It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 6-23-2014

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (IMWAYR) is a weekly challenge begun by Sheila at Book Journey to encourage others to share the books they are reading each week. Jen at Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers added the "From Picture Books to YA" element to Sheila's idea. Many thanks to these four women for creating a fun way to share our reading lists. Please be sure to visit their blogs and see what they've read over the past week. 

Middle Grade

Counting by 7s 

Holly Goldberg Sloan

Source: Goodreads 

I read Counting by 7s as part of the #VirtualBookClub discussion on Twitter. (Oh my goodness, do those ladies ever know how to choose books!) The Twitter discussion took place last week, and as always, it was nice to share our thoughts after reading the book. Here's the link to our discussion if you are interested in what goes on during a #VirtualBookClub chat. But beware: There are spoilers!

I have to say that I absolutely loved Counting by 7s. The characters were unique and well-developed. Each one underwent a transformation during the course of the story. And if you read the chat transcript, you'll see that some of those characters were somewhat hard to love, yet it was difficult not to root for them as well. 

What I found fascinating about this book is the way Sloan managed the multiple points of view. Willow Chance, the main character, is written in first person, while the other characters are in third person. This technique allows readers to see what the lives of the minor characters are like when they're alone but also maintain the intimacy with the main character, Willow. 

By the way, if you're interested in taking part in the next #VirtualBookClub chat, you can find out more information on its website. Next month's book is A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd. 

Oliver and the Seawigs 

by Philip Reeve

Source: Goodreads 

I received a digital galley of Oliver and the Seawigs through NetGalley. It's a middle grade magical realism book about a ten-year-old boy, Oliver, whose parents have decided to give up their lives as adventurers/explorers in order to give Oliver a more normal life. But that doesn't last long as his parents can't resist the urge to explore the new islands that popped up near their home. When Oliver's parents don't return after several hours, he goes looking for them, only to discover the islands are no longer there!

Oliver and the Seawigs has an interesting cast--a boy, his parents, a near-sighted mermaid, rambling islands, and some very sarcastic seagrass. It was a quick and interesting read that middle graders will enjoy. It includes lots of artwork which should appeal to those readers who prefer graphic novels. 

This book will definitely become part of my school library collection when it's published later this year.