Do you remember way back in July when I promised to read 25 pages a day for pages4progress? I did it! Well, I actually did a little more. Between July 13th and September 7th, I read 1739 pages – an average of 29.9 pages per day.

Books I Finished During This Challenge

10% Happier by Dan Harris (non-fiction): A news reporter commits to a meditation practice.*

Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey through His Son’s Addiction by David Sheff (non-fiction): A family struggles to comprehend a teenage son’s addictions to heroin, crystal meth, and alcohol.

The Clue in the Crumbing Wall by Carolyn Keene (YA fiction): Teenage sleuth Nancy Drew searches for a missing dancer who is also the heir to an estate.

Con Cariño, Amalia by Alma Flor Ada and Gabriel M. Zubizarreta (Spanish intermediate fiction): A sixth grade girl deals with both her grandmother’s death and her best friend’s out-of-town move.

The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante (realistic fiction): A woman verges on madness after her husband leaves her.

Silent Dancing: Partial Rememberances of a Puerto Rican Childhood by Judith Ortiz Cofer (autobiographical sketches): Through poetry and prose, Ortiz Cofer recants her childhood in Puerto Rico and New Jersey.

Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess (professional): A veteran teacher shares techniques for increasing student engagement.*

The Year of Our Revolution by Judith Ortiz Cofer (YA realistic fiction): A Puerto Rican woman living in New Jersey comes of age during the 1960s.

Books I Had to Return to the Library Before Finishing (And Have Re-Requested)

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (autobiography): A young Pakistani girl risks her life for her education.

Trout Fishing in America/The Pill versus the Springhill Mine Disaster/ In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan (fiction, fiction, poetry): Through short tales and poetry, Brautigan captures American life in the 1960s.

The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette (non-fiction): This book provides a historical account of New Orleans from colonization through the Louisiana purchase.**

Books I Own But Did Not Finish Because I Was Trying to Complete the Library Books I Had Out

Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros (realistic fiction): A Mexican-American woman narrates her family’s history.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio (fiction): A young boy with a skeletal facial difference begins middle school.

*Read as a Talks for Teachers Summer Book Club Reading Selection

**Inspired me to make Shrimp Gumbo