My Reading Week #IMWAYR- April 10, 2023

Thanks to Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts for this meme!

Sari-Sari Summers by Lynnor Bontigao
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A sweet story about a little girl who loves helping her Lola at their store whenever she visits the Philippines in the summer. When traffic slows down because of a heat wave, she worries that she may not be needed in the store anymore. Luckily, a solution presents herself during a quiet moment outside with her Lola.

Lolo’s Sari-sari Store by Sophia N. Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A girl misses helping out her Lolo at their sari-sari store in the Philippines and all the people who would regularly shop their. When she finds herself in a new faraway place, she realizes she could use the lessons she learned from her Lolo to make this feel more like home.

Everybody! by Elise Gravel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Simple text shares an inclusive message. Perfect for fans of Todd Parr.

Wallflowers by Mackenzie Joy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Finally, a book about celebrating the quiet ones instead of saying they need to be brought out of their shells.

We Are Earthlings by Rachel Qiuqi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A good idea but I wish the text or format was more consistent.

I Was Born a Baby by Meg Fleming
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A fun picture book celebrating baby animals. Readers will enjoy knowing the different names various animals have for their offspring.

Monster and Me 1: Who’s the Scaredy-Cat? by Cort Lane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A new early chapter book series perfect for Isle of Misfits and Desmond Cole, Ghost Patrol fans. This came up on a list that so far- at least with this particularly title- I can’t figure out how the book made it there. I may read one more title in the series to see if that’ll help.

Into the Shadow Mist by Christina Soontornvat
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bestselling, award-winning, and prolific author Christina Soontornvat creates a fantasy world perfect for fans of Upside Down Magic and Avatar: The Last Airbender. When traveling to a mysterious faraway island to continue their lessons, Plum and her friends someone is stealing great sources/resources of power for unknown purposes.

She Persisted: Florence Nightingale by Shelli R. Johannes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While I was familiar with Florence Nightingale, this was a great way to learn more about her and see just how much she contributed to modern nursing.

Marya Khan and the Fabulous Jasmine Garden by Saadia Faruqi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another fun installment in the Marya Khan series, perfect for fans of Jo Jo Makoons and Ivy & Bean. This time, an exciting school project has Marya having to compete with her arch-nemesis. But, she realizes maybe her rival isn’t as bad as she’s making her out to be!

Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World by Gretchen Rubin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gretchen Rubin does it again with her latest experiment turned book that I would say is on par with her other works The Happiness Project and The Four Tendencies. One would expect writing about the five senses- and how to be aware of them to enjoy life more fully- would be dry and boring with nothing new to learn about but with her signature conversational style, she manages to present them in a new way with lots of fascinating information. It was fun to hear bits she was working on on her podcast become sections in this book. She presents practical usage to apply what’s she written like keeping a Five Senses Journal and doing a Five-Senses Portrait. On a technical note, I enjoyed and appreciated the structure of the book including the parts she would visit the Met for each of the senses.

You can view all my reviews over on Goodreads. Please consider supporting independent bookstores when you want to buy any of the books I’ve mentioned via Bookshop.org or Libro.fm.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Happy Reading!

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