PICTURE BOOKS
Of Thee I Sing by Barack Obama, illus. by Loren Long
When Dinosaurs Came with Everything by Elise Broach, illus. by David Small
Cowboy & Octopus by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
Fred Stays with Me! by Nancy Coffelt
A Taste of Colored Water by Matt Faulkner
Two Bobbies by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery, illus. by Jean Cassels
CHILDREN'S NONFICTION
My Uncle Martin's Big Heart by Angela Farris Watkins, illus. by Eric Velasquez
Coretta Scott poetry by Ntozake Shange, paintings by Kadir Nelson
Martin Luther King Jr. by Joeming Dunn, illus. by Chris Allen
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illus. by Brian Pinkney
Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman by Marc Tyler Nobleman, illus. by Ross Macdonald
YA FICTION
Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa (review)
Once in a Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber (review)
Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian (review)
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson (review)
The Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney (mini-review)
The Dark Divine by Bree Despain (mini-review)
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (mini-review)
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (mini-review)
Challenge Progress
Graphic Novels Challenge: 0 (for shame!)
YA Reading Challenge: 12 !
Belated Reactions
Goodness, did I read a boatload of YA this month! Even more, I wrote about much of it. Don't be fooled though - just because I didn't review it all doesn't mean I didn't love it.
I read Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles on Sunday night (way past my bedtime) and loved it just as much but quite differently than Perfect Chemistry. This one follows the middle Fuentes brother, Carlos, as he moves from Mexico to Colorado to live with older bro Alex, in an attempt to stay out of trouble and finish high school. So who's the chica this Latin boy is going to fall for? None other than his peer guide Kiara. Kiara is smart, independent, athletic, and cares little for her outward appearance or for impressing Carlos. I loved the tug-of-war between Kiara and Carlos in this book. And of course, I can't help but root for them both, underdogs in their own ways. I never thought I'd enjoy YA romance as much as I do these books. They're funny, edgy, and definitely sexy. Can't wait for the third, Chain Reaction, to come out this summer!
I also finally finished my beloved vampire series, Vampire Academy, this month with The Last Sacrifice. I didn't love love love it as much as some of the other books, but like Mockingjay, it was a fitting ending to the story. Sigh. I feel so lonesome when series I love end.
But! I started a new werewolf series that I absolutely adore and can't wait to read more of - Nightshade by Andrea Cremer was absolutely fantastic, and I am not too keen on waiting until July to read Wolfsbane. If you haven't read it yet, a word of friendly advice: don't! Wait until the next one is published so you can read them together and then groan in anticipation for this third. Oh series, we have such a love/hate relationship.
Oh, and this isn't YA, but if you haven't read President Obama's picture book Of Thee I Sing, why not? It's a beautiful letter to his daughters, highlighting key figures in history and seeing their greatness in his children. The illustrations by Loren Long complement and help tell the story so so perfectly. Go read it!
To Read in February
My books for my graphic novel grant are trickling in, and I need to read them. Many because I want to and others because I need to know that I made good decisions. But I just haven't been in the mood lately. YA has taken over my world. I expect it will soon taper off, and then I will have time to read these precious graphic works. February is a short month, so I suspect I'll read less, but who knows. I'm falsely snowed in (where's the snow? the ice? why am I home on a Tuesday afternoon?), so I should be reading right now. I'll probably do an author study with kindergarten (Rosemary Wells? Kevin Henkes? or just jump right in to Mo Willems?), fractured fairy tales with first grade, and Coretta Scott King Award winners with 4/5th grade, so my picture book numbers will be higher. We'll see how it goes!
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7 comments:
Wowie. You read a lot more than me. I think I got 10 books total read. I really need to work on that. We're actually getting snowed in as I type this. Getting home from school stunk as the weather turned sour around 2 pm. Looking forward to a snow day and getting around to reading a few books. :-)
Hmmm....new werewolf book. I am intrigued and may try it. I do like werewolves...
You really did read a lot of YA last month. I am glad you enjoyed Nightshade. I cannot wait for the next one of this series to be released. I hope Feb turns out to be another great month for you!
Great month! I tend to read in cycles as well, and am trying to stretch my boundaries a little so I don't get into a reading rut. Good luck in February!
I want to purchase Of Thee I Sing...it sounds like a beautiful book. You did get an amazing amount of books read!
I'm jealous you can read (and review!) this much!
holy smokes you got so much done last month! congrats! haha :) ive been waiting and waiting for my silly library to finally get Rules of Attraction, and I can't wait for Wolfsbane either! good luck in feb!
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