That spotlight on the cover is making reference to characters who broke out of a prison and the search for them, but it’s also about characters who are shinning a light on things that were in plain sight but ignored in a fictional upstate New York town. White priviledge and race are primary topics but discrimination in general could be part of a number of discussions that this book could push a group into if they were reading it together. I am certainly considering this book as one of my first read alouds of next school year.

Currently Reading:

I thought I would finish these picture books before writing this but it was not that kind of day. Having enjoyed some of Alan Gratz’s historical fiction and loving Steampunk from Scott Westerfeld and Kenneth Oppel, I really want to try The League of Seven. The map at the beginning is a great source of predictions for me. Granted is a book I wish I had found for my oldest when she was about 7 and reading a lot of fairy books. Not sure 11 year old girl will give it a try but the first few pages are great. As a family, we read The Adventurer’s Guide to Successful Escapes, and my 8 and 11 year olds wanted to sign up for the next one when they saw it in my classroom so we have started that as well.

Happy reading to everyone as many of us close our year out thinking of many more good books to come.