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.

Well, I'm at ALA Midwinter and the opportunities to stack my shelves are endless! I need only take from any number of tables and stacks in the Exhibit Hall and ship them home. I learned that I can't possibly get to read all the books that I take at these events and, as hard as it is, am much more selective about what I take. I really feel a responsibility to read what I take. So I traveled hoping to get these and I did and all is well with the world.

A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord. 184 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., May 26, 2015. 9780545700290.

Publisher synopsis: This powerful middle-grade novel from the Newbery Honor author of RULES explores a friendship between a small-town girl and the daughter of migrant workers.

When Lily's blind dog, Lucky, slips his collar and runs away across the wide-open blueberry barrens of eastern Maine, it's Salma Santiago who manages to catch him. Salma, the daughter of migrant workers, is in the small town with her family for the blueberry-picking season.

After their initial chance meeting, Salma and Lily bond over painting bee boxes for Lily's grandfather, and Salma's friendship transforms Lily's summer. But when Salma decides to run in the upcoming Blueberry Queen pageant, they'll have to face some tough truths about friendship and belonging. Should an outsider like Salma really participate in the pageant-and possibly win?

Set amongst the blueberry barrens and by the sea, this is a gorgeous new novel by Newbery Honor author Cynthia Lord that tackles themes of prejudice and friendship, loss and love.

The Worst Class Trip Ever by Dave Barry. 212 p. Disney-Hyperion, May 5, 2015. 9781484708491.

Publisher synopsis: In this hilarious novel, written in the voice of eighth-grader Wyatt Palmer, Dave Barry takes us on a class trip to Washington, DC. Wyatt, his best friend, Matt, and a few kids from Culver Middle School find themselves in a heap of trouble-not just with their teachers, who have long lost patience with them-but from several mysterious men they first meet on their flight to the nation's capital. In a fast-paced adventure with the monuments as a backdrop, the kids try to stay out of danger and out of the doghouse while trying to save the president from attack-or maybe not.

The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall. 352 p. Random House Children's Books, March 24, 2015. 9780375870774.

Publisher synopsis: Springtime is finally arriving on Gardam Street, and there are surprises in store for each member of the family.
 
Some surprises are just wonderful, like neighbor Nick Geiger coming home from war. And some are ridiculous, like Batty’s new dog-walking business. Batty is saving up her dog-walking money for an extra-special surprise for her family, which she plans to present on her upcoming birthday. But when some unwelcome surprises make themselves known, the best-laid plans fall apart.
That's the tip of the iceberg of what's new with me. What's new with you?