What's New? Stacking the Shelves

StS is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Hop on over there to ogle what other bloggers got this week.

Won: Wow! I hardly ever win anything but I won this courtesy of Chronicle Books via Fuse#8. Thank you!

The Meaning of Maggie by Megan Jean Sovern. 220 p. Chronicle Books LLC, May 6, 2014. 

Publisher synopsis: As befits a future President of the United States of America, Maggie Mayfield has decided to write a memoir of the past year of her life. And what a banner year it's been! During this period she's Student of the Month on a regular basis, an official shareholder of Coca-Cola stock, and defending Science Fair champion. Most importantly, though, this is the year Maggie has to pull up her bootstraps (the family motto) and finally learn why her cool-dude dad is in a wheelchair, no matter how scary that is. Author Megan Jean Sovern, herself the daughter of a dad with multiple sclerosis, writes with the funny grace and assured prose of a new literary star. A portion of the proceeds of the sale of this book will be donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Purchased:

How I Discovered Poetry by Marilyn Nelson. 112 p. Dial, January, 2014. 9780803733046.

Publisher synopsis: A powerful and thought-provoking Civil Rights era memoir from one of America’s most celebrated poets.
 
Looking back on her childhood in the 1950s, Newbery Honor winner and National Book Award finalist Marilyn Nelson tells the story of her development as an artist and young woman through fifty eye-opening poems. Readers are given an intimate portrait of her growing self-awareness and artistic inspiration along with a larger view of the world around her: racial tensions, the Cold War era, and the first stirrings of the feminist movement.
 
A first-person account of African-American history, this is a book to study, discuss, and treasure.

Ms. Nelson's poetry almost always affects me deeply. I am a huge fan of her work. I'm also hoping that this will be a unique and compelling addition to our memoir collection for an eighth grade unit.

Hunted by Maggie Stiefvater. (Spirit Animals #2) Unabridged audiobook on 5 compact discs, 5 hours, 16 minutes. Read by Nicola Barber. Scholastic Inc., January, 2014. 9780545648745. 

Publisher synopsis: 

In the world of Erdas, only a rare few are able to summon a spirit animal in the way Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan have. The bond they share with their animals is a partnership that allows them to access more-than-human abilities.

But what if there was another way to create a spirit animal--to force the bond, giving the human partner total control? And what if someone with selfish intensions was offered this gift . . . with a catch?

The four young heroes have barely had time to come together as a team, and their own spirit animal bonds are still greatly untested. But now they face a brutal confrontation against an enemy who will break any rule to defeat them.

I recently received the third book in this series to review. I really don't like jumping into the middle of any series, so-o, I am playing catch-up. It's enjoyable though.

That's what's new with me. What's new with you?