It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday, and that means Spring Break is over. It also means that it's time for me to join my Nerdy Book Club friends Jen and Kellee over at Teach Mentor Texts as we talk about our reading for the week. Because I had some time off, I was able to read more!

My TBR (to-be-read) stacks are OVERFLOWING. For a Nerdy Book Club member like, that is a good thing! But this always makes it difficult for me to choose a book. Sometimes I'll let my mood decide. Sometimes it's tweets from trusted friends.

This week, I read:

HOLD FAST by Blue Balliett
Published: March 1, 2013
Published by: Scholastic Press
Pages 288

(This won't be a review. Instead, consider it a book chat.)

I first found out about this book at NCTE in November. I'd heard very little about it, except perhaps one tweet or two saying it was good.

Those tweets were right.

It's a mystery involving a family searching for their dad who has disappeared. Forced out of their apartment, they must live in a shelter. The mystery drives the plot, but what gives it its power is the narrative of children living in homelessness. The effects are evident and told through the characters as they do their best to cope. Early, the main character and oldest in the family, uses problem-solving and her love of language to deal with the tough circumstances. I really liked her character. This book is wonderfully written and will cause us all to think about the homeless--especially the children. (You will need Kleenex for this one.)  Blue Balliett has written a gem here. It's a book that I am now recommending over and over to anyone I talk books with! (There's also a library in this one! Yeah!)

CHU'S DAY by Neil Gaiman & illustrated by Adam Rex
Published: Jan. 8, 2013
Published by: Harpercollins
Pages: 32


Chu's Day is so sweet! Chu is a panda, and his sneezes are quite unique! It's a great read-aloud for little ones, and a story that made me so, so happy. Another great part about this book are the illustrations. So brilliant!

REALITY IS BROKEN by Jane McGonagal
Published: Feb. 1, 2011
Published by: Penguin Books
Pages: 400

This is nonfiction book that I found out about via Twitter. It's all about games and their potential to have an impact on different parts of life. I haven't finished it, and it's really making me think.

I'm off to read now.

I hope you have a great week of reading, too!