Mrs. Malecha Reads!

by Zachariah Ohora Oskar and Theodore love to spend quiet mornings in the library.  But during a Saturday visit, a 5 headed monster tears into the library and thinks that they have found an all you can eat buffet.  The monster is being terribly rude and noisy.  It will be up to Oskar and Theodore to outsmart the monster so that peace can be restored to the library once again.

by Stephan Pastis Lexile:  520 Genre: Humor Timmy Failure has big dreams of opening a detective office and becoming the most sought after detective in the whole city.  But with a name like Failure, that might be harder than it would seem.  Yet he and his business partner, Total, the polar bear, are ready to take on cases that need to be solved and are convinced that their sleuthing skills will solve problems and find the answers their clients are looking for.  Meanwhile, Timmy is struggling in school and his mom is threatening to shut down the business if he doesn't turn things around.  Will Timmy be able to avoid failure?

by Svetlana Chmakova Lexile:  GN150 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Jorge is everyone's friend.  He has a great group of friends and has the respect of most everyone in school, which is a tough thing to do in middle school.  He stands up to the bullies and hangs out with kids from all of the different clubs.  But lately he is thinking more and more about Jasmine, a girl in the drama club.  Why is he looking for opportunities to spend time with her?  Does Jorge have a crush on Jasmine?  And if so, what should he do about it?

by Leslie C. Youngblood Genre: Realistic Fiction G-Baby and Peaches are trying to get used to their new families.  Mama has remarried Frank and given them an older stepsister.  Daddy has remarried Millicent and moved back into their old home.  G-Baby and Peaches really want their old lives back when Mama and Daddy were together and not fighting all the time.  But those days are gone, and the two girls have to make the best of their new reality.  When Peaches gets sick, G-Baby feels responsible and is worried that she will never get the chance to make it up to Peaches.  The adults in her life are so busy fighting with each other that G-Baby doesn't think anyone is telling the truth about what is really going on with Peaches.

by Kate DiCamillo Lexile:  630 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Louisiana and her granny are on a road trip.  They have left their home in the middle of the night and Granny says they aren't ever turning back.  Louisiana isn't happy about this surprise news. She likes her life in Florida with her cat, dog and two best friends.  But Granny is insistent.  There is no going back.  Now they are in Richford, Georgia with no money and no where to stay accept for the Good Night Sleep Tight Motel that is run by cranky old Bernice.  Louisiana meets Burke Allen who helps get her stuff out of the vending machine while her Granny figures out what to do next.  When Louisiana wakes up one morning and finds Granny gone, she realizes that she is truly alone in the world.  Who does she want to become?  What should she do next?

by Katie Slivensky Lexile:  700 Genre:  Science Fiction, Adventure 6 kids from around the world have been chosen to train for the first ever mission to Mars.  Miranda Regent is the representation from the United States and she could not be happier that her dreams of space travel are finally going to come true.  She, and her fellow cadets, knew that training for this mission was going to be a lot of work - classes in calculus, engineering, astrophysics, as well as learning how to live aboard a spaceplane.  But what they didn't count on was the fact that someone seems determined to destroy their dreams and in the process, them as well!  Can Miranda and her cadets outsmart their enemy?

by Brian Farrey Lexile:  670 Genre:  Fantasy 2019-20 MHL Nominee Jeniah is a twelve year old princess who is about to assume the throne at a much earlier age than she had planned.  Her mother is dying and she has only weeks to learn what it means to be queen.  The first thing her mother tells her is that she must never enter Dreadwillow Carse, a secret place that lies in the center of the Monarchy where people know only happiness.  Jeniah has more questions than answers.  Her questions lead her to edge of Dreadwillow Carse where she meets Aon, a young girl mourning the loss of her father who was taken from her village by the mysterious Crimson Hoods.  Jeniah and Aon form a partnership.  Aon will go into the Carse to explore for Jeniah and in return, Jeniah will find and free Aon's father.  Neither one of them realizes that their partnership will change both of their lives forever.

by Victoira J. Coe Lexile:  500 Genre:  Fantasy Fenway loves Hattie.  She is the best short human ever.  They live together in the city where there is all kinds of noise and smells and sounds.  Best of all, they can walk to the dog park that is Fenway's favorite place.  But one day, that all changes.  Big humans come into their home with boxes and pack everything up and Fenway goes in the car for a really long time.  When he finally gets out, he finds himself in a very quiet area where the smells and sounds are totally different.  The big humans bring the same stuff inside a new place, but it is very different from where he used to live.  And wear is the dog park?  Fenway is confused about a lot of things, but he knows that as long as Hattie is by his side, everything will be okay.

by James Gladstone Pictures by Karen Reczuch Where can you find turtles?  In this book, you will find them everywhere as a boy and his family visit a local garden throughout the year.  The turtle featured in this book is the Red-Eared Slider and the reader learns more about this particular turtle by reading a series of poems as the family moves throughout the garden.

by Karuna Riazi Lexile:  700 Genre:  Science Fiction Farah is looking forward to celebrating her 12th birthday with her friends, but when her brother Ahmad gives her what he thinks is a gift from their Aunt Zohra, things take a dangerous turn.  Farah opens the gift to reveal what looks like a board game called The Gauntlet of Blood and Sand.  Farah and her friends are curious and as they begin to explore the game, Ahmad suddenly disappears into the game.  Aunt Zohra happens upon the group and tells them that the game was not meant for them and that if Ahmad has disappeared, there is only one way to save him.  Farah and her friends must enter the Gauntlet and win the challenges if they have any hope of saving Ahmad. 

by Andrew Clements Lexile:  860 Genre:  Realistic Fiction 2019-20 MHL Nominee Alec's favorite thing to do is read and now it has gotten him in big trouble!  His principal has told him that if he doesn't put down the books and pay attention in class, then he will be spending the summer taking a study skills class.  Alec's parents have signed him up for extended day because of their new work schedules.  He thinks that will be great - 3 hours of after school time where he can read his books.  But he quickly finds out that reading for fun is not on the list of activities for extended day.  He can, however, create a club as long as there are 2 members.  Alec decides to create a book club and sets out to find one other person who likes reading as much as he does.  When he finds Nina, they both agree that they don't want other members in their club who might interfere with their goal of quiet reading time, so The Losers Club is born.  They thin...

by James Ponti Lexile:  680 Genre:  Mystery Florian Bates is the youngest FBI agent on record at the age of 12.  He impressed the FBI agent assigned to an art theft at the museum where his parents work so now the FBI is interested in having him help them solve other crimes.  Florian invented T.O.A.S.T. - the Theory of All Small Things.  Florian uses this strategy to pay attention to the small details that other people might work.  It has proved useful in many school situations, but now that he has taught it to his new friend, Margaret, it seems like T.O.A.S.T. can be applied to many situations.  What will T.O.A.S.T. help him solve next?

by Nicole Helget Genre:  Realistic Fiction 2019-20 MHL Nominee Fern does not have an easy life.  Ever since her mother and baby brother were killed in a car accident, she has had to take care of her stepfather and 2 younger brothers.  They don't have much money, but Fern is very resourceful and is able to forage for lots of natural foods in the woods around her home.  Fern loves the woods so when she learns that a fracking company is moving to town and plans to build a wastewater plant in the middle of the woods, Fern decides that something must be done.  Will Fern be able to protect her family and the forest that she loves?

by Jake Burt Lexile:  750 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Nicki has bounced around between foster families ever since her grandmother died.  Her father is in jail and she hopes that someday he is going to find her and they can start their lives over again.  In the meantime, she would like to find a consistent family to live with.  So when a U.S. Marshall shows up at the center looking for a streetwise girl to help a family going into witness protection, Nicki decides she is up for the challenge.  Now she is going to transform herself into Charlotte Trevor, an average student, basketball player and older sister.  Will going undercover with the Trevors give her the family that she has always been looking for?