It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/1/15

 

Wow! What amazing books this week. Somehow I managed to finish four in seven days, which is definitely an accomplishment for me. Here’s what I finished:

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

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This is a wonderful graphic novel perfect for middle grades. The graphics were colorful and had a good balance between realism and cartoon qualities. I loved the atypical protagonist, Astrid. She’s a tween who loves black and DESPISES shopping.

When Astrid goes to roller derby camp and her best friend goes to dance camp, Astrid has to make it on her own. This is such an important lesson for young people to learn. Friendships are hard especially when friends part ways, taking up different interests. I think that many readers can relate to Astrid’s situation while learning a little bit about roller derby.

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero

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Dios Mio! How have I not read this book before now?! I absolutely loved Gabi, a Girl in Pieces. Quintero touches on sensitive subjects while creating layers upon layers of thought-provoking material: self-image, weight issues, friendship, teenage pregnancy, drugs and the effects, suicide, gender hypocrisy, sexuality, sex, religion, and on and on. What a great young-adult novel. If you haven’t read it, you should.  

Dave Ramsey’s Complete Guide to Money: The Handbook of Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey

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My dad got me this book for graduation and boy am I glad he did. Dave covers EVERYTHING financial: insurance, budgeting, debt, giving, saving, investment options, negotiating better deals, selling and buying homes, etc.

I ate this book up. It was one of those books when I didn’t care what page I was on, and I wasn’t in a hurry to finish it. I think I’ll be rereading this one and using it as a reference for a long time.

Sway by Kat Spears

sway

Let’s play a game. When you look at this book cover, what do you think this book will be about?

Possible answers: a cute love story, a boy who falls in love, an unreachable girl, high school love, etc.

Correct answer: A guy who squeezes money out of people by selling weed, ecstasy, fake IDs, kegs of beer, term papers, and dates with popular girls.

Jesse is the ultimate street king, a kid with more baggage than he knows what to do with. His mom ingested a few too many pills and his dad has a habit of frequently bringing new conquests home.

Not quite what the book cover conveys, huh.

Yes, there is a girl who charms the ultimate charmer, but that is absolutely not the focus of the book. Despite the deep issues the book touches on, the “love story” (if you could call it that) manages to keep the book on the edge of being over-the-top. Many of the GoodReads reviews I’ve read about the book are not favorable because it’s not what they were expecting.

Let me tell you, I’m so glad it’s not what I was expecting. My friend Maggie has pinpointed my reading habits: I pick girly-looking books, but I love boy books. (Noggin is a good example of this). Boy book to the core, Sway is my kind of book. 

Check out Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers to read more IMWAYR posts!

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