Mrs. Malecha Reads!

 by Maria Scrivan Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel For the first time in her life, Nat feels confident.  School is going well, she's got a great friend group, and most importantly, she has her first crush!  Nat is sure that Derek likes her back, until the day he tells her that he just wants to be friends. Nat is heartbroken and her self-confidence is destroyed. Her friends don't know what to do with her and that leads to more drama.  Why can't things go back to the way they were before Derek knew she had a crush on him?

 by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel It's summertime, but Sunny doesn't know what to do until one day, while hanging out at the pool, she gets a job offer to work in the snack bar.  Sunny is all in and suddenly her summer is heating up!  She learns how to manage the crowds, meets new friends, and finally conquers jumping off the high dive.  Who says working can't be fun?

 by Jenn Bishop Genre:  Realistic Fiction Drew's summer isn't going as he expected.  3 years have passed since his dad committed suicide, but Drew and his mom are still struggling.  Drew is still angry with his dad, with himself and wonders what the future holds for him.  He does enjoy volunteering at the library, helping with the summer programs, until Audrey shows up.  She's grumpy and grouchy and doesn't seem to like kids very much.  And then at home, an old friend of his mom's, Phil, shows up for a visit unexpectedly.  Drew doesn't know what to make of all of these changes, but somehow he's going to have to navigate through things.  Maybe Audrey and Phil will turn out to be two people who might be able to help him.

 by Rajani LaRocca Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Novel in Verse Reha feels like she is trapped between two worlds.  At school she is the only Indian American student trying to git in, and at home she has to be the perfect Indian daughter for her parents.  Reha wants to do regular teenage things; like talk to boys and go to the school dance.  Her dad understands, but her mom still wants to make all of her clothes and keep her at home.  While Reha is struggling with all of these things, she doesn't notice that her mom is changing too.  When Reha learns that her mom is very sick, she decides she must focus all of her energy on being the perfect daughter for her mother, even if it means sacrificing the things she longs to do and be part of.

 by Kate Messner Genre:  Realistic Fiction When Mia moves to Vermont, she wants to completely start fresh.  No more gymnastics and no more thinking about what happened to her on the last day at her gym.  Mia says she doesn't want to do gymnastics because of her arm injury, but now that her arm is fully healed, she is running out of excuses.  Mia meets some new friends at day camp who decide to help her on her mission to save her grandma's cricket farm.  As Mia builds relationships with new friends, the secret from her past is still troubling her.  Does she trust them enough to tell them the real reason she no longer wants to be a gymnast?

 by Rodman Philbrick Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Adventure Sam is on his way to the evacuation bus from summer camp because the wildfire is closing in on them, but he suddenly remembers that he forgot his phone in his cabin and he wants to be able to call his mom so that she doesn't worry about him.  By the time he grabs the phone, the smoke is so thick that he can't find his way back to the bus.  Sam finds himself alone in the middle of a wildfire with no idea where to run.  All he knows is that if he wants to survive, he is going to have to move fast!

 by Barbara Dee Genre:  Realistic Fiction At first, Mila just thinks the basketball boys are trying to be funny.  They seem to be giving her extra attention, but when the attention turns to unwanted comments and touching, Mila wants it to stop.  She tries ignoring them and asking them to stop, but nothing seems to be working.  Her friends think it's no big deal and that she is being too sensitive.  But Mila knows that a line has been crossed and feels she is on her own to try and figure out how to solve her problem.  She knows she should talk to her mom, but she is so stressed out over problems at work.  Mila starts taking a karate course at a new health club and starts to rebuild her sense of confidence.  Will Mila find someone she can trust to help her solve her problems or will this be a battle she has to fight alone?

by Gary D. Schmidt Genre:  Historical Fiction Meryl Lee has been shipped off to a boarding school that she doesn't want to go to.  Her parents think it is for the best and will help her recover from the pain of losing her best friend.  Meryl Lee does not like her new school, the rules, the girls, or even the teachers.  Until she meets the mysterious Matt, who seems to be trying to escape the memory of something awful that happened to him too.  Perhaps the two of them can work together to overcome their sadness and move forward into a better future?