Mrs. Malecha Reads!

by Dav Pilkey Lexile:  390 Genre:  Fantasy, Graphic Novel "There's a new breed of justice in town..." and his name is Dog Man.  Dog Man is the fictitious cartoon created by long time friends, Harold and George, who are always in trouble with their teachers for spending too much time drawing.  Dog Man is ready to take on Petey the Cat and all the other troublemakers in town. Get ready for some wild canine adventures!

by Tom O'Donnell Genre:  Fantasy The 6th graders at Horace Hotwater Middle School have a new class pet; a hamster!  They had him all of ten minutes before he disappeared.  In those 10 minutes though, it was obvious that this was no ordinary hamster.  To begin with, this hamster growls and eats more than 10 hamsters should.  And now he is on the loose and strange things are happening throughout the school.  Sam is determined to find him and keep him safe, while Beefer wants to find him so he can feed him to his pet snake.  Sam and Beefer have never been the best of friends and this showdown isn't going to go well either...

by Ursula Vernon Lexile:  580 Genre:  Fantasy Harriet the Hamster Princess has been called to action.  Heady the Hydra is missing her egg and Prince Wilbur knows that Harriet is the best sleuth in the kingdom.  So she and Wilbur take on the case which leads them into the forest where they meet Gothel, a strange old lady.  They watch as she approaches a tower and calls to Ratpunzel to "let down her tail."  Gothel denies knowing anything about the missing egg, but Harriet and Wilbur don't think she is telling the truth.

by Svetlana Chmakova Lexile: 280 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Penelope - Peppi- Torres is starting her first day as the new girl at school.  The very first thing she does is trips and knocks over a boy who happens to be the school nerd.  The mean kids start teasing her about being his new girlfriend so when he tries to help her up, she pushes him over and runs away.  Peppi is ashamed of herself and knows that she should apologize, but can't seem to find quite the right moment.  When she starts to struggle in science class, her teacher assigns her to a tutor and guess who it turns out to be?  Peppi is going to need to get up the courage to apologize and maybe she will be able to survive science and make a new friend.

by Raina Telgemeier Lexile:  300 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Cat is less than thrilled about having to move.  But her parents have decided that the climate in the Northern California city of Bahia de la Luna is better for her younger sister, Maya, who has cystic fibrosis.  Once Cat and Maya start to explore the town, they quickly discover that something is a little odd.  They meet Carlos who offers to introduce them to the ghosts that that live there.  Cat is skeptical and hesitant, but Maya is all in.  Cat will have to get over her fears if she is going to live happily ever after in Bahia de la Luna.

by Jeff Kinney Lexile:  1010 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Greg Heffley is back in book number 11 in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. This time, the pressure of middle school is really building.  Greg wants to spend his time playing video games, but his mom has other ideas.  She wants him to explore his "creative side." Will exploring that side of him help him as a middle schooler or just add more stress to his already chaotic existence?

by Kate DiCamillo Lexile:  550 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Raymie's life has been turned upside down:  her father has left the family and now it is just herself and her mom.  But it's okay, because Raymie has a plan for how to get him to come back home.  She is going to learn how to twirl a baton and enter herself in the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition.  When she wins, then her father will see her picture in the paper and come home to see his famous daughter!  So maybe the plan isn't fool proof, but in the process, Raymie meets some very interesting friends.

by David Shannon Lexile:  BR Genre:  Realistic Fiction Fergus is a good boy.  Well, some of the time.  He tries hard...but there are so many interesting things to sniff, and taste, and chew.  Read this book to find out about a day in the life of Fergus!

by Jewell Parker Rhodes Lexile:  410 Genre:  Realistic Fiction 2019-20 MHL Nominee Deja is not excited about starting at a new school.  Her family is homeless and living in a shelter. Her mom has a job, but her dad is another story. He is often sick and is withdrawing from their family and Deja doesn't understand why.  But when Miss Garcia starts teaching her 5th graders about the 9/11 attacks, something Deja knows nothing about, her dad gets very angry when she mentions it at home. What does her father know about 9/11 that he isn't sharing?

by Jason Reynolds Lexile:  730 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Castle "Ghost" Cranshaw is always running...away from his past, away from bullies, away from trouble.  Until he meets Coach, a person who offers him a reason to run.  But the offer comes with some conditions like not getting into trouble in school and working hard on running.  Ghost doesn't get everything right the first time around, but he sticks with the coach, the running, and ultimately discovers that being part of a team can be an amazing experience.

by Uma Krishnaswami Lexile:  580 Genre:  Realistic Fiction "Books Free. Give One. Take One. Read-Read-Read."  This is how the sign reads on the street corner where Book Uncle sets up his free lending library everyday.  Yasmin loves to borrow his books and takes one or two home every day.  But one day, Book Uncle isn't there.  It seems that someone has complained about the fact that he doesn't have a permit to run a business on the street corner.  It will be up to Yasmin and her friends to save Book Uncle and the free street corner library.

by Sherry Shahan Lexile:  710 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Adventure 2016-17 Battle of the Books Cody and Derek have decided to venture into the Alaskan wilderness on a two night camping trip while their mothers are out of town.  What begins as a fun adventure, quickly turns dangerous when a glacier causes a flood.  One of their kayaks is washed away with over half of their supplies. Suddenly, Cody and Derek's little adventure has become a quest to stay alive.

by Nadia Hashimi Genre:  Realistic Fiction Ever since Obayda's father lost his leg in an explosion, her life has never been the same.  Her father is confined to bed and refuses any help that might help him accept his new situation.  Obayda and her sisters stand by and watch helplessly as their family falls apart.  But then one day, Obayda's aunt proposes that Obayda, the youngest of the 4 sisters, dress as a boy.  In Afghanistan this practice is known as bacha posh .  So Obayda becomes Obayd as the family presents her as their son.  She gets out of household chores, gets extra portions at mealtimes, can wear pants and climb trees, can get dirty playing soccer, and can run freely about their village.  What's not to love about suddenly being recognized as a boy?

by David Shannon Lexile:  240 Genre:  Fantasy Duck has gotten an idea!  He would like to ride a bike.  And so off he goes...slowly at first, then gradually gaining more speed and confidence.  As duck ride through the barnyard, his animal friends have a variety of opinions about whether or not duck has done a good thing.  But when a group of children come to the farm and leave their bikes lying around, everyone decides to get in on the fun!

by Don Brown Lexile:  860 Genre:  Informational, Graphic Novel The 1930s was a long, dusty period in the history of the United States as the Great Dust Bowl swept across the midwest.  There were long periods of drought and a fine layer of dust coated everything. Homes, animals, people, their food...dust was everywhere.  It took many lives in the process, but people were unwilling to give up.  Time after time, they dusted themselves off, and started over.

by Erin Estrada Kelly Lexile:  640 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Soledad (Sol) and Dominga (Ming) have moved from the Philippines to New Orleans, LA.  They are now living with their evil stepmother Vea because their father abandoned them and returned to their old home. So Sol finds that she has to do everything she can to protect her little sister Ming, who is shy and doesn't make friends easily.   Sol knows that Vea is all they have, but Ming is convinced that their mother's sister, the mysterious Aunt Jove, is going to come and rescue them and they will all live happily ever after. The two girls get to know some unlikely friends in their neighborhood who might turn out to be allies and help them find happiness after all.

by Ann E. Burg Lexile:  900 Genre:  Historical Fiction, Novel in Verse Grace has been called to the Big House from the slave cabins.  Her mama makes her promise that she will keep her eyes down and do what she is told.  But Grace doesn't understand why people are treated differently based on the color of their skin.  Why do the people who work all day long out in the fields eat after those who sit in the big house all day long?  Why is she no longer able to see her mother and her brothers?  When Grace learns that her master plans to send her mother and her brothers to auction, Grace knows that they have to run away if hope to have any chance of living together as a family.  Will they be able to escape in time?  This is a story of incredible bravery and courage as one family fights for their freedom.

by Jesse Klausmeier Illustrated by Suzy Lee Genre:  Fantasy Open this little book and you will find...lots of animals reading other little books.  And then in the middle you will find a little, tiny rainbow book that belongs to a giant whose hands are so big, that he can't even open the book.  This book will also help you learn your colors!

by David Shannon Lexile:  BR Genre:  Realistic Fiction David is getting ready to go to school!  David is used to hearing "No, David" all day long.  Will this be the case at school too?  How will David's teacher handle is energy and excitement?  Read David Goes to School to find out what happens!

by Sandra Boynton Genre:  Fantasy One lonely hippo is all alone.  So he decides to call up a few friends.  Before you know it, there are 44 hippos going berserk! After the night winds down, the hippos have to leave and go their separate ways, until there is once again, one lonely hippo.

by David Shannon Lexile:  BR Genre:  Realistic Fiction David is having a rough day.  It's one no after another.  No drawing on the walls, no overflowing the bathtub, and no playing baseball in the living room.  After an exhausting day, he finally hears the words he wants to hear from his mom.

by Sharon Creech Lexile:  790 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Reena and Luke and their parents have decided to move to Maine.  They are leaving the busy city life behind and trading it for a more quiet life in the country.  Reena isn't sure how she feels about this lifestyle change and when she finds out that her parents have told the grouchy old lady next door that she and Luke will help her take care of her farm animals, she is even less sure.  At first Mrs. Falala seems like a crabby, old lady, but as Reena and Luke get to know her better, they begin to enjoy spending time with her and her animals.  Mrs. Falala eventually introduces them to Zora, her cow, and Reena learns about a whole new side of herself that she didn't even know existed.

by John David Anderson Genre:  Realistic Fiction Teachers.  Everyone knows that there are good ones.  And not so good ones.  Ms. Bixby is one of the good ones and Topher, Steve, and Brand could not be happier that she is theirs for the year.  The year is going along great until Ms. Bixby announces that she is sick and will be unable to finish the year. Topher, Steve, and Brand all have different reasons for being upset by this. They decide to work together to make Ms. Bixby's last day absolutely perfect.