What's New? Stacking the Shelves

STS is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Pop on over there to ogle what other blogger's got.

It has been a quiet week on the blog because it has been so busy at school what with this being the last week and all. According to Goodreads, I am 15 books behind schedule. My book-a-day has definitely suffered in these last hectic weeks as well. Hopefully, I will switch into Overdrive now that summer vacay has commenced.

I brought two books home for summer reading from my recent JLG delivery that I had been looking forward to:

The Thing about Luck by Cynthia Kadohata. 270 p. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, June 4, 2013. 9781416918820. (Purchased)

Publisher synopsis: There is bad luck, good luck, and making your own luck—which is exactly what Summer must do to save her family in this novel from Newbery Medalist Cynthia Kadohata.

Summer knows that kouun means “good luck” in Japanese, and this year her family has none of it. Just when she thinks nothing else can possibly go wrong, an emergency whisks her parents away to Japan—right before harvest season. Summer and her little brother, Jaz, are left in the care of their grandparents, who come out of retirement in order to harvest wheat and help pay the bills.

The thing about Obaachan and Jiichan is that they are old-fashioned and demanding, and between helping Obaachan cook for the workers, covering for her when her back pain worsens, and worrying about her lonely little brother, Summer just barely has time to notice the attentions of their boss’s cute son. But notice she does, and what begins as a welcome distraction from the hard work soon turns into a mess of its own.

Having thoroughly disappointed her grandmother, Summer figures the bad luck must be finished—but then it gets worse. And when that happens, Summer has to figure out how to change it herself, even if it means further displeasing Obaachan. Because it might be the only way to save her family.

P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia. 274 p. Amistad/ HarperCollins Publishers, May 21, 2013. 9780061938634. (Purchased)

Publisher synopsis: Rita Williams-Garcia’s much-anticipated middle-grade novel P.S. Be Eleven is the sequel to her New York Timesbestseller One Crazy Summer, a Newbery Honor Book and winner of the Coretta Scott King Award.
 
Eleven-year-old Brooklyn girl Delphine feels overwhelmed with worries and responsibilities. She’s just started sixth grade and is self-conscious about being the tallest girl in the class, and nervous about her first school dance. She’s supposed to be watching her sisters, but Fern and Vonetta are hard to control. Her uncle Darnell is home from Vietnam and seems different. And her pa has a girlfriend. At least Delphine can write to her mother in Oakland, California, for advice. But why does her mother tell her to “be eleven” when Delphine is now twelve?
 
The historical novel, set in the 1960s, features vivid characters, insight into family relationships, and a strong sense of place.
That's what's new with me. What's new with you?

Happy Reading!