Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Can't Wait Wednesday (288)


Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.



FROM GOODREADS: New girl Rachel Chavez is eager to make a fresh start at Manchester Prep. But as one of the few scholarship kids, Rachel struggles to fit in, and when she gets caught up in a prank gone awry, she ends up with more enemies than friends.

To her surprise, however, the prank attracts the attention of the Mary Shelley Club, a secret club of students with one objective: come up with the scariest prank to orchestrate real fear. But as the pranks escalate, the competition turns cutthroat and takes on a life of its own.

When the tables are turned and someone targets the club itself, Rachel must track down the real-life monster in their midst . . . even if it means finally confronting the dark secrets from her past. 

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  Boarding schools and scary pranks?  Sign me up!  

CASSIUS'S PICK:


FROM GOODREADS: An uplifting and poignant story about a former service beagle named Stella who must find the courage to overcome her fears and use her special nose to save a girl’s life.

Ever since Stella was a puppy, she was trained to use her powerful beagle nose to sniff out chemicals used in explosives and warn her human handler in order to keep people safe.

But during a routine security inspection, Stella is distracted and misses the scent of an explosive chemical. The sound of the blast is loud and scary. Stella survives but her handler—her best friend in the whole world—is gone. Stella blames herself, certain she’s a bad dog.

Scared of loud noises, especially thunder and fireworks, Stella struggles with her anxiety and must be retired from being a service animal. Several families try to foster her, but sometimes Stella is so scared she howls or digs or tears things up with her teeth. She wonders if anyone will want to adopt her.

An expert dog trainer, Esperanza, thinks she can help. It’s Stella’s last chance to prove she can be a good dog. Stella has every reason to love her new family, especially the young human named Chloe who smells like chocolate chip cookies, newly cut grass, the pages of books, and something else—a strange chemical she can’t quite identify.

Chloe has epilepsy, and a chemical inside her body surges just before she has a seizure. Stella’s nose makes the connection. But how can she warn Esperanza without her thinking it’s just Stella’s usual anxiety? How can she convince her new family that she can be a new kind of service dog and hopefully save Chloe’s life?

Told from Stella’s point of view, readers will experience life through a dog’s eyes, ears, and, especially, her nose. Like Babe the pig or Ivan the gorilla, Stella the beagle is an extraordinary story for kids who love animals. An endearing novel of courage, compassion, friendship, and love.

WHY CASSIUS CAN'T WAIT:  There's no way Stella is a bad dog and I can't wait until she figures out how wonderful she is.  I think Chloe is just the one to show her.  Plus I really like it when Mom reads me books which are from an animal's POV.

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???

16 comments:

  1. I think that I might have to get my hands on Stella. One of my dogs is Stella and she sometimes has to try very hard to be a good dog.

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  2. Love the boarding school setting!

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  3. Stella sounds pretty intense for the middle grade crowd, I'm assuming its MG? But I'm definitely on board for The Mary Shelley Club, I love the idea of elaborate pranks!

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  4. Oh, Cass! Stella sounds delightful. 💟💟💟

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  5. I love the idea of a Mary Shelley club! Totally want to read that book. :)

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  6. I love the cover to the Mary Shelley Club! Great picks!

    Here’s my WoW!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog

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  7. Yes to boarding school shenanigans!

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  8. Oh poor Stella! My heart breaks for her! She is so gorgeous on that cover too!

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  9. The second one looks soooo cute. I used to have a beagle as a kid, so needless to say I am drawn to it :)

    ~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

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  10. Stella sounds like such a great story. I'm adding it to my wishlist right now! Thanks for sharing! :)

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  11. I love the sound of the Mary Shelley Club - can't resist that setting.
    Lynn :D

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  12. Ooooh yes, I love a good boarding school story!

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  13. The first one is definitely on my TBR, and the second one looks like a sweet middle grade story. Great picks!
    Lisa Loves Literature

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  14. Ohh, Stella! Oh my goodness, I am so sorry I am so late to checking out your CWW — and to think I could have missed the goodness that is Stella and that blurb!

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  15. Great picks. The first one intrigues me. I'm wondering where they got the idea to call it the Mary Shelley club.

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  16. I just want to read The Mary Shelley Club for the title. Stella sounds like fun too. I hope you enjoy both of these when you read them. Have a great week, Barb.

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