Mrs. Malecha Reads!

by Paula Chase Lexile:  700 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Jamila and Metai have been best friends for a long time, until Jamila went away for the summer and stopped texting.  Metai doesn't understand why anyone would want to leave Pirates Cove.  Now that Jamila is back, she is acting like she doesn't want to be there.  The girls both participate in their community dance program and now have the opportunity to audition for a special gifted and talented dance program.  Jamila really wants in the program because she loves ballet while Metai doesn't really enjoy it, but she can't imagine being left out.  Jamila and Metai will have to learn to better understand each other and the reasons behind their actions if their friendship is going to survive.

by Victoria Jamieson Lexile:  GN460 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Imogene can't wait to start middle school.  Her family works at the Florida Renaissance Fair so she has been homeschooled her entire life.  But now her parents have agreed that she can go to school.  Imogene agonizes over how that first day will go...will people like her?  Will she make friends?  Will she wear the right clothes?  Who will she eat lunch with?  What will the teachers be like?  Imogene will soon realize that finding her place in middle school will be one of the most challenging things she has ever done.

by Angela Dominguez Maybe you have heard the story about Mary and her little lamb, but you probably haven't heard the story about Maria and her little llama.  Maria is just like Mary...a little girl who goes to school one day and her little llama wants to go with her.  But llamas in school are against the rules!  Will Maria's llama get to stay and play?

by Christie Matheson Trees are magic!  They can be tall or short.  They can be full of leaves or bare.  They can shelter animals and birds.  Sometimes they bloom or change colors.  As the seasons change, so do the trees.  Read Tap the Magic Tree to find out more about the magic of trees.

by Aaron Reynolds and Phil McAndrew Lexile:  GN170 Genre:  Humor, Graphic Novel Caveboy Dave wants to be an inventor.  His Grandpa invented fire.  His dad invented the wheel.  What is left for Caveboy Dave to discover?  His first few attempts don't seem to have anyone interested, but Caveboy Dave isn't one to give up!  He will keep trying until he finds an invention that someone will find useful and worthwhile.

by Ame Dyckman Illustrated by Scott Magoon Some people are terribly scared of sharks!  But should they be?  What if sharks have just been misunderstood all of these years.  In this story, you will meet shark, the star of an underwater tv show.  He is being filmed live and it looks as though he is about to eat anyone who comes near him.  But is that really the case?  Is he a blood thirsty predator or is he just a misunderstood shark?  Read this book to find out!

by Jane O'Reilly Lexile:  450 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Cooper is struggling with how to cope with his grandfather's death.  His biggest fear is that life will never be the same again.  He has made up new rules to help himself cope - he chews each bite of food 3 times,  he washes his hands in invisible water, he reads every word in a book 3 times.  It is exhausting.  And these behaviors are wearing his family out.  His mother decides they should spend the summer at his grandfather's cabin.  Will this change help Cooper calm down and stop worrying about how to protect his family?

by Alex Gino Lexile:  810 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Jilly is looking forward to the arrival for her new baby sister.  But when her sister arrives, life as Jilly knows it has disappeared.  Not only is having a new baby in the house a stressful situation, Jilly and her parents learn soon after Emma's birth, that Emma is deaf.  The only person Jilly knows who is a deaf is a friend she has met online through her favorite fantasy chat room.  His name is Derek and Jilly is interested in knowing more about what life is like for someone who is deaf.  Derek is also Black, and offers another perspective on life that Jilly and her family are working through as they learn about how racism exists within their own family and community.  Jilly tries to ask Derek questions, but everything seems to come out wrong and Derek gets offended and frustrated with her more often then not.  When Derek and Jilly finally have a chance to meet in person, that doesn't go super smoothly either!  Jilly is wor

by Jeff Kinney Genre:  Humor Greg Heffley is back for another round of fun!  This time it is the middle of winter and all his parents want him to do is play outside in the snow.  This year there appears to be a lot of it so the old street rivalries are back, ready to defend their turf.  When the snow plow gets stuck, the street turns into a battlefield of snow forts and snowballs.  Will the Lower Surrey Street kids conquer the Upper Surrey Street kids to gain access to the coveted sledding hill?  Greg and Rowley must fight for their survival if they want to survive the meltdown!

by Allison Varnes Lexile:  560 Genre:  Realistic Fiction June Harper is your typical, average, good kid.  She follows the rules and gets along with everyone...until the day that her parents take away the book she was reading from the school library. Her parents complain to the school which results in the school librarian being escorted off school property by a security guard.  The library is suddenly closed while the PTSA reviews all of the books on the shelves.  Shelves and shelves of books are removed because they are "inappropriate".  June and her friends are horrified...something must be done if kids are going to be able to access to the things they want to read.  Desperate times call for desperate measures...and so the Rebel Librarian is born!

by Per Horacek Goat wants to taste something new and different.  So he decides to take a few things that don't belong to her.  At first, these things taste great, but as Goat gets more and more adventuresome, her stomach starts to hurt.  Maybe eating grass is what is best after all!

by Fran Manushkin Illustrated by Lauren Tobia We are all born with our individual birthday skin and as we grow our skin grows too.  Sometimes we add freckles, dimples, cuts, or scraps, and sometimes our skin itches or tickles.  Skin comes in all different colors which makes a wonderful world!

by Richard Cowdrey Fiona the hippos was born too early.  But fortunately for her, the zookeepers at the Cincinnati Zoo were prepared to handle her special needs.  With their support, love, and dedication, the hippo who wasn't supposed to survive has become a happy, healthy hippo!  Read Fiona the Hippo to find out more about her amazing story!

by Ashley Wolff Where, oh where, is baby bear?  Is he hiding in a log or perhaps he is behind the waterfall?  Mama is looking everywhere for her little baby bear.  Where will she find him?

by Stacy McAnulty Lexile:  530 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Lucy Callahan was an average girl until she got struck by lightning.  That extra zap of electricity caused her brain to develop genius level math skills and now she is super smart.  Technically she is ready for college level courses, but in reality she should be in the 7th grade.  Lucy rarely leaves the house and has zero friends, so her grandmother decides to enroll her in the local middle school.  Lucy has 3 things she has to do:  make 1 friend, read 1 non math related book, and join 1 activity.  Lucy is convinced that going to middle school will ruin her life...