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.

Purchased:

Won Ton and Chopstick: a Cat and Dog Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw. Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. unpgd. Henry Holt and Company, March, 2015. 9780805099874.

Publisher synopsis: Won Ton has a happy life with his Boy, until…

Ears perk. Fur prickles.

Belly low, I creep…peek…FREEZE!

My eyes full of Doom.

A new puppy arrives, and nothing will be the same.

Told entirely in haiku and with plenty of catitude, the story of how Won Ton faces down the enemy is a fresh and funny twist on a familiar rivalry.

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamiesan. 239 p. Dial Books for Young Readers/ Penguin Young Readers Group, March, 2015. 9780083740167. 

Publisher synopsis: For fans of Raina Telgemeier’s Smile, a heartwarming graphic novel about friendship and surviving junior high through the power of roller derby.

For most of her twelve years, Astrid has done everything with her best friend Nicole. But after Astrid falls in love with roller derby and signs up for derby camp, Nicole decides to go to dance camp instead. And so begins the most difficult summer of Astrid's life as she struggles to keep up with the older girls at camp, hang on to the friend she feels slipping away, and cautiously embark on a new friendship. As the end of summer nears and her first roller derby bout (and junior high!) draws closer, Astrid realizes that maybe she is strong enough to handle the bout, a lost friendship, and middle school… in short, strong enough to be a roller girl.

In her graphic novel debut, real-life derby girl Victoria Jamieson has created an inspiring coming-of-age story about friendship, perseverence, and girl power!

Public School Superhero by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts. 283 p. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, March, 2015. 9780316342315.

Publisher synopsis: Kenny Wright is a kid with a secret identity. In his mind, he's Stainlezz Steel, super-powered defender of the weak. In reality, he's a chess club devotee known as a "Grandma's Boy," a label that makes him an easy target for bullies. Kenny wants to bring a little more Steel to the real world, but the question is: can he recognize his own true strength before peer pressure forces him to make the worst choice of his life?

Featuring more than 150 pieces of line art and comic-style sequences, James Patterson's newest illustrated novel is a genuinely funny yet poignant look at middle school in a challenging urban setting, where a kid's life can depend on the everyday decisions he makes.

The B&N Exclusive Edition includes a reversible jacket with poster!

Carter's Unfocused One-Track Mind by Brent Crawford. Unabridged audiobook on one MP3-CD. 8 hours, 2 minutes. Performed by Nick Podehl. Brilliance Audio, August, 2013. 97814843416.

Publisher synopsis: After an eventful freshman year and a disastrous summer, fifteen-year-old Will Carter returns to Merrian High none the wiser. The year starts off pretty normally. He's back on the football field (the bench area of the field). He and his boys start a fight club to defend themselves against Scary Terry Moss, who is out of juvie and hunting Carter. And he goes to homecoming again with Amber Lee. The good news: she's really into him this year. The bad news: she's all kinds of pregnant (not with his kid, but that probably goes without saying).

When his on-again/off-again girlfriend, Abby, is accepted to the New York Drama School, Carter's world is thrown upside-down. She wants him to apply to the school, too. He knows it would be awesome, and he's pretty sure Abby would let him see her naked in New York. But what about his boys? And with his sister headed to college, can his parents survive without him? Plus, the application is really long.

It will take a lot of soul-searching (and in-school suspensions) for Carter to make his decision. In the meantime, there are plenty of classes to be late to, parties to avoid, and cops to run from.

The laughs and good times continue in Carter's Unfocused, One-Track Mind, the third book in the Carter series.

That's what's new with me. What's new with you? Leave a link in the comments.