Reviews and ramblings about children's and young adult literature by an absentminded middle school librarian. I keep my blog to remember what I've read and to celebrate the wonderful world of children's and young adult literature.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
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:
Stef Soto, Taco Queen by Jennifer Torres. 166 p. Little, Brown and Company, January, 2017. 9780316306874.
Publisher synopsis: Estefania "Stef" Soto is itching to shake off the onion-and-cilantro embrace of Tia Perla, her family's taco truck. She wants nothing more than for Papi to get a normal job and for Tia Perla to be a distant memory. Then maybe everyone at school will stop seeing her as the Taco Queen.
But when her family's livelihood is threatened, and it looks like her wish will finally come true, Stef surprises everyone (including herself) be becoming the truck's unlikely champion. In this fun and heartfelt novel, Stef will discover what matters most and ultimately embrace an identity that even includes old Tia Perla.
Finding Perfect by Elly Swartz. 304 p. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, October 18, 2016. 978037403129.
Publisher synopsis: To twelve-year-old Molly Nathans, perfect is:
-The number four
-The tip of a newly sharpened No. 2 pencil
-A crisp white pad of paper
-Her neatly aligned glass animal figurines.
What's not perfect is Molly's mother leaving the family to take a faraway job with the promise to return in one year. Molly knows that promises are sometimes broken, so she hatches a plan to bring her mother home: Win the Lakeville Middle School Poetry Slam Contest. The winner is honored at a fancy banquet with white tablecloths. Molly is she her mother would never miss that. Right...?
But as time passes, writing and reciting slam poetry become harder. Actually, everything becomes harder as new habits appear, and counting, cleaning, and organizing are not enough to keep Molly's world from spinning out of control. In this fresh-voiced debut novel, one girl learns there is no such thing as perfect.
Purchased:
A Prince without a Kingdom by Timothée de Fombelle. Unabridged recording on 9 compact discs, 11 hours, 14 minutes. Performed by David de Vries. Candlewick on Brilliance Audio, August, 2015. 9781491588239.
Publisher synopsis: The breathless sequel to the critically acclaimed Vango: Between Sky and Earth.
Vango has been in danger for as long as he can remember. He has spent his life running along rooftops, fleeing to mysterious islands, and abandoning those he loves in order to protect them from the demons of his past. But Vango will not run for much longer.
The mystery of his identity ha started to unravel, and no in the shadows of war and persecution, the truth will finally come to light.
I read Vango: Between Sky and Earth with my ears and enjoyed it so much that I thought I'd read the sequel with my ears as well. Unfortunately, my local library consortium does not own it and the audio was too pricey for my blood. I ordered the hardcover for my library and figured that I would get to it eventually. I don't recall what made me think of looking up the audio again a week or so ago, but when I did, I found that Walmart was selling the audio at less than half the price so I snagged it. I also found that Walmart sells the shampoo I use for my grey hair. My local establishment stopped stocking it. So there ya go!
That's what's new with me. What's new with you?
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Great selection. I hope you enjoy your books.
ReplyDeleteDiane @ Diane's Book Blog
These look like cute books. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThese sound like fun books! Finding a book (audio or paperback) half price is always nice :D
ReplyDeletehttp://natalieslife.com/2016/04/the-library-project-favourite-childhood-book