Mrs. Malecha Reads!

by Mac Barnett Illustrated by Jon Klassen Triangle is out to trick his friend square.  Triangle lives in a cave with a door that is the perfect shape - a triangle! However will his friend square fit in his house?  Read Triangle to find out what happens to these two friends.

by Dav Pilkey Lexile:  GN 260L Genre:  Fantasy, Humor, Graphic Novel Dog Man is back in his third adventure.  Ever since a tragic accident, he has been part dog and part cop.  His goal is to keep criminals behind bars and keep his town safe.  But Petey the Cat is back and this time came up with the plan of creating his clone.  So now there are two cats on the loose.  Flippy is back too, but this time in a bionic form.  Dog Man is going to have his hands full keeping these 3 animals out of trouble!

by Dav Pilkey Lexile:  GN320 Genre:  Fantasy, Humor, Graphic Novel Dog Man is back for his second adventure.  Ever since a tragic accident, he is part dog and part cop, with maybe too much emphasis on the dog part!  But, that does not stop him from trying to rid his city of crime.  He is up to the challenge of taking on Petey the Cat who has escaped from cat jail once again.  It will take all of his wits to catch Petey while at the same time fighting a new villain who has arrived on the scene - Flippy the Fish!  Is Dog Man up to the challenge?

by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm Lexile:  GN480 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Sunny is heading to middle school and she's not very excited about it.  Everything just seems extra confusing - at school and at home.  Sunny is trying to adjust to the absence of her brother Dale who was sent away to school by her parents.  They are all hoping that a fresh start will get him back on track.  Sunny meets a new neighbor who introduces her to flag twirling.  So even if things are different and confusing, maybe life will still turn out okay.

by Jeff Kinney Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Humor Greg Heffley and his family are foregoing their regular tradition of exchanging gifts at Christmas.  Instead, they are flying to Mexico to stay at an all inclusive tropical resort.  Will their family be able to relax, unwind, and destress during the holiday season?  Well, if you know anything about the Heffleys, that would be a tough paradise to find.  Will their trip be a disaster or will they all find the peace they are seeking?  Read The Getaway to find out!

by C. Alexander London Lexile:  810 Genre:  Fantasy Kit the raccoon has spent his whole life living happily with his parents under the Big Sky.  But one day, a pack of hunting dogs destroys his happy home and suddenly if Kit is going to survive, he is going to have to prove that the Wild Ones belong in Ankle Snap Alley.  All of this is so confusing for Kit, but he made a promise to his mother that he would find his Uncle Rik and continue the work that she had been doing to give the Wild Ones a permanent place to live.  Kit has a lot to learn if he is going to be able to save Ankle Snap Alley.

by Ursula Vernon Lexile:  730 Genre:  Fantasy Molly wants to be a witch.  So she decides to accept an invitation to be Castle Hangnail's wicked witch.  The castle is in desperate need of a new master, but they are not sure that a five foot 12 year old who seems to be kind and polite, is really what they are looking for.  But they are willing to give it a try and surprisingly, Molly is more than up for the challenge.  Molly is determined the fulfill all the tasks that the Board of Magic requires so that she can save the castle and live there forever.

by Chris Rylander Lexile:  780 Genre:  Mystery, Adventure Nothing exciting ever happens in North Dakota so Carson has learned to make his own fun.  He is known as the best prankster in the whole 7th grade, but even creating and pulling off new pranks is getting boring.  But then one day, he is approached by a desperate man who gives him a package with a strict set of instructions. Carson is soon to find out that there is a secret government agency operating it his town and the secret agents are going to need his help to disrupt the evil plans of a terrorist organization.  Let's hope that Carson is up for the challenge!

by Sharon Robinson Lexile:  640 Genre:  Historical Fiction 2018-19 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee It's 1948 and Steve and his dad are huge Brooklyn Dodgers fans and Jackie Robinson is Steve's hero.  So imagine their excitement when they learn that he is moving into the house 2 doors down from them!  The two families, from very different backgrounds, meet and become lifelong friends.  This story, written by Jackie Robinson's daughter, is based on the real life friendship between these two families.  Jackie and Steve built a special relationship that continues on through their families today.

by Marisa De los Santos and David Teague Lexile:  840 Genre:  Realistic Ficiton, Adventure Audrey has what she calls an unsuperpower.  She can tell when someone is lying.  This unsuperpower gets in the way of her friendships so she decides that she will no longer have friends.  Life will be so much easier if she is alone.  Then there is Aaron.  Aaron knows everything.  He has a photographic mind that allows him to remember everything he sees or hears.  But he's  not good at making friends.  Audrey and Aaron meet when their parents decide to send them both to a wilderness camp out in the desert.  Neither of them wants to go, but is it possible that their parents could be right in thinking that this experience could be the best thing that has ever happened to them?

by David Shannon Genre:  Fantasy Living on the farm, Duck sometimes gets wild ideas...like riding a bike!  But today, he has decided to drive a tractor.  And not only does he hop aboard, but he brings along some friends too!  Cow, Chicken, Sheep, Goat, and Dog are also excited for this new adventure.  When they head into town, what will the reaction of Farmer Dell be?  Read Duck on a Tractor to find out!

by Laurence Yep and Joanne Ryder Illustrated by Mary GrandPre Lexile:  840 Genre:  Fantasy Miss Drake has a new pet human named Winnie.  Miss Drake did not ask for Winnie and would prefer it if Winnie left her alone.  But Winnie can think of nothing better than having a pet dragon, so she has no intention of leaving Miss Drake alone.  So Miss Drake has no choice but to let Winnie into the mysterious and magical world that exists in San Francisco.  Together, the two of them will have some grand adventures, and ultimately, have to work together to save the entire city.

by Bruce Coville Lexile:  800 Genre:  Fantasy 2018-19 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Angus is a brownie.  Not the kind you eat, and not the kind that comes before becoming a Girl Scout, and certainly not an elf!  He is a brownie with a terrible temper who has been bound to the McGonagall family in Scotland for hundreds of years.  He carries with him a curse that only inflicts itself on the male members of the family he serves.  Now he has a new assignment...one that will take him across the sea away from his beloved Scotland.  What will he find in the Carhart home...a place to call home or a disaster?

by Diana Harmon Asher Lexile:  690 Genre: Realistic Fiction Joseph Friedman is used to coming in last at pretty much everything.  Now his teacher is encouraging him to join the cross country team.  Joseph doesn't think he really likes running and thinks it will just be one more thing that he isn't any good at.  Then he meets a new student, Heather, who convinces him to give running a chance.  Maybe learning how to run will help turn his miserable 7th grade experience around.

by Ruth Freeman Lexile:  570 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Anais has recently moved to America from Africa with her mother and younger brother.  She used to be at the top of her class, but now she feels like she knows nothing.  Her grandmother insists that she write letters to her, only in English, so that her skills will improve.  Anais' brother and father had to stay behind in Africa and she misses them and is worried about all that she left behind.  Slowly, Anais begins to adapt to the funny American customs at her new school and begins to make new friends.  If only her family could all be together in one place again.

by Margarita Engle Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Novel in Verse Edver has grown up in Miami with his mother, but now that travel between Cuba and the United States is possible, she is sending him to Cuba to meet his father.  As he is getting ready to leave, she tells him that a surprise will be waiting for him when he arrives.  That "surprise" turns out to be a sister.  Luza has always known about him and has wondered why their mother chose him and not her to move away.  Edver has grown up wanting for nothing while Luza and her father and grandparents have struggled to make ends meet.  Neither one is sure if they want to take the time to get to know each other, but perhaps that will be the only way for them to make sense of their strange, divided family.

Created by Aileen Leijten Lexile:  GN560 Genre:  Fantasy, Graphic Novel Have you ever wondered what happens to lost socks and lint that stay in the dryer?  Well, this book will answer both questions!  Lint Boy lives in the dryer with his brother Beary and life is good and warm and cozy, until one day when a wrinkly old hand reaches in and grabs out some clothes with Beary attached to them.  Lint Boy doesn't know what to do!  His brother and best friend is gone.  The socks advise him to stay safe with them in the dryer, but Lint Boy knows he must go after his brother.  Will he find him in time?

by Firoozah Dumas Lexile:  730 Genre:  Realistic/Historical Fiction Zomorod Yousefzadeh has just moved to Newport Beach, CA and she desperately wants to fit in as an American girl.  She and her family have moved to CA from Iran and she has just a few weeks before junior high starts.  Her first decision is to change her name to Cindy so that teachers can pronounce her name.  Her parents don't speak much English and want her to hold on to her Iranian heritage, but "Cindy" knows that will only draw attention to herself.  Suddenly, Iran seems to be in the news headlines more and more and her teachers and the community respond in unexpected ways.  Cindy doesn't want to be the expert in U.S/Iranian politics.  She just wants to be an American 6th grader.  Is it possible for her to be both?