New Crayons: What's New On Our Shelves

Remember when you were a kid and getting new crayons was a big deal? Getting new books holds the same kind of magic for some of us big kids. Every week on Sunday, I post what's new in our box. Hope you'll share what you picked up from the library, store or in the mail, too.

Another fantastic week. Thanks to all our donors. We are struggling to keep up with cataloging and shelving. The labor is a joy. Keep it coming. Here's to a strong book drive finish. We're gearing up for our Summer Reading Challenge. How does "Reading Rocks!", grab you? Can't list all donations at once. Instead I'll spread them out so you can take a good look and find new reads. What did you get this week? Drop a link with Mr. Linky anytime between now and next Sunday. Now on to the books:

Our Children Can Soar by Michelle Cook. We have award winning illustrator, Shadra Strickland to thank for this. It was prouldy on display till I brought it home. Find a review of this beautiful children's collection at The Happy Nappy Bookseller.


Sypnosis
This is the seed of a unique picture book that is part historical, part poetry, and entirely inspirational. It takes the reader through the cumulative story of the US Civil Rights Movement, expanding the popular slogan beyond these three heroes to include more key players in the struggle for equality. Spare prose and vivid imagery make this a truly moving and accessible picture book to be savored by readers of all ages.

Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis. Oh, happy day! Have wanted this. Everyone is talking about Tanita's book.Check out her interview at The Brown Bookshelf where she talks about Mare's War and more.You can also read her at her blog.

Synposis
Octavia and Tali are dreading the road trip their parents are forcing them to take with their grandmother over the summer. After all, Mare isn’t your typical grandmother. She drives a red sports car, wears stiletto shoes, flippy wigs, and push-up bras, and insists that she’s too young to be called Grandma. But somewhere on the road, Octavia and Tali discover there’s more to Mare than what you see.

Can't Stop Won't Stop:A History of the Hip-Hop Generation by Jeff Chang. We don't get enough nonfiction in. It's expensive. And when it's lost or stolen, it's impossible to replace. Very grateful to get this. It's a genre and topic that many of our non-readers care about. Don't expect them to read it through, but this is something that might give them the motivation to crack a book.

Sypnosis
Based on original interviews with DJs, b-boys, rappers, graffiti writers, activists, and gang members, with unforgettable portraits of many of hip-hop's forebears, founders, and mavericks, including DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Chuck D, and Ice Cube, Can't Stop Won't Stop chronicles the events, the ideas, the music, and the art that marked the hip-hop generation's rise from the ashes of the 60's into the new millennium. Here is a powerful cultural and social history of the end of the American century....

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. My introduction to the writer's work was Purple Hibiscus. Ms. Adichie is a brilliant writer. If you haven't read her, you should.

Synopsis
With the effortless grace of a natural storyteller, Adichie weaves together the lives of five characters caught up in the extraordinary tumult of the decade. Fifteen-year-old Ugwu is houseboy to Odenigbo, a university professor who sends him to school, and in whose living room Ugwu hears voices full of revolutionary zeal. Odenigbo's beautiful mistress, Olanna, a sociology teacher, is running away from her parents' world of wealth and excess; Kainene, her urbane twin, is taking over their father's business; and Kainene's English lover, Richard, forms a bridge between their two worlds. As we follow these intertwined lives through a military coup, the Biafran secession and the subsequent war, Adichie brilliantly evokes the promise, and intimately, the devastating disapointments that marked this time and place.

Grl2grl by Julie Anne Peters. I am a fan of Ms. Peters. June is Gay Pride Month. For CORA Diversity Roll Call, Ali is asking us to highlight LGBTQ literature. If you're looking for a recommendation, I recommend this author. I'm looking forward to reading this collection.

Synposis
In this honest, emotionally captivating short story collection, renowned author and National Book Award finalist Julie Anne Peters offers a stunning portrayal of young women as they navigate the hurdles of relationships and sexual identity. From the young lesbian taking her first steps toward coming out to the two strangers who lock eyes across a crowded train, from the transgender teen longing for a sense of self to the girl whose abusive father has turned her to stone, Peters is the master of creating characters whose own vulnerability resonates with readers and stays with them long after the last page is turned.