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. I think crayons is a pretty cool metaphor for multicultural lit. Don't you? Slow week and do I dare say I appreciate that? Honestly, I have piles of books everywhere. Brought one home from the library. Hopefully, I'll actually read it this time and two in the mail; one all the way from Belgium! Thanks, Mayra.

In the mail:
The Magic Violin by Mayra Calvani
Publisher's Comments
Eight-year old Melina wants to become a good violinist. When she loses confidence, her Rumanian teacher Andrea decides it's time for a magic dose of self esteem. A mysterious old woman in rags gives Melina some curious advice; a violinist Russian hamster, who happens to live under the old woman's hat, offers her a virtuoso performance; a shooting star fills her with hope on Christmas Eve. Is Melina actually playing better, or has her violin become magic? Who is the old woman in the town square, and why does she wear the same emerald ring as her teacher Andrea?

Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food by Jennifer Lee
Publisher Comments
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles is for anyone who has ever wondered who General Tso was and why his chicken is so famous; why all Chinese restaurants use the same trapezoidal delivery cartons; and who invented the fortune cookie. Jennifer 8 Lee narrates her search for the world's best Chinese restaurant with a mix of in-depth research and entertaining personal anecdotes.

From the library:
Shanghi Messenger by Andrea Cheng and illustrated by Ed Young
Review
...Cheng's Marika vivid writing and Young's Beyond the Great Mountainreviewed above) resonant illustrations mesh perfectly in this story about the close bonds of family. Xiao Mei, an 11-year-old Chinese-American girl, travels from Ohio to Shanghai to visit her Chinese relatives. The novel unspools in humorous, often poignant free-verse poems. The one called 'Shanghai Messenger' describes the lone traveler's anxiety on the plane, until she discovers a note in her pocket, written by Nai Nai, her grandmother: 'You are my messenger./ Look everything./ Remember...'

What did you picked up from the library, bookstore or in the mail? Drop us a link with Mr. Linky. Happy reading.