Mrs. Malecha Reads!

 By Lucy Knisley Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Jen is a city girl and loves living with her mom and dad there, but when her parents split up, Jen has to move to the country with her mom and her mom's new boyfriend, Walter.  They have decided to embrace the farm life so now her mom is trying to grow a garden and Jen is in charge of raising chickens which means cleaning the coop every day.  Then, Walter's girls start showing up on the weekends.  Andy is super bossy and Reese is whiny and the 3 of them are in charge of running the stand at the farmer's market every weekend.  Jen wishes she could leave the farm life behind and return to the city, but since she can't, she has to choose whether or not to embrace the farm life or fight it.

 by Dusti Bowling Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Adventure Nora and her dad decide to go on a hike in a canyon on the day that marks the first anniversary of her mother's death.  It has been a difficult year for both of them and they are hoping this trip will help them get on with their lives.  But they have barely begun when a wall of water surprises them.  Nora's dad is able to push her to safety and she can only watch as he is swept away.  Nora is determined to go after her dad and is confident that she can find him alive.  She has to brave the desert elements as well as watch out for snakes and other wildlife.  Nora has never felt so lost and alone...it will take everything she has to continue this journey.

 by Katherine Applegate Genre:  Animal Story, Fantasy Bob never thought he would want to live with humans because he considered himself to be an independent dog.  But that was before he met Julia and now he has it pretty good.  He has plenty of food, a warm place to sleep at night and he is able to visit his best friends, Ivan and Stella, whenever he wants.  The one thing that he still misses though, is the last memory he has of his sister.  He knows that she survived the night they were abandoned, but he has no idea where she is or if she is still alive.  When a tragedy strikes the animal sanctuary, Bob hears the sound of a bark that he hasn't heard for many years.  Is it possible that it isn't too late for him to find his sister?

 by Hanan Tooke Genre:  Historical Fiction The Little Tulip Orphanage has strict rules about how babies are to be left there and never once have those rules been broken until the fall of 1880 when 5 babies show up.  These 5 babies become known as "the Unadoptables" because nobody seems to want them.  One day, an evil gentleman appears and decides he is willing to take on the task of raising the 5, but Lotta, Egg, Fenna, Sem, and Milou are certain that his story is to good to be true and when the matron of the orphanage dies unexpectedly, they decide to take matters into their own hands and escape.  All they have ever wanted was to find their families and this may be their only chance!

 by Kristin L. Gray Genre:  Mystery Amelia "Millie" Ashford is about to have the adventure of a lifetime.  She is one of six girls selected to spend the night at Amelia Earhart's birthplace.  She is so excited to get to spend more time learning about one of her heroes and she is especially excited to get a chance to see the original flight goggles that Amelia wore before they are moved to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.  But just as the girls are settling in for the night, the goggles disappear, a storm rages, the power goes out, and their host is poisoned.  The girls will have to work together if they are to solve the mystery of the missing flight goggles!

 by Kristy Applebaum Genre:  Science Fiction In the town of Fennis Wick, you want to be an eldest.  The eldests get everything and barely have to do any work.  But when they turn 14, they are sent off to camp to be trained to help fight the Quiet War.  Maggie the middler (middle child) is jealous of her brother Jeb who is an eldest.  She wants to do something that is brave and gets her noticed.  So when she runs into a wanderer, who she has been taught to fear, she decides that catching the wanderer will get her noticed.  But the more Maggie learns about the wanderer and her family, the more she starts to question all of the things she has been told.

 by Jacqueline Woodson Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Novel in Verse ZJ's dad has always been the neighborhood hero and kids always flock to him.  ZJ's dad has played professional football for a long time, but lately he has been struggling with headaches and his memory.  He can no longer play and ZJ misses the dad that used to joke around with him and write music with him.  This new dad is moody and unpredictable and according to his mom, nobody is sure what will happen next.  Will his dad get better or has ZJ's life changed forever?

 by Torrey Maldonado Genre:  Realistic Fiction Stephen has always felt that he could do anything his friends do, but recently he has noticed a difference in the way others treat his friends who are white, and him, who is mixed.  Stephen's dad is black and his mom is white and his dad is starting to talk to him about the realities of growing up mixed.  His mom wants to protect his innocence for as long as possible, but Stephen is noticing things and not sure how to process them.  Luckily, Stephen has a great group of friends that have his back, no matter what.  They will help him navigate the different lanes of his life and support him as he tries to become his best self.

 by Emily Blejwas Genre:  Realistic Fiction Justin is just barely getting through 7th grade.  His father died recently and he has so many questions about what he was doing on the train tracks the night he died.  Was he really just lost in thought and not paying attention, or did he intentionally end his life?  Justin may have to learn to live with not ever knowing the answer.  With the help of his mom, his brother, and the book of poems his dad left behind, Justin may be able to figure out a way to move forward.

 by Lauren Wolk Genre:  Historical Fiction The Great Depression has changed life drastically for Ellie and her family.  They lost all of their belongings and spent the money they had left on a piece of land on Echo Mountain.  All of their energy goes into surviving and now that Ellie's dad has been injured, there is even more work to do.  One day, Ellie runs across a strange dog who leads her up the mountain where she finds Cate, or the hag, as others call her.  Ellie has heard stories about the hag, but isn't sure how much of them are true.  Little does she know how much meeting Cate will change her life.

 by Michele Weber Hurwitz Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Fantasy Analiese has grown up along the shore of Renn Lake.  Her adoptive parents own cabins that she helps them maintain. Analiese has a special relationship with Renn Lake because she was abandoned at the lake when she was just 2 days old.  She was found by Mrs. Alden who cared for her until she could be adopted.  When she was 3 years old, she realized that she could hear Renn talk and Renn understood what Analiese said back to her.  But now Renn is growing silent...and her water is turning a mysterious green color.  Local health officials have banned anyone from going into the lake because it is no longer safe.  Analiese is determined to do all that she can to save Renn and restore her beauty.