Mrs. Malecha Reads!

by Christine Day Genre:  Realistic Fiction Edie's parents have never hidden the fact that she is half Native American, but they've never really talked about it either.  So one day when Edie stumbles across a box of things with the name Edith on it in her attic, she begins to question what she hasn't been told.  Her parents don't seem to want to talk about it so Edie and her friends begin their own investigation as they look through the box of items.  Edie has so many questions and the first one is what are her parents keeping from her about her past?

by Lindsay Lackey Genre:  Realistic Fiction Red has been bounced around from foster home to foster home when all she really wants to do is live with her mom.  But her mom is struggling with addiction issues and is having trouble staying sober.  So Red is being sent to live with the Grooves, an older couple who run a petting zoo.  Red is determined to not like it there and decides to just count down the days until her mom is released from prison.  The Grooves have other plans though...they work really hard to let Red know that she has a special place in their family and they give her opportunities to help out with the animals.  As Red lets her guard down, she starts to feel comfortable and begins to feel hope that maybe things might turn out okay.  When her mom is released from prison, Red begins to rebuild her relationship with her mom, but the more time she spends with her, the more she realizes that even though she loves her mom, her mom might not be the best person to take care of h

by Charlene Willing McManis Lexile:  720 Genre:  Historical Fiction Regina and her family are Umpqua and have been living on the Grand Ronde Tribe's reservation.  This is the only life that Regina has ever known so when her father announces that the government has decided that their tribe no longer exists and they are moving to Los Angeles, Regina doesn't know what to think.  The family moves to a new neighborhood on 58th Place where there are families of all different races.  Some of them have never met an Indian before and want to know why Regina and her sister aren't like the Indians they have seen on television.  Her father believes that if he works hard and follows the rules, they will be treated just like white Americans.  Regina doesn't think it will be that simple.  She misses life on the reservation in the wide open spaces with her cousins and extended family around.  Who is Regina supposed to be?  Is she American or is she Indian...or is it possible to be both

by India Hill Brown Lexile:  670 Genre:  Paranormal, Scary One dark snowy night, Iris and Daniel stumble across a gravestone of a young girl.  They aren't supposed to be out alone at night or in the woods, so they can't tell anyone about their discovery.  But soon strange things begin to happen...Iris is having terrifying nightmares about the girl, Avery Moore, that seem so real, almost as if Avery Moore is visiting her and calling her to return to the grave.  At the same time, Iris and Daniel have to work on a class project together and they decide to research forgotten cemeteries and the more they learn about Avery Moore, the more Iris is determined to figure out how she died and why her spirit doesn't seem to be at rest.  The question is...will Avery's spirit cooperate or does she have plans of her own???

by Kat Shepherd Lexile:  710 Genre:  Scary, Paranormal Rebecca always looks forward to her babysitting jobs with Kyle.  He is a cute, happy, baby until one night when a sudden storm appears out of nowhere and knocks the power out.  When Rebecca goes upstairs to check on him, the window is open and there are strange mossy handprints on the walls.  Kyle seems okay, but when his parents come home, they have no idea what storm Rebecca is talking about.  It seems that no one else in town saw the storm.  Kyle begins to act strangely, but his parents don't seem to notice.  When Rebecca explains the situation to her friends, they start to realize that something unbelievable has happened and that they are the only chance Kyle has at being returned to normal.  Are the girls up for a scary journey into the Nightmare Realm?

by Kat Shepherd Genre:  Mystery Zach, Evie, Vishal and Sophia all have one thing in common:  they love a good mystery!  When Sophia's family heirloom, the famous North Star Necklace is stolen, the friends are on the case.  They have an inside track as Zach and Evie's mom is a crime reporter so if they lay low, she might help lead them to the thief.  The sleuths begin to investigate and as they get closer to the answers to the question of who stole the necklace, things begin to get more dangerous.  The police have told the kids to stay out of the investigation, but they are determined to get to the bottom of the crime so that Sophia's family can get the necklace back.  Do the Gemini Detectives have what it will take to solve this case???

by Nicole Melleby Lexile:  830 Genre:  Realistic Fiction More than anything else in the world, Fig wants to figure out how to help her father.  He was once a world famous piano player, but now he mostly lives in his own world and struggles to keep their household going.  When he shows up in the middle of the school day, looking for Fig, her art teacher calls Child Protective Services because she is concerned about Fig's safety and well being.  Fig only took the art class because she thought it might bring her closer to her dad, but that isn't working at all.  She is terrible at art and can't think of anything to do for her project. Fig meets a new friend, a new neighbor, and starts to learn about Vincent Van Gogh.  Will any of these 3 people be able to help her figure out her life?

by Alan Gratz Lexile:  760 Genre:  Historical Fiction It's 1945 and WWII is raging in Japan.  Hideki and Ray are both young boys, fighting for their lives, on opposite sides of the war.  Hideki is fighting with the Japanese to protect the island of Okinawa.  Ray is an American Marine who has just landed on Okinawa.  Neither boy has seen combat before and neither boy is prepared for what is about to happen.  When their paths cross, both of them will be changed forever.

by Jeff Kinney Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Humor Greg Heffley's family has received an inheritance and now they have to figure out how to spend it!  They have have great ideas, but Greg's mom votes for getting a new kitchen, so the home renovation projects begin.  However, nothing seems to be going as planned and now there is a whole in the house, critters and insects living inside, and the neighbors are all upset with the noise and the mess.  Will Greg's family have to move and start fresh somewhere?

by Kwame Alexander Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Josh and Jordan Bell are twin brothers and the sons of the famous Chuck "Da Man" Bell, former basketball star.  Josh and Jordan are well on their way to becoming basketball stars as well and their dad is a huge part of their success.  But their dad has a secret.  He doesn't like doctors or hospitals and refuses to go for a check up.  His father died of heart disease at age 45 so he is at an increased risk. Josh and Jordan are best of friends until Josh gets a girlfriend and suddenly he doesn't seem to need Jordan like he used to.  Jordan feels left out without Josh and is worried about his father's health.  It's a good thing he has basketball to keep him going, but then he makes a stupid decision that costs him his spot on the team and his brother's friendship.

by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham Lexile:  GN380 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Shannon is hoping that 6th grade will be perfect!  She finally seems to have lots of friends and is part of the "in-crowd" because the leader, Jen, has decided to be Shannon's best friend.  But Shannon is struggling to keep up with what is "cool".  It seems that the rules are constantly changing and Shannon is just one step behind.  Is Jen the only one who can make the rules?  And what if Shannon doesn't want to follow them?  6th grade is turning out to be harder than Shannon thought it would be.

by Nic Stone Lexile:  780 Genre:  Realistic/Historical Fiction When your G'Ma shows up at the door and tells you to pack a suitcase to go on a road trip, what do you do?  Well, Scoob packs a suitcase, goes with his G'Ma and doesn't look back.  He and his dad aren't getting along much these days, so a trip with G'Ma seems like the perfect distraction.  But when Scoob's grandma ignores his dad's phone calls, and switches license plates on the RV they are traveling in, Scoob begins to worry that G'Ma might not be telling him everything.  She seems focused on recreating a journey that she never finished with Scoob's Grandpop, years ago.  As the trip goes on, Scoob has more questions than answers and when he sees an Amber Alert bulletin with his face attached, he knows there are somethings G'Ma isn't telling him.

by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch Lexile:  680 Genre:  Historical Fiction Nadia is living in Canada with people who she knows are her adoptive parents, but she can't remember who her real parents are and what happened to her.  She can remember bits and pieces of things, and Ivan and Marusia think it is important that she remember what she can on her own.  WWII destroyed many families and Nadia knows that she is lucky that she survived and has made it safely to Canada.  But she keeps remembering attending rallies and being praised for her blond hair and blue eyes...could she have been raised by Nazis and not even realize it?