It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/18/2018

Throughout the school year, my TBR pile seems to grow by the week. I so look forward to summer vacation when the pace of life slows down and I have a chance to read many of those books that I've been saving. One of my goals this summer was to start writing more about the books I'm reading and that lead me to reviving this blog with my first #IMWAYR in quite a few years.

Have you ever found yourself so engrossed in a book that you're "stealing" time out of your day wherever you can to sneak in another chapter or just a few more pages? That's how I was with Amal Unbound by Aisha Saed. Amal is a Pakastani girl who loves school and learning and longs to be a teacher someday. When she has to stay home to care for her younger siblings instead of going to school, it is devastating for her. While on a trip to the market alone, she ends up confronting the son of her village's landlord and is eventually sent to be a servant in their home to pay off her family's debt. Amal holds fast to her dreams and persists through many hardships at the Khan residence including run-ins with other servants. I loved the message of this book and it's definitely going to be one that I'll be recommending to students in the fall. 

I was able to read a couple picture books this past week that I really enjoyed as well.  The first one was This House, Once by Deborah Freedman. This book made me think about all of the pieces of our house and what they once were. I think this book would lend itself well to a discussion with my elementary students about the different pieces of their houses and what they were...once. The illustrations in this book were beautiful!

What young child doesn't want a pet? In the book Charlotte and the Pet Rock by Stephen W. Martin, Charlotte is no different. When her parents give her a pet rock, it really isn't the pet she was dreaming about, but she makes the best of it and treats her rock just as she would any other pet. Charlotte and her rock do everything together and the plot twist at the end of the book made me smile. I can't wait to use this book in the fall with my students and pair it with a pet rock making activity!