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:

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Secondhand Dogs by Carolyn Crimi. 248 p. Balzar + Bray/ HarperCollins Publisher, July 6, 2021. 9780062989185.

Publisher synopsis:A heartwarming—and heart-tugging—middle grade novel about love, loyalty, and what it means to be part of a family—from author Carolyn Crimi, with adorable illustrations by Melissa Manwill. Perfect for fans of A Dog’s Life and Because of Winn-Dixie.

Miss Lottie’s home was for second chances.

When she adopted Gus, Roo, Tank, and Moon Pie, Miss Lottie rescued each member of the pack—including herself, her helper, Quinn, and her reclusive cat, Ghost—and turned them into a family. But when a new dog, Decker, arrives and tries to hoard Miss Lottie’s heart and home for himself, the pack’s future is threatened.

At first, Gus, the insecure pack leader, only notices little things, like tiny Moon Pie being kicked out of the bed and Ghost acting spooked (then again…Ghost is a cat). But things soon go from bad to worse as Decker’s presence causes disharmony in the group.

When Decker convinces Moon Pie to embark on an impossible journey, it’s up to Gus to gather his courage, rally his splintered pack, and bring the little dog home. And with coyotes and cars on the loose, the pack must push through obstacles and dangers to reunite with Moon Pie before he can get hurt—or, nearly as bad, get his heart broken.

Image: Norton Young Readers

Accused: My Story of Injustice by Adama Bah. I, Witness series. 102 p. Norton Young Readers, August 3, 2021. 9781342016632. 

Publisher synopsis:Launching a propulsive middle grade nonfiction series, a young woman shares her harrowing experience of being wrongly accused of terrorism.

Adama Bah grew up in East Harlem after immigrating from Conakry, Guinea, and was deeply connected to her community and the people who lived there. But as a thirteen-year-old after the events of September 11, 2001, she began experiencing discrimination and dehumanization as prejudice toward Muslim people grew. Then, on March 24, 2005, FBI agents arrested Adama and her father. Falsely accused of being a potential suicide bomber, Adama spent weeks in a detention center being questioned under suspicion of terrorism.

With sharp and engaging writing, Adama recounts the events surrounding her arrest and its impact on her life—the harassment, humiliation, and persecution she faced for crimes she didn’t commit. Accused brings forward a crucial and unparalleled first-person perspective of American culture post-9/11 and the country’s discrimination against Muslim Americans, and heralds the start of a new series of compelling narrative nonfiction by young people, for young people.

Image: Candlewick Press

Orangutan Hats and Other Tools Animals Use by Richard Haynes. Illustrated by Stephanie Laberis. 48 p. Candlewick Press, April, 2021. 9781536200935.

Publisher synopsis: Move over, humans! We’re not the only creatures who can invent and use tools to keep ourselves fed, warm, safe, healthy, comfortable—even entertained. Thanks to the careful observations of biologists working in the field, we now know that elephants use sunscreen, long-tailed macaques floss their teeth, assassin bugs use bait to lure their prey, orangutans make pillows, and crows will go sledding just for fun. Who’s the clever one now, eh? Join writer Richard Haynes and illustrator Stephanie Laberis for a walk on the wild side and get ready to be astonished, delighted, and amused by this jam-packed exploration. Interested readers will find a map, an introduction, a glossary, an index, and a bibliography for further investigation.

Elephants that remove ticks with sticks? Otters that crack open their lunch with rocks? Crows that slide down a roof on a jar lid—over and over? Take a fascinating look at the use of tools by animals around the world.

Purchased: Nothing!

Leave a link to your stack in the comment section. I'd love to visit.

Fact Friday: 13 Ways to Eat a Fly by Sue Heavenrich

Image: Charlesbridge

13 Ways to Eat a Fly by Sue Heavenrich and illustrated by David Clark. 32 p. Charlesbridge, February, 2021. 9781580898904. (Review of finished copy borrowed from the public library.)

Fact Friday features, for your dining pleasure, 13 Ways to Eat a Fly by Sue Heavenrich and illustrated by David Clark. This reverse counting book is not just for the pre-school set. There's a lot of science packed in between the catchy rhymes and hilarious cartoonish illustrations featuring bug-eyed flies about to meet their demise. From wrapped and zapped through liquified and zombified, readers learn how a variety of animals make 13 different kinds of flies their prey. 

Engaging back matter informs the reader that there are more than 120,000 different kinds of flies! They are low in fat and rich in protein! There are lists of books and websites for anyone who wants more information. Never have I ever thought learning about flies could be so much fun!

There are multiple classroom uses for 13 Ways to Eat a Fly from LA to STEM. Your students will really eat this one up! I'm buying it for my middle school library.

#tbt: A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

Image: Penguin Random House

A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. Illustrated by Hugh D'Andrade. 288 p. Dutton/ Penguin Young Readers, October, 2010. 

#tbt features A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. Fairy tales have been watered down over the years, especially by Disney. The folklore was passed from village to village, generation to generation in the oral tradition - a way of entertaining and perhaps warning. They were scary and often gruesome stories! Adam Gidwitz returned to that tradition in his hair-raising debut. Hansel and Gretel are wandering the woods in search of nicer parents after their father, the king tried to behead them. Wait, what? That's not the story I heard. Mr. Gidwitz delightfully fractures multiple fairy tales in the siblings' adventure through the dark woods.

A Tale Dark and Grimm was published in October of 2010 and received multiple honors, such as being named an E.B. White Honor as well as a New York Times Editor's Choice. That book was followed by two sequels, In a Glass Grimmly and The Grimm Conclusion. The inspiration for the book arose from the stories Mr. Gidwitz told his students while working as a teacher in a NYC school.

Waiting on Wednesday: Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Waiting on Wednesday features Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson. Ms. Johnson made her debut with, You Should See Me in a Crown, which earned a Stonewall Honor and was named an ALA Rainbow List Top Ten Selection. Her sophomore novel, Rise to the Sun releases on July 6. Here's the publisher synopsis: "Four days. Two girls. One life-changing music festival.Toni is grieving the loss of her roadie father and needing to figure out where her life will go from here — and she's desperate to get back to loving music. Olivia is a hopeless romantic whose heart has just taken a beating (again) and is beginning to feel like she'll always be a square peg in a round hole — but the Farmerland music festival is a chance to find a place where she fits.

The two collide and it feels like something like kismet when a bond begins to form. But when a gun misfires and the festival is sent into a panic, Olivia and Toni will find that they need each other (and music) more than they ever imagined."

I absolutely adored You Should See Me in a Crown and can't wait for this one.

Teen Tuesday: Sword in the Stars by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy

Image: Hachette Audio

Sword in the Stars by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy. Unabridged downloadable e-audiobook, 10 hours, 48 minutes. Read by Lauren Fortang. Hachette Audio, April, 2020. 9781549105166. (Review of e-audiobook downloaded from the public library.)

Teen Tuesday features Sword in the Stars by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy. Mature teen readers who loved Once and Future will absolutely adore the concluding volume. Ari Helix (the 42nd reincarnation of the legendary King Arthur) and her Rainbow Knights may have won a battle against the murderous Mercer Corporation, but the war is not yet over. Merlin has concluded that the only way to defeat them is to find Arthur's Holy Grail. Only Merlin can't seem to remember where it is hidden. The band travels back to the time of King Arthur where they must attempt to blend in with the Medieval folk and avoid disturbing the space-time continuum lest they be lost forever.

The pace is whiplash fast in this gender-bending, mind-bending sci-fi interpretation of Arthurian legend. The characters are all well-developed and easy to care about. There were many humorous moments, but there were also tears. The more you know about the legend, the more you will appreciate what the authors have done here. No knowledge of the legend is necessary to enjoy this rip-roaring adventure, though you must absolutely read the two books in order. I read both volumes with my ears and utterly enjoyed Ms. Fortang's performance in both. I am definitely purchasing this duology for my personal collection of King Arthur variations and will enjoy rereading with my eyes.

Middle Grade Monday: Rowley Jefferson Books 2 & 3 by Jeff Kinney

                

Rowley Jefferson's Awesome, Friendly Adventure by Jeff Kinney. Abrams Books, 224 p. Abrams Books, 2020.

Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Spooky Stories by Jeff Kinney. 224 p. Abrams Books, March, 2021. (Review of finished books borrowed from public library.)

Happy Monday! My break is going well, though I would wish for better weather. Middle Grade Monday features two books from a series. When I came across Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Spooky Stories recently, I realized I missed book two of this Diary of a Wimpy Kid spinoff, Rowley Jefferson's Awesome, Friendly Adventure. So this Middle Grade Monday recommendation is a two-fer, or a three-fer if you missed the first.

If you're a fan of the Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney, you know all about Rowley Jefferson, Greg's long-suffering best friend. In Rowley Jefferson's Awesome, Friendly Adventure, Rowley wants to write a story. He has no plans to become famous for his book. He just wants something for his parent to read to him at night. Greg has other plans though. He has visions of movie rights and merch.

In Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Spooky Stories, Rowley reveals his dark side with stories of vampires, werewolves and zombies and such. Most are humorous with a side of gross. Fans will devour both books and ask for more.

Picture Book Review: Mindi and the Goose No One Else Could See by Sam McBratney

Image: Candlewick Press

Mindi and the Goose No One Else Could See by Sam McBratney. Illustrated by Linda Ólafsdóttir. 32 p. Candlewick Press, March, 2021. 9781536212815. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Poor little Mindi is bothered by a goose that appears in her bedroom each night. It's a goose no one else can see - not her mother, who doesn't take her seriously, nor her father, who does. It's a common enough plight that, I believe, will be relatable to many children and their parents. This sweet story is just the ticket for both groups.

The illustrations are warmly retro and vaguely Icelandic or Scandinavian, featuring Wellies and cozy woolens. They also contain little bits of humor, such as the shadow of the goose peering at Mindi's dad under the gooseneck lamp over Mindi's bed. The text does not condescend in the least. Instead, it is respectful of these very real fears, as is Austen, the elder that Mindi's dad treks to consult. 

Austen advises a visit to his bucolic farm, but emphasizes the her dad makes "sure she knows she is going on a journey." And so they do. The series of spot art depicting this is so endearing. At the farm, Mindi meets the animals, including two geese, who are very nice. She finally meets and bonds with a baby goat, whom she names Black and Whitey. 

Some time later, Austen comes to visit, bringing Black and Whitey, whom he trades with Mindi in exchange for the goose no one else can see. 

If only all such manner of nighttime monster could be dealt with so beautifully. 

This gorgeous and relatable book should be a hit at story time be it one-on-one with a parent or at the library.