Last week I was sitting in the waiting area at my hair salon with a young girl and her mother. The girl had a book with her and I was straining to see the title. Before I could invade their space completely, a conversation started.
Me: Sorry, but I’m interested in knowing what you are reading.
Girl: Walk Two Moons.
Me: Oh, Sharon Creech! I love her work.
Mother: I’m reading it, too, so we can discuss it before she goes back to school.
What are you reading?
Me: Maxi’s Secrets by Lynn Plourde.
I could tell by their expressions that they were surprised I was reading a middle grade novel when I probably didn’t have to unless I was a teacher or the mother of a middle grader (that was a long time ago!). But the truth is, that while I do read lots of middle grade and YA titles to review, I really enjoy them! There is so much good writing going on in books for kids and tweens and teens that I don’t want to miss any of it. You can see that by the picture of my TBR pile.
I actually just finished Barbara O’Connor’s Wish (wonderful characters and a great mentor text for craft) and last night I sunk my teeth into Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee. During the summer I got to know Charlie from Kate Messner’s The Seventh Wish and Kate DiCamillo’s Raymie Nightingale (sigh!) among others – characters that will stay with me for some time.
A few years ago I wrote about the variety in how I read, switching off between print and electronic and audio. Thinking about what I read is just as varied. I read fiction and nonfiction picture books, middle grade novels, YA, realistic adult novels (sweeping family sagas always pull me in), some adult nonfiction, mysteries, fantasy, professional books… I guess it’s safe to say that I love books!
What are you reading?
Imagine the Possibilities 
I think it is important to share with students what we read as well. In preparation for some work I will be doing with teachers from Brooklyn, I’m reading Half Bad (dystopian lit), and I’m rereading The Absolute True Diary of a Part Time Indian (Alexie) and the 1st Harry Potter book. Your post has me thinking about the fact that I reread books. I started to reread Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance yesterday. I read it when I was 17 and that’s a long time ago.
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I also love to reread books, especially those I read at a different stage of life. It brings a new perspective.
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I get the same reaction when I’m reading children’s literature – I always have to explain I am a teacher and I read them to share with my students. I really have to read Wish. It sounds wonderful. I just finished The Rat Prince which is a twist on the Conderelka story.
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I love this! They actually have a YA book club for adults at our library and I go to it when I can. It’s called… “Young at Heart”
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Thanks, Rose, for the peek at your books. Like you I’m always curious about what others are reading. Young adults books are great…many are well-crafted and filled with excitment and emotion. Pax by Sara Pennypacker was my most recent young-adult read. I highly recommend it.
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There are so many good YA books out there that it would be a shame not to include them in a list of to-be-read books.
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I just love books too. And I read all types also. Thank you for sharing some of yours, I will check them out!
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That is a stack of wonderful, rich reading – I, for one, am grateful that I get to read so much YA for my job.
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Love those titles — we read more elem, middle and YA than adult these days. Loved loved loved Wish!!! Looking forward to reconnected through SOL this fall.
Clare and Tammy
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I love your stack of books. I think I must put Wish on my list. It keeps popping up everywhere.
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Yes! I think you would enjoy Wish.
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Maxi’s Secret is on my long, long, long list of books to read. Did I mention my list is long? Anyway, I just picked up Sharon Creech’s latest release (just last week)! The title is Moo and I can’t wait to start reading it tonight!!!
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Thanks, Amy! I’ll have to look for Moo. And just a warning – don’t read the end of Maxi’s Secrets without tissues available.
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I just finished Sharon Creech’s Moo and wrote about it today.
I guess we BOTH love books!
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I have several of those titles in my stack, too! Middle grade and YA books have some of the most beautiful writing out there. Have you read The Thing About Jellyfish? Awesome first chapter!
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I’m re-reading Siddartha and also reading Free At Laat African American Lit.
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