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Smiling Shelves

Reading Challenges Complete - Round One

12/17/2018

3 Comments

 
Reading challenges are definitely one of the areas where I can overcommit myself. With a new baby arriving in June, I knew when I started this year that I needed to limit the number of reading challenges that I signed up for. It sort of worked. I only signed up for 6, instead of my usual 10+. And I'm happy to report that I did fairly decently! I'm still working on a couple, so here are the first three reading challenges that I completed this year.
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Passport Litsy
​Hosted by @maximoffs on the Litsy app
Goal: 6 countries
Armenia: Efronia: An Armenian Love Story by Stina Katchadourian
   - Full Moon Over Noah's Ark: An Odyssey to Mount Ararat and Beyond by Rick Antonson
Benin: Thread of Gold Beads by Nike Campbell-Fatoki
Brunei:​​ Tribute to Brunei and Other Poems by John Onu Odihi
   - Into the Heart of Borneo by Redmond O'Hanlon

Ireland: Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Kiribati: The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost
Tokelau: A Deviation from the Norm:​ A Pilot's Story by Norm Sanson

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Hosted by Me!
Goal: Avi level (45-59 points)
​1. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (3 points)
2. The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes (2 points)
3. Doll Bones by Holly Black (2 points)
4. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (3 points)
​5. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (3 points)
6. Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly (3 points)
7. One Came Home by Amy Timberlake (2 points)
​8. Paperboy by Vince Vawter (2 points)
9. M.C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton (3 points)
​10. The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox (3 points)
11.  Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien (3 points)
12. Sounder by William Armstrong (3 points)
​13. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (2 points)
14. Crown:​ An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes (2 points)
​15. The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars (3 points)
16. Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary (2 points)
17. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary (2 points)
18. The Grey King by Susan Cooper (3 points)
​19. Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson (2 points)
20. Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson (2 points)
​21. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell (3 points)
Points: 53

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Hosted by Becky's Book Reviews
Goal: All 104 categories!
1. Title beginning with A
2. Author beginning with A
3. Title beginning with B
4. Author beginning with B
5. Title beginning with C
6. Author beginning with C
7. Title beginning with D
8. Author beginning with D
9. Title beginning with E
10. Author beginning with E
11. Title beginning with F
12. Author beginning with F
13. Title beginning with G
14. Author beginning with G
15. Title beginning with H
16. Author beginning with H
17. Title beginning with I
18. Author beginning with I
19. Title beginning with J
20. Author beginning with J
21. Title beginning with K
22. Author beginning with K
23. Title beginning with L
24. Author beginning with L
25. Title beginning with M
26. Author beginning with M
27. Title beginning with N
28. Author beginning with N
29. Title beginning with O
30. Author beginning with O
31. Title beginning with P
32. Author beginning with P
33. Title or Author beginning with Q
34. Title beginning with R
35. Author beginning with R
36. Title beginning with S
37. Author beginning with S
38. Title beginning with T
39. Author beginning with T
40. Title or Author beginning with U
41. Title or Author beginning with V or W
42. Title or Author beginning with X or “Ex”
43. Title beginning with Y
44. Author beginning with Y
45. Title or Author beginning with Z
46. An alphabet book
47. A counting book
48. A color word in the title
49. A number word in the title
50. Concept book of your choice— picture book
51. Concept book of your choice — board book
52. bedtime book —board book
53. bedtime book — picture book
54. book that rhymes —picture book
55. book that rhymes — early reader OR board book
56. holiday of your choice — board book or early reader
57. holiday of your choice — picture book
58. wordless picture book
59. new to you author
60. new to you illustrator
61. favorite author
62. favorite illustrator
63. free choice
64. fairy or folk tale adaptation
65. fairy or folk tale traditional
66. a title with the word “first” in it 
67. a book set in the state you live
68. a book set in a place you’d like to visit
69. a book set in an imaginary place
70. a book set in the past — fiction or nonfiction
71. a book set in the present
72. picture book for older readers — fiction
73. picture book for older readers — nonfiction
74. early reader — fiction
75. early reader — nonfiction
76. picture book with photographs
77. one word title
78. long title (four or more words)
79. oversized book
80. tiny book
81. a book about playing (hide and seek, tag, or peekaboo, etc.)
82. a book about school
83. a book about hobbies (art, dance, music, crafts, sports)
84. a title that is a question
85. a title that is an exclamation
86. an award winner or an honor book
87. a collection (of poems OR stories)
88. a book with animals (fiction)
89. a book with animals (nonfiction)
90. a book about books or reading
91. a book celebrating family
92. first book in a series
93. any book in a series
94. book with an adventure or misadventure
95. a book about a pet
96. A title with the word “yes” or “no” in it
97. A title with the word “big” or “little” in it
98. a classic published before 1968
99. a book you think should be considered a classic
100. Out of print
101. Library book
102. Impulse pick
103. Board book published in 2018
104. Picture book published in 2018 ​
1. All God's Critters Got a Place in the Choir by Bill Staines
2. Happy Birthday, Moon by Frank Asch
3. The Baseball Player and the Walrus by Ben Loory
4. The Wolf, the Duck & the Mouse by Mac Barnett
5. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
6. Moonstruck by Gennifer Choldenko
7. Dino-Baby by Mark Sperring
8. A Squash and a Squeeze by Julia Donaldson
9. The Easter Egg by Jan Brett
10. Wake Up, It's Spring! by Lisa Campbell Ernst
11. Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig
12. Olivia Saves the Circus by Ian Falconer
13. Great Day for Up by Dr. Seuss
14. My Pillow Keeps Moving! by Laura Gehl
15. How to Babysit a Grandma by Jean Reagan
16. When Lions Roar by Robie H. Harris
17. If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff
18. Specs for Rex by Yasmeen Ismail
19. Jam & Jelly by Holly & Nellie by Gloria Whelan
20. Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers
21. Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
22. Purplicious by Victoria Kann
23. Let's Have a Tree Party! by David Martin
24. A Truck Goes Rattley-Bumpa by Jonathan London
25. Machines Go to Work by William Low
26. Charlotte and the Rock by Stephen W. Martin
27. The Nonsense Show by Eric Carle
28. If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff
29. Outfoxed by Mike Twohy
30. Fancy Nancy:​ Bonjour Butterfly by Jane O'Connor
31. Penguin Cha-Cha by Kristi Valiant
32. Hedgehog's Magic Tricks by Ruth Paul
33. Quiet! There's a Canary in the Library by Don Freeman
34. Railroad Hank by Lisa Moser
35. How to Surprise a Dad by Jean Reagan
36. Sheep Out to Eat by Nancy Shaw
37. Dinner with Olivia by Emily Sollinger
38. Thump, Quack, Moo by Doreen Cronin
39. Accident by Andrea Tsurumi
40. Up Above and Down Below by Paloma Valdivia
41. I Want That Nut! by Madeline Valentine
42. An Extraordinary Egg by Leo Lionni
43. Yaks Yak by Linda Sue Park
44. Dog Loves Drawing by Louise Yates
45. A Most Mysterious Mouse by Giovanna Zoboli
46. Kay Kay's Alphabet Safari by Dana Sullivan
47. Dog Loves Counting by Louise Yates
48. Have You Seen My New Blue Socks? by Eve Bunting
49. Fire Engine No. 9 by Mike Austin
50. One by Kathryn Otoshi
51.  Red Apple, Green Pear
52. The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
53. A Bedtime for Bear by Bonny Becker
54. "Fire! Fire!" said Mrs. McGuire by Bill Martin Jr.
55. Tough Trucks by Tony Mitton
56. Little Blue Truck's Christmas by Alice Schertle
57. The Legend of the Easter Egg by Lori Walburg
58. Time Flies by Eric Rohmann
59. Maybe a Bear Ate It! by Robie H. Harris
60. Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party by Melanie Watt
61. Little Quack's New Friend by Lauren Thompson
62 Steam Train, Dream Train by Sherri Duskey Rinker & Tom Lichtenheld.
63. The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt
64. Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf by Judy Sierra
65. The Three Little Pigs by Bernadette Watts
66. First Day at Zoo School by Sarah Dillard
67. M Is For Mitten by Annie Appleford
68. Hattie & Hudson by Chris van Dusen
69. The Maestro Plays by Bill Martin Jr.
70. Engelbert the Elephant by Tom Paxton
71. Pinkalicious by Victorian Kann
72. Eloise by Kay Thompson
73. Alabama Spitfire by Bethany Hegedus
74. Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr
75. Big Machines by Karen Wallace
76. Hooray for Kids! by Suzanne Lang
77. Olivia by Ian Falconer
78. If All the Animals Came Inside by Eric Pinder
79. The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey
80. The Tale of Benjamin Bunny by Beatrix Potter
81. Jazzy in the Jungle by Lucy Cousins
82. If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don't! by Elise Parsley
83. Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae
84. How Many Sleeps 'Til My Birthday? by Mark Sperring; illustrated by Sebastien Braun
85. Wake Up, Rupert! by Mike Twohy
86. Big Cat, Little Cat by Elisha Cooper
87. Sylvia Long's Mother Goose by Sylvia Long
88. Lion Lion by Miriam Busch
89. Crafty Crocodiles by Rebecca Johnson
90. Dog Loves Books by Louise Yates
91. How to Babysit a Grandpa by Jean Reagan
92. Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor
93. Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping by Eileen Christelow
94. Daisy Gets Lost by Chris Raschka
95. Up and Down by Oliver Jeffers
96. Yes Day! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
97. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star by Jerry Pinkney
98. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
99. The Giant Jumperee by Julia Donaldson
100. Beware of the Frog by William Bee
101. If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Joffe Numeroff
102. I Took the Moon for a Walk by Carolyn Curtis
103. Find Colors by Tamara Shopsin & Jason Fulford
104. Lola Dutch by Kenneth & Sarah Jane Wright
104 out of 104 categories complete
3 Comments

Book Club Reads from 2018

12/11/2018

2 Comments

 
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Even though I've been pretty much MIA here since June, I have still been participating in my real-life book club. It's been so nice to have one night a month to escape the craziness of my house and talk to adults for a while. These are the books that we read this year.
January - Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin
February - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
April - A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
May - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
June - A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
July - The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
September - Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
October - News of the World by Paulette Jiles
November - Circling the Sun by Paul McLain
Our Favorite Books: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. A couple of our members were reading it for the first time, and the rest of us loved revisiting this classic. Also The Nightingale. Such a powerful and well-written story.
Not-So-Favorite Book:​ News of the World wasn't quite what we were expecting. It was very well-written, but maybe not as gripping as we thought it would be.
Best Food Served: This is one of the best parts! We always have good food, but at our November meeting, we had warm, fudgy brownies for dessert, topped with peppermint ice cream and chocolate peppermint sauce. We all decided that we could easily eat that every time!
2 Comments

Introducing the 2019 Newbery Challenge!

12/3/2018

12 Comments

 
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Welcome to another year of the Newbery Reading Challenge! Newbery and Caldecott books are fun to read - whether it's our first time experiencing them, or we're revisiting them from our childhood. If you want to challenge yourself to read more Newbery and Caldecott books this year, then you have found the right place!

Here are the rules:​
Each book you read is worth points. You get:
  • 3 points for a Newbery Medal Winner
  • 2 points for a Newbery Honor Book
  • 1 point for a Caldecott Book (Both Medal winners and Honor books are worth a point.)

In addition to that, you pick a level to aim for:
  • L'Engle: 15 - 29 points
  • Spinelli: 30 - 44 points
  • Avi: 45 - 59 points
  • Lowry: 60 - 74 points
  • Konigsburg: 75+ points

You can get to this level with any combination of points you want. You can read all Newbery Medal winners. You can throw in a few Honor Books. If you want, you can even read 75 Caldecott Medal winners! How you get to your point level is totally up to you. 

Also, anywhere in the point range for your level counts as completing that level. So for example, if you signed up for the Avi level and read 46 points' worth of books, then you have completed that level!

List of Newbery Medal Winners & Honor Books
List of Caldecott Medal Winners & Honor Books

Challenge Guidelines:
  • Rereads count (because you were probably a kid when you read it last, and your perspective on the story just might have changed since then).
  • Audiobooks and ebooks count.
  • And paper books count, too. :)
  • All books must be read between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2019. Books begun before January 1 don’t count.
  • Books can be used for other challenges as well.
  • Reviews are encouraged, but not necessary.
  • Choose your point level. You can always aim for a higher point level, but you can't move to a lower one.
To join the Newbery Reading Challenge:
  • Write a post (or a comment) stating your intention to join. Choose your point level. You can find the challenge image above to use in your post.
  • Add your link to the Linky at the bottom of this post. Make sure you include the link to your sign-up post, not just your homepage.

Sign Up for the 2019 Newbery Reading Challenge!

12 Comments

I'm Still Around!

12/3/2018

7 Comments

 
Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted anything! My daughter arrived in June, and blogging has taken a backseat to figuring out this whole two-kid thing. I hope to start posting occasionally again, and I have some end-of-the-year reading lists and stats coming. And the Newbery Reading Challenge will continue! I'll be getting that post up soon.

In the meantime, I post fairly frequently on the Litsy app with all sorts of bookishness. My name is smilingshelves, and I'd love to connect with you there.

Hope all is going well for all of you in the blogosphere! Happy reading!
7 Comments
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    My name is Julie, and I own a lot of books. As in, they are stacked on the floor because I've run out of room on the shelves. And those shelves? There are so many books on them that they smile -- not sag; smile. This blog will cover book reviews and all manner of other bookish things.

    You can contact me at julie@smilingshelves.com.

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