Mrs. Malecha Reads!

by Juana Medina Lexile:  870 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Juana thinks her life is pretty perfect.  She has an amazing Mami, great friends, and a fabulous dog.  But lately she has noticed some changes with her mom.  She is doing her hair differently, wearing perfume and singing songs in a way that she never has done before.  Juana has just been introduced to her Mami's friend Luis.  Is it possible that Luis is behind any of these changes?  And if so...what does that mean or Juana's perfect life?

by Kelley Armstrong Lexile:  610 Genre:  Fantasy Rowan is next in line to be Queen and her twin brother Rhydd is next in line to be the Royal Monster Hunter.  The problem?  Rowan doesn't want to be Queen and Rhydd doesn't want to hunt monsters.  The twins devise a plan that will allow them to switch, so Rowan sets off on a quest to prove that even at twelve years old, she should be considered for the role.  The future of her kingdom depends on her being able to slay the most dangerous monster of all:  the gryphon.  Is Rowan up to the challenge?

by Carolyn Mackler Lexile: 790 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Willa and Ruby have recently become best friends.  They know a lot about each other, but they also have their secrets.  Willa has Sensory Processing Disorder which causes her to feel out of sorts at times and requires her to work with an Occupational Therapist to help her keep her world in order. Ruby deals with anxiety and sleep issues that prevent her from ever going to Willa's house for a sleepover.  But what Willa and Ruby don't know, is that Willa's dad and Ruby's mom have an even bigger secret.  What will happen to their friendship when the secrets are all revealed?

by Onjali Q. Rauf Lexile:  940 Genre:  Realistic Fiction There used to be an extra chair in the classroom,  but now Ahmet has arrived and taken that seat.  Ahmet doesn't speak English and his classmates soon learn that he is a refugee from Syria and he doesn't know where his parents are.  The school is able to find an interpreter and then Ahmet's classmates learn more about his life and how he came to the UK.  He is sad about being separated from his family and so his new friends decide to do something about it.  They come up with the Greatest Idea in the World and put it into action.  Will they be able to reunite Ahmet with his parents?

by Nicole Panteleakos Lexile:  740 Genre:  Historical Fiction Twelve year old Nova has a hard time communicating with the world.  She and her sister Bridget have been in a lot of different foster homes so they have come to rely on each other.  Bridget shares Nova's love for space and the two of them are eagerly awaiting the launch of the Challenger Space Shuttle that will send the first teacher into space.  But Bridget has left, and Nova is now on her own with a new foster family and all Nova wants is for Bridget to return.  Nova's new foster family and new school are nice and she is starting to make friends, but nobody understands her like Bridget does.  When will Bridget come back?

by Mariama J. Lockington Lexile:  500 Genre:  Realistic Fiction 11 year old Makeda is black and was adopted by a white family and she is struggling to find her place within her family.  They have recently moved from Maryland to New Mexico so Makeda is feeling more alone than ever without her best friend, Lena.  Makeda feels like an outsider and wishes she knew her birth mother or more about where she came from.  While Makeda loves her adopted family, she often wonders what it would be like to be part of a family that looks like her.  After moving to New Mexico, the dynamics in her family start to shift.  Her sister Eve is suddenly too cool to hang out with her, her dad is getting ready to go on tour with the orchestra, and her mother's behavior is changing.  Makeda doesn't know what the summer is going to bring.

by Nick Courage Lexile:  930 Genre:  Action/Adventure Alejo isn't worried about a little rain and wind.  Puerto Rico is used to storms passing through the island each summer.  But this time, things are about to get bad.  No one anticipates just how much damage Hurricane Valerie is about to change the lives of people in Puerto Rico as well as along the coast of the United States.  Emily is living in New Orleans and is wrapped up in her own family problems so she doesn't pay attention to the warnings either.  She is on a mission to explore an island that her brother loves, but hasn't been able to visit since he got sick.  Alejo and Emily live in two different worlds, but Hurricane Valerie is about to bring them together.

by Greg Van Eekhout Lexile:  760 Genre:  Science Fiction The Laika spaceship has been damaged and the human crew is gone.  All that is left are the Barkonauts, a special group of highly changed dogs who are now all on their own, hurtling through space.  They have awoken in their hibernation chamber too soon and now they must figure out how to continue their mission to get to Stepping Stone safely.  Navigating space alone, had never been the plan...are the Barkonauts up to the challenge?

by Avi Lexile:  810 Genre:  Historical Fiction The year is 1724, the place is Melcombe Regis, England.  12 year old Oliver Pitts awakes to find his house is flooding and his father is missing.  He left him a note, but due to the flood, Oliver can not read it because the writing is smudged.  Oliver realizes that he has no money, no food, and quite possibly no way to survive.  He comes across a shipwreck where he finds a small stash of money.  He decides that stealing the money is the only way he can guarantee his survival, but now that he has become a thief is life is about to go from bad to worse.  Will Oliver ever see his father again?