Jen Vincent at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye and Ricki Ginsburg at Unleashing Readers cohost It's Monday! What are You Reading? weekly on their blogs. To see what others are reading and recommending each Monday, or to participate, be sure to head over to these blogs.
Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin will be on shelves on October 7th, but I had to share about it now because it was such a good read! Rose Howard is a 5th grader who is obsessed with homonyms, prime numbers, and rules. She lives with her father and has a close relationship with her uncle. Her mother is not in the picture and her father tells Rose that she walked out on them when she was little. She has a dog named Rain (of course she chose a name that is a homonym) that her father found and brought home one day. Rose adores Rain and they are always together when she isn't in school. Rose has Aspergers and has multiple challenges at school socially and academically. The story is told from Rose's point of view, which makes her character come alive for the reader. This story is full of suspense, heartbreak, and surprises.
Dash by Kirby Larson will be published on August 26th so mark your calendars! I just started reading the ARC last night and could not put it down! I am always on the look-out for new historical fiction titles and I can not wait to share this one with my fifth graders - may have to be a read-aloud! This story takes place during WWII when people of Japanese descent are forced into internment camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Mitsi-Kashino, the main character, is in fifth grade and is a Japanese-American who lives in Seattle. She has a dog named Dash who she treasures! Up until the attack on Pearl Harbor, she has two close friends at school, but then they stop talking to her and make her feel like an outsider. Following the attack, her family is forced to move to a relocation camp and she can not bring Dash, which completely devastates her. A neighbor agrees to take care of Dash and write letters to Mitsi so she can stay connected with Dash. This is a must-read historical fiction book that shows the impact the bombing of Pearl Harbor had on Japanese American families.
Enjoy reading this week! :)
I just got Rain Reign from Netgalley and am looking forward to reading it. Dash sounds like a great book that tells an important story as well. I love Kirby Larson. I can see a lot of readers really connecting with the devastating news that a beloved pet cannot come with you. That would be enough to really help young readers understand the unfair treatment of people in this context. Thank you for sharing these titles. Have a great reading week!
ReplyDeleteRain Reign sounds interesting! I don't think I've read any of her books since the 90's- if even that!
ReplyDeleteI just finished Duke, and now I have Dash to look forward to - happiness!
ReplyDeleteI'll look forward to Rain Reign and Dash, Melanie. I've seen lots of love for Rain Reign, so am not surprised about your review either. Thanks for both!
ReplyDeleteHistorical fiction is one genre that I absolutely love, but have not had a chance to read in recent months. Hope to remedy that soon. Duke and Dash sound like beautiful reads.
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