5.28 It’s Monday! What are you reading? #Bang #Curveball #AndTheMountainsEchoed #Fallout

A new week, a new batch of books–both books finished and being read. Today is…

Ring-the-Bell Monday & It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

{Sharing what books we’ve read in the past week & the titles we are currently reading.}

COMING OCTOBER 8, 2013

{This is book 2 in the VISIONS  series, and the sequel to Crash…

… which I read earlier this year. I got the digital ARC from Edelweiss. The premise is the same as before, and still just as crazy. How will the characters figure out where this supernatural vision of the school shooting is taking place? And can they do it in time? Hang on, because it’s quite a ride.

Again, not a 6th grade book. Sorry.}

•  •  •

Description

Sometimes, the greatest comebacks take place far away from the ball field.

Meet Peter Friedman, high school freshman. Talented photographer. Former baseball star. When a freakish injury ends his pitching career, Peter has some major things to figure out. Is there life after sports? Why has his grandfather suddenly given him thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment? And is it his imagination, or is the super-hot star of the girls’ swim team flirting with him, right in front of the amazing new girl in his photography class? In his new novel, teen author Jordan Sonnenblick performs his usual miraculous feat: exploring deep themes of friendship, romance, family, and tragedy, while still managing to be hilariously funny.

{The 6th grade ELA teachers are reading this to prepare for a book club together. I thought this was a fabulous book, and the characters were real and believable. It was interesting to see Peter struggle with very real tragedies and family situations. How will he deal with his  baseball injury that may end his young baseball career? Is the cute girl in the photography class really flirting with him? Is his grampa okay? Both humorous and deep, Curveball was a very interesting read that I’m looking forward to discussing further. And yes—my book is filed with Post-it notes, so I’m ready to go.}

[Check back throughout the day for updates of my students’ reading.]

Since last Monday, my A Class has read:

 books

My B Class has read:

 books

My C Class has read:

 books

ARC from NetGalley

Publication Date: September 10, 2013

Categories: Social Issues – Violence, Historical – United States – 20th Century, Historical – Military & Wars

Description

What if the bomb had actually been dropped? What if your family was the only one with a shelter?

In the summer of 1962, the possibility of nuclear war is all anyone talks about. But Scott’s dad is the only one in the neighborhood who actually prepares for the worst. As the neighbors scoff, he builds a bomb shelter to hold his family and stocks it with just enough supplies to keep the four of them alive for two critical weeks. In the middle of the night in late October, when the unthinkable happens, those same neighbors force their way into the shelter before Scott’s dad can shut the door. With not enough room, not enough food, and not enough air, life inside the shelter is filthy, physically draining, and emotionally fraught. But even worse is the question of what will — and won’t — remain when the door is opened again. Internationally best-selling author Todd Strasser has written his most impressive and personal novel to date, ruthlessly yet sensitively exploring the terrifying what-ifs of one of the most explosive moments in human history.

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I’m LISTENING to:

Description

An unforgettable novel about finding a lost piece of yourself in someone else.

Khaled Hosseini, the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, has written a new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations. In this tale revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most. Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe—from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos—the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page.

{I was a big fan of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. When I heard that Hosseini had a new book coming, I reserved it from the library ASAP. I didn’t realize that I had reserved an audio book. Fine with me—It makes for a nice ride to work and back home. I have to be honest, it’s been difficult to get out of the car when I reach my destination. The book is written in third person POV (mostly—though my current section is a first person letter), but the character in focus keeps changing.}

More Great ARCs…

{Thank you, Ms Kittscher, for sending this to me. Man—I love getting book packages in the mail. I’m looking forward this read.}

Before you see what the students are reading… what are you reading? Please leave a comment and let us know—and show the students that reading isn’t just a “school” thing.

(For every parent who leaves a comment with what you’re reading, I’ll give your child a BUSTED ticket…)

[Check back at the end of the day to see the cool spinning pictures of what my students are reading.]

Click the picture below for A Class SpinCam

Click the picture below for B Class SpinCam

Click the picture below for C Class SpinCam

[If anyone else is using SpinCam to show what your students are reading, I’d love to know about it and link to my Friday post. Thanks.]

Thanks,

David Etkin