It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This Monday, I once again join Jen and Kellee over at Teach Mentor Texts in their weekly meme. I appreciate how they support readers/teachers!

Since I have several papers due soon, I struggled to find reading time for myself. But it's something I love, and its part of my self-designed professional development, so I make the time. (It just means some late nights!)

THE GREAT UNEXPECTED by Sharon Creech

I was so glad to get this ARC in the mail (thanks Harper Collins)! If you read my ALA WRAP-UP post, you know how I feel about Sharon Creech! I love her books! So when I heard that she had a new title out in September, I made it my mission to read it. I was so happy I did.
This book is about two pairs of people and two stories. (It's not difficult to keep them straight because they're both so intriguing!) Naomi and Lizzie make up one of the pairs. They are both orphans living in an odd little town named Blackbird Tree. They meet strange people in the town (including a boy who falls from a tree), and we see their special friendship carried out in the events of the story. I believe the characters are the very best part of this book; in fact, the character descriptions are perfect writing examples to share in my Writer's Workshop. Mystery and unexpectedness fill this book (as the title suggests), but there is also what makes a Sharon Creech book so wonderful: richness in story and the heartwarming feeling that remains after you finish it.

I also read these titles:
CHAINED by Lynne Kelly; published 5/8/12 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
BABYMOUSE by Jennifer Holm & Matt Holm; published 7/10/12 by Random House Children's Books
THE REVOLUTION OF EVELYN SERRANO by Sonia Marzano (ARC); published 9/20/12 by Scholastic
SMALL MEDIUM AT LARGE by Joanne Levy; published 7/3/12 by Bloomsbury USA

This week I am reading:
UNSTOPPABLE by Tim Green (ARC);publishing date: 9/18/12 by Harper Collins

I plan to read:
REMARKABLE by Lizzie K. Foley; published 4/12/12 by Penguin
TEMPLETON TWINS by Jeremy Holmes and Ellis Weiner; publication date: 8/15/12 by Chronicle Books
Journal articles for my issue analysis paper (Lots of nonfiction for me!)

A NOTE ON NONFICTION:
I'm reading research and journal articles, so I'm finding myself being a student again--officially. I highlight, write in the margins, take notes, etc.  Nonfiction reading (scholarly) requires concentration and active participation. I'm an accomplished reader, but when reading these pieces, I must attend and have the energy to do so! If I don't, I will miss something I need to know for later. This is what my students experience.  We read great pieces of nonfiction, but I know they must also learn to read this type of material as well. What more can I do in the classroom to support this? I want them to succeed, as I am trying to do so now.  Being a student again will help me be a better teacher--not just because of the content, but because I am going walking the learning walk myself.