Mrs. Malecha Reads!

by Cassie Beasley Lexile:  680 Genre:  Fantasy Blue is a Montgomery which means he carries a curse like everyone in his family.  His dad can never lose, but Blue can never win.  His dad unexpectedly drops him off to spend his summer with hie Granny Eve in the small town of Murky Branch, Georgia.  What Blue doesn't know is that this is the summer of the bloodred moon when all of his ancestors will come to Murky Branch to journey into the Okefenokee Swamp to see if they can change their fate.  When Blue meets Tumble, his next door neighbor who is a hero in training, he confides in her about his curse and what his family is up to.  Tumble decides to get involved to see if she can save the day for Blue and his relatives.  Tumble and Blue will soon learn whether or not the legend of the Montgomerys is true or false.

by Gaia Cornwall 2018-19 Star of the North Nominee Jabari is so excited!  He has learned how to swim and now he thinks he is ready to jump off the diving board!  But when he gets up on the diving board, things look a whole lot different from up high.  Jabari is no longer sure that he wants to jump.  Will Jabari have the courage to try?

by Tatyana Feeney Small Bunny loves his blue blanket and takes it with him wherever he goes.  This means that blue blanket gets dirty and Small Bunny's mom thinks it needs to be washed.  But Small Bunny likes blue just the way he is.  Will his best friend be the same when he returns from the laundry?

by Steve Antony Mr. Panda is making a surprise and lots of animals are curious about what the surprise is.  Mr. Panda says they will have to wait.  But waiting is hard and nobody has the patience to wait around, except for Penguin.  As all the animals leave, penguin stays and waits.  His reward?  A giant surprise that was definitely worth the wait!

by Katherine Applegate Lexile:  590 Genre: Fantasy Red is an oak tree who has watched over the neighborhood for hundreds of years.  Red knows the detailed past and present of all the people and animals who have moved in and out over the years.  Many years ago, someone decided that Red would become a wishtree and that tradition has continued.  Every year many people bring small scraps of fabric or paper with their wishes written on them.  But this year is different...a new family has moved into the neighborhood and a young teenager has scratched the word LEAVE into Red's bark.  The owner of the land on which Red lives, has decided to cut the tree down.  Red isn't ready to be done with this neighborhood...can he and his friends change the owner's mind?

by Anna Meriano Genre:  Fantasy Leo is tired of being the youngest sister.  Her older sisters get to do so many more cool things.  One of which is skipping school to help their parents in the bakery preparing for the Dia de los Muertas festival.  Leo can't shake the feeling that her family is keeping a secret from her so she decides to skip school and sneak into the bakery to find out what is going on.  What she learns that day while hiding in the flour cabinet is going to change her life in ways she never could have imagined.

by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Lexile:  520 Genre:  Historical Fiction Ada was finally able to have the surgery to fix her clubfoot so she is now able to walk comfortably on her own.  She thought that fixing her damaged foot would solve all of her problems, but the damage her mother inflicted on her is proving to be harder to overcome.  Ada and Jamie have settled into a comfortable life with Susan who wants to become their legal guardian.  Ada is still hesitant to put her trust in one person, but Jamie has already started calling Susan, Mum.  World War II continues to change their lives as well when Lady Thorton moves in and then Lord Thorton brings a young Jewish German girl to live with them.  Ada is going to have to come to terms with the hurts from the past if she wants to be able to face a future of happiness. 

by Katy Hudson Tortoise has made up his mind.  He hates winter.  He thinks the best way to get through it would be to take a long nap.  But he keeps getting interrupted and this makes him very grumpy.  He has a choice to make...stay grumpy all winter long or explore some of the fun things that you can do in winter.  Read A  Loud Winter's Nap to find out what tortoise chooses...

by David Gordon What happens when a lost sock and a lost mitten team up together?  Well, you get smitten!  Mitten had been left on top of a fence post one day when he spies a sock fall out of a laundry basket.  Since they are both alone, they decide to set off on an adventure.  First stop:  the laundromat to get clean!  They run into some tough times, but by sticking together, they end up making a perfect pair.