What's New? Stacking the Shelves

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

For review:

The Marvels by Brian Selznick. 672 p. Scholastic Inc., September 15, 2015. 9780545448680.

Publisher synopsis: In this magnificent reimagining of the form he originated, two stand-alone stories-the first in nearly 400 pages of continuous pictures, the second in prose-create a beguiling narrative puzzle.

The journey begins on a ship at sea in 1766, with a boy named Billy Marvel. After surviving a shipwreck, he finds work in a London theatre. There, his family flourishes for generations as brilliant actors until 1900, when young Leontes Marvel is banished from the stage.

Nearly a century later, Joseph Jervis runs away from school and seeks refuge with an uncle in London. Albert Nightingale's strange, beautiful house, with its mysterious portraits and ghostly presences, captivates Joseph and leads him on a search for clues about the house, his family, and the past.

A gripping adventure and an intriguing invitation to decipher how the two narratives connect, The Marvels is a loving tribute to the power of story from an artist at the vanguard of creative innovation.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a Scholastic BEA event to launch The Marvels this past Wednesday. It was a memorable evening. I left with a signed copy of The Marvels and a tiny velvet gift bag. If you ever get the opportunity to hear Brian Selznick speak, grab it. He is such a talented man! He's also an engaging, funny speaker with an infectious passion for his work. 

Purchased: Yes, I've gone and bought more books to add to the tbr.

The Porcupine of Truth by Bill Konigsberg. 325 p. Arthur A. Levine Books/ Scholastic Inc., May, 2015. 9780545648936.

Publisher synopsis: The author of OPENLY STRAIGHT returns with an epic road trip involving family history, gay history, the girlfriend our hero can't have, the grandfather he never knew, and the Porcupine of Truth.

Carson Smith is resigned to spending his summer in Billings, Montana, helping his mom take care of his father, a dying alcoholic he doesn't really know. Then he meets Aisha Stinson, a beautiful girl who has run away from her difficult family, and Pastor John Logan, who's long held a secret regarding Carson's grandfather, who disappeared without warning or explanation thirty years before. Together, Carson and Aisha embark on an epic road trip to find the answers that might save Carson's dad, restore his fragmented family, and discover the "Porcupine of Truth" in all of their lives.

srsly Hamlet by William Shakespeare + Courtney Carbon. OMG Shakespeare series. 110 p. Random House Children's Books, May, 2015,  9780553535389.

Publisher synopsis: Hamlet, one of the greatest stories ever told . . . in texts?!
 
Imagine: What if Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, and the tragic Ophelia had smartphones? A classic is reborn in this fun and funny adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays!
 
A kingdom on the brink of war.
A stolen throne.
A boy seeking revenge.
 
<3 and h8. The classics just got a whole lot more interesting. ;)
 

The Improbable Theory of Ana & Zak by Brian Katcher. 336 p. HarperCollins Publisher, May, 2015. 9780062272775.

Publisher synopsis: Perfect for fans of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak is Stonewall Award-winning author Brian Katcher's hilarious he said/she said romance about two teens discovering themselves on an out-of-this-world accidental first date at a sci-fi convention.

When Ana Watson's brother ditches a high school trip to run wild at Washingcon, type-A Ana knows that she must find him or risk her last shot at freedom from her extra-controlling parents.

In her desperation, she's forced to enlist the last person she'd ever want to spend time with—slacker Zak Duquette—to help find her brother before morning comes.

But over the course of the night, while being chased by hordes of costumed Vikings and zombies, Ana and Zak begin to open up to each other. Soon, what starts as the most insane nerdfighter manhunt transforms into so much more. . . .

Drive Me Crazy by Terra Elan McVoy. 288 p. HarperCollins Publisher, April, 2015. 9780062322432.

Publisher synopsis: Friendship can be a bumpy road. . . .

Lana and Cassie have met only once before, at the wedding of Lana's Grandpa Howe and Cassie's Grandma Tess two months ago. The two girls couldn't be more different, and they didn't exactly hit it off—but they're about to spend an entire week together for their grandparents' honeymoon, road-tripping from California to Maine in the backseat of a Subaru.

It's going to be a disaster.

Told in alternating chapters between Cassie and Lana, Drive Me Crazy is a tween rivalry-turned-friendship story bursting with humor and heart.

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