Mrs. Malecha Reads!

 by Alison McGhee Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Novel in Verse When Ayla and Kiri grew up, they planned to be trees.  They each had their own tree and loved to spend time in them.  Ayla and Kiri were together all of the time until an accident happened on their street and now Ayla is alone, waiting for Kiri to return.  One day, a telephone appears in Ayla's tree and people start coming to use the phone to talk to their loved ones who have passed on.  People keep encouraging Ayla to try the phone, but she is determined to wait.  Kiri is coming home...soon...Ayla is sure of it.

 by Coco Simon Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Katie is looking forward to the start of middle school.  She and her best friend, Callie, have all kinds of plans.  But on the first day of school, Callie suddenly seems to want to hang out with new friends and those friends want nothing to do with Katie.  Callie seems determined to remain in the Popular Girls Club which Katie is not able to join.  Katie decides to make new friends and they form the Cupcake Club.  Katie learns that making new friends can be way better than trying to fit in with old ones.

 by Mei Yu Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Mei Yu is the new kid in school.  Her family has moved from China to Canada and nothing is the same.  Mei must learn a new language, make new friends, and figure out how to navigate life in a new country.  At first all Mei wants to do is go back to China, but over time she begins to figure out how to connect with people and learn a new language.  Maybe her new life in Canada will turn out to be okay.

 by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Genre:  Historical Fiction, Paranormal 12 year old Miriam's life is changing rapidly.  She and her parents had to leave their home and move to Paris when the Nazis drove them out of their small French village.  When Jewish people start to disappear, Miriam and her family know that they must make a plan to get to safety.  But before they can leave Paris, the Jewish people are rounded up.  Miriam escapes with her 2 year old neighbor, Nora, and they are brought into hiding with at a Catholic school.  Miriam promised Nora's mother that she would do everything she could to get Nora to safety.  Does Miriam have the courage to live up to her promise? 

 by John Schu Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Novel in Verse Jake was happy until he started middle school.  Everyone seems to have found their own group of people and he feels left out, alone and worthless.  He is constantly teased so Jake feels the only way he can survive is to try and take up less space.  So he stops eating and exercises constantly to try to make himself as small as possible.  The voice in his head becomes his only friend. His parents know there is something wrong, but they have their own worries.  He used to enjoy spending time with his Grandma, but she seems to be changing too.  Is there anything that Jake can do to drown out the loud voice in his head that tells him not to trust                                                      anyone else?

 by Sarah Sax Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Sports, Graphic Novel The Brinkley Martian baseball team is hoping to have a winning season, but they lost most of their players last year.  Alexandra is hoping that this will play in her favor as she has to convince the new coach that she can play just as well as the boys.  When Al gets a spot on the team, not all of the boys are happy and when she gets interviewed by the local tv show, things get worse.  But Al is determined to learn from her mistakes and help her team move forward together.