I start this week with a renewed interest in reading, which may be a celebration of spring (it’s 65 degrees today) or relief from some other obligations. I start with where I left off: Shifting the Balance by Dr. Jan Burkins and Kari Yates, which already went to a second printing – it’s that fabulous! I’m calling for a middle school edition of this needed professional text. Pulling research together and naming six shifts, Burkins and Yates help teachers as they bring together the Science of Reading and the Balanced Literacy Classroom. I also opened Bea is For Blended, which is perfect for Women’s Month because the main character is an inspiring girl.

I read a bunch of new-to-the-library nonfiction at school today, including Beastly Bionics: Rad Robots, Brilliant Biomimicry, and Incredible Inventions Inspired By Nature by Jennifer Swanson. It’s wonderful! Science, technology, nature, cool facts, interesting questions…my middle schoolers will love this book! I also pored through Lost Cities by Giles Laroche, which answers some questions about lost civilizations and opens doors to new wonderings about places we’ve never been.

It seems like I have waited forever, but due to the generosity of Net Galley, Harper Collins, and Blink YA Books, I finally have Heartless Heirs in my downloads. This is the sequel to Twin Daggers by MarcyKate Connolly, and I can’t wait to see what happens to Aissa and Zandria next.

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading? 

IMWAYR is a weekly blog hop with kid lit co-hosts Jennifer from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers. The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It’s a great way to share what you’re reading and get recommendations from others. We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs each week.