Mrs. Malecha Reads!

by Barbara Bottner Illustrated by Michael Emberely Genre:  Realistic Fiction A librarian faces her toughest challenge with this reluctant reader!  Missy is determined not to like books.  She watches all of her classmates find books that they love, but Missy finds something wrong with all of them.  She is positive that there is nothing she wants to read about.  But Miss Brooks is just as, if not more, determined to find something that will change Missy's feelings about books.

by Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee Lexile:  740 Genre:  Fantasy Sylvie and Jules are sisters and best friends.  They have grown closer since the unexpected death of their mother.  Their dad has strict rules that are designed to keep them safe.  One of them is Do Not Ever Go Near the Slip.  But one day, Sylvie breaks that rule and disappears.  Jules is heartbroken.  Why didn't Sylvie listen to her?  Could she have tried harder to keep Sylvie with her?  Just when Jules thinks that she won't be able to survive without her sister, she sees a fox.  She senses a connection with this fox and decides she must follow it into the woods.  What is Jules going to discover?

by Katherine Applegate Lexile:  540 Genre:  Fantasy 2018-19 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Jackson knows that his parents are telling him the truth.  He has seen this happen before.  There isn't enough food.  The bills are piling up and his parents are starting to sell their belongings.  Jackson has been homeless before and he doesn't ever want to go through it again.  Last time he was only 6 and an imaginary cat, Crenshaw, shoed up to help him through this difficult time.  One day Crenshaw disappeared and Jackson hasn't seen him again until now.  Why is Crenshaw back?  And why won't his parents tell him the truth about what is going on?

by Derek Jeter Lexile:  730 Genre:  Memoir Derek is looking forward to an awesome summer.  School is nearly out, his baseball team is showing promise, and he is going to spend all kinds of time with his best friend Dave.  But just when things seem to be perfect, Dave starts acting strange.  He no longer wants to hang out at Derek's house and acts differently around him at school.  Dave's behavior is not only effecting their friendship, but it's impacting the way they are playing baseball.  Derek needs to figure out what exactly is going on.

by Ben Clanton Lexile:  GN510L Genre:  Fantasy, Graphic Novel Super Narwhal, the unicorn of the sea, is back with his sidekick Jelly Jolt, ready for new adventures in the sea.  How cool are these two superheroes?  You'll have to read to find out!

by Rita Williams-Garcia Lexile:  710 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Clayton Bryd loves the blues.  The only thing he loves more is his grandfather, Cool Papa Byrd, who has taught him everything he knows about playing the blues harp.  But when Coop Papa Byrd dies unexpectedly, Clayton is lost.  His mother wants nothing more to do with the blues and forbids Clayton to play his blues harp or talk about Cool Papa.  Clayton decides to set off on his own so that he can continue on with playing the music that he loves.

by Ying Chang Compestine Lexile:  740 Genre:  Historical Fiction Growing up in China in the 1970s is going fine for nine year old Ling.  Her father and mother are both doctors and they have a comfortable life.  But things in China are changing and at first Ling feels unaffected by it all.  Then Comrade Li moves into a room in their apartment and over the course of the next few years, her comfortable life completely disappears.  Her friends and neighbors are taken away to work camps and her parents' are no longer able to work as doctors in the hospital that they have dedicated their lives to.  When Ling's father disappears, she isn't sure how she and her mother are going to survive.

by Barbara Hathaway Lexile:  970 Genre:  Historical Fiction Viney is excited when her father strikes a deal with Missy Violet for the summer.  Missy Violet is the best midwife in town and Viney is going to be her apprentice and learn all about "baby catchin'". Viney is in for an exciting summer as she learns all about what it means to be a midwife in a small Southern town.

by John Boyne Lexile:  980 Genre:  Fantasy The Brockets are a normal family.  They have normal jobs, a normal house, and normal kids...until Barnaby is born.  Barnaby is not normal because he was born defying gravity.  Barnaby floats!  His parents don't know what to make of this and don't see how he is going to fit into their normal family. They decide to keep him a secret from the neighbors so that nobody knows about his strange talent. But keeping him a secret only works for a little while because Barnaby is curious and wants to know about the world outside his house.  How long will the Brockets be able to go on being just plain normal?