Mrs. Malecha Reads!

by Angela Cervantes Lexile:  710 Genre:  Mystery Paloma Marquez is convinced that this will be her worst summer ever.  Her mother has been invited to spend a month in Mexico and Paloma has to go along with her.  Her father was originally from Mexico and planned to take Paloma there someday, but he died when she was only 3 years old.  Her mother looks at this trip as an opportunity for Paloma to learn about her father's culture.  While there, Paloma meets some new friends who convince her to help them solve the mystery of a valuable piece of jewelry.  A peacock ring that belonged to the famous artist, Frida Kahlo, has disappeared and for some reason Paloma's new friends, Gael and Lizzie, think she can help them find it.  Maybe this summer won't be as lame as Paloma thought it was going to be...

by Amy June Bates and Juniper Bates At first it just looks like an ordinary umbrella.  It looks big.  It looks friendly.  When it begins to rain, people need to fit underneath.  How many can big umbrella handle?  Turns out to be more than you might think!

by Kheryn Callender Lexile:  1010 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Caroline Murphy is lonely.  Her mother has left the family and Caroline has no idea where she went or when she will come back.  Her father does the best he can, but for Caroline, his best is not enough.  Caroline struggles at school too, with bullies and mean girls who won't be her friend.  But then a new student, Kalinda, arrives and Caroline hopes that maybe she will finally find someone who will want to spend time with her.  Caroline convinces Kalinda to help her search for her mother and the two of them set out to see what they can discover.

by Kate DiCamillo Lexile:  490 Baby Lincoln has finally had enough!  She is tired of the way Eugenia treats her and has decided that it is time to leave Deckawoo Drive.  So Baby packs her suitcase and she is off.  But where is she going?  The further away Baby gets, the more she realizes that she didn't fully think through what leaving would mean.  Is being out on her own really going to be as great as she thought it would be?

by Varian Johnson Lexile:  610 Genre:  Mystery 2019-20 MHL Nominee Candice Miller's grandmother has left her a letter that describes what happened in the town of Lambert, SC a very long time ago.  The letter tells of a mystery that if solved would give the person and the town a whole lot of money.  Candice isn't happy about having to spend the summer in Lambert, but maybe this mystery will give her something to do.  Candice meets Brandon, a boy across the street, and together, the two of them decide to unravel the mystery that will disclose some of the town's deepest secrets.  Will the two of them find out that the Parker Inheritance does actually exist?

by Erin Entrada Kelly Lexile:  640 Genre:  Realistic Fiction 12 year old Charlotte and 11 year old Ben have never met, yet consider each other to be a friend and confidant.  What brought them together is their common interest in playing online Scrabble, but what they don't realize is that in their separate worlds they are both dealing with similar issues.  They are both struggling to make friends in their new middle schools and have tough things going on with their parents.  While both of them feel very alone in their separate worlds, they feel supported when they connect through their game and eventually by phone.  It is important to both of them that neither of them has to suffer alone.

by Aaron Reynolds Illustrated by Peter Brown Jasper Rabbit is growing up!  And he is old enough to pick out any kind of underwear he wants.  So he decides to pick the coolest pair he can find - one that glows in the dark.  But now Jasper is having trouble sleeping because he can't get rid of the spooky greenish glow...how can he get rid of this creepy pair of underwear?  It should be as easy as throwing them away, right?

by Angela Dominguez This story is based on the life of Angela Dominguez's grandfather.  What she remembers most about abuelo, is his singing.  Once a year he would come to visit their family and he would bring his guitar.  Together they would all sing and the author remembers this as a time of great happiness...through the good times and the bad.

by Kate DiCamillo Francine Poulet has always prided herself on being the greatest animal control officer.  She has taken down many animals, but has never faced the likes of the ghost raccoon that is appearing on Deckawoo Drive.  After her initial encounter with the raccoon, Francine lands in the hospital and decides to give up being the greatest animal control officer in the world.  But with the help of her friends, Frank and Stella, Francine decides to give it one more try.  Will she be able to capture the ghost raccoon that is haunting Deckawoo Drive?

by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm Lexile:  GN490 Genre:  Historical Fiction, Graphic Novel Sunny Lewin can't wait for summer vacation!  She is looking forward to hanging out at the beach with her best friend.  But Sunny's brother Dale is in trouble.  He is hanging out with friends that her parents don't approve of and is coming home late or not showing up at all.  Sunny's parents decide that it would be better if she spend the summer in Florida with her grandpa.  The only problem is that he lives in a retirement community with people who are 55 and older!  Sunny is prepared to have a miserable time, until she meets Buzz, a boy who is obsessed with comic books.  Can having a new friend help turn the summer around?

by Carson Ellis 2018-19 Star of the North Nominee Du iz tak?  What is that?  Two insects are befuddled by this new green shoot that is sprouting up, up, up.  What could they do with it?  One idea is to build a fort.  Will that work?  It sure would be a fun place to play!

by Drew Daywalt Illustrated by Adam Rex 2018-19 Star of the North Nominee Ever wonder how Rock-Paper-Scissors battles began?  This book will answer all of your questions about the three great warriors who started this epic battle long, long ago.   Rock - the strongest in all the land.  Paper - the smartest in all the land.  Scissors - the fastest blade in the the land.  Who will win???

by Jeanne Walker Harvey Illustrated by Dow Phumiruk 2018-19 Star of the North Nominee Maya Lin has always loved to explore.  As a child, she explored the outside world starting with the forest in her backyard.  Her father was an artist who worked with clay while her mother was a poet who wrote poems.  Maya watched the two of the create art in different ways and knew that someday, when she grew up, she would want to create too.  Maya traveled all over the world to learn about art and to think about what it was she most wanted to create.  In her last year of college, she entered a contest to design a memorial to honor the soldiers who had died in the Vietnam War.  There were 1,421 entries and many were designed by world famous architects.  Maya wasn't sure her entry would even have a chance, but she was young and brave and believed in her dreams.

by Travis Foster and Ethan Long 2018-19 Star of the North Nominee Redd thinks the green book is his.  Bloo thinks the green book is his.  Redd and Bloo are so busy fighting over the green book that they don't even realize that Bookworm has stolen it!  Then Red and Bloo decide to work together to get their book back.  They discover it is more fun to work together than to fight.

by Pat Zietlow Miller Illustrated by Frank Morrison 2018-19 Star of the North Nominee Alma is the quickest kid in Clarksville, Tennessee.  In fact she is so quick, she is almost as fast as her idol, Wilma Randolph, who just happens to be coming to town for a parade.  But then there is Charmaine.  Charmaine is fast too, and she just got brand new shoes.  Alma's family doesn't have the money to buy her a new pair of fast shoes.  Is it the feet or the shoes that make a runner?  Alma and Charmaine are about to find out!

by Michael Hall Little i's dot has fallen off!  What is he to do?  Off he goes on an adventure to find out where it has gone.  Are you ready for some fun?  Join Little i as he explores the big bright world in search of his dot!

by Bao Phi Illustrated by Thi Bui 2018-19 Star of the North Nominee Early one Saturday morning, a boy and his dad head out to the pond to fish.  The boy loves to spend time with his father who is busy working two jobs to meet the needs of their family who is new to America.  Their family is from Vietnam and they are working very hard to make a new life in America.  Fishing together is something that is the same, no matter where you live.

by Elisha Cooper 2018-19 Star of the North Nominee Once upon a time, there was a cat who lived alone.  But then one day, a new cat came.  The new cat didn't know how to do anything at all.  So the big cat had to teach him about everything...how to eat and drink, when to rest and play. Being the big cat was a lot of work, but he loved the little cat so it was worth it.  Then one day, the big cat went away and the little cat was all alone.  Until one day, a new cat came...

by Tami Charles Lexile:  730 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Vanessa Martin watches the Miss America contest every year and for the first time someone who looks like Vanessa has won!  This gives Vanessa the courage to enter into the Miss King Middle pageant that her school is hosting.  The only problem is that her father won't let her participate and won't tell her why.  She thinks it has something to do with the biggest secret her family is keeping from her which is the story about why her mother left their family.  Vanessa is tired of the secrets and is ready to do something for herself.  Will she have the courage to follow her heart and go against her father's wishes?