Mrs. Malecha Reads!

 by Emily Ecton Art by Dave Mottram Genre:  Animal Story, Fantasy The day that Mrs. Food fell, was the day that daily life changed for Butterbean, Oscar, Walt, Marco and Polo.  Mrs. Food was no longer there to feed an care for her beloved pets, and no one knew if she would be able to return.  So the resourceful pets decided that they must save themselves so that they wouldn't have to be split up and sent to separate homes.  Butterbean knows a man in the building who may have some loot that will get them the money they need to secure their lifelong happiness so the great pet heist is planned and executed.  Will things turn out the way they planned?

 by Sarah Kapit Genre:  Realistic Fiction Vivy Cohen loves baseball and when she is discovered by a coach at the local park, she has a real chance to play!  But her mom is afraid that joining a boys baseball team isn't the right fit for Vivy because she has autism.  Vivy knows that she can do it and expresses that in a letter that she has to write for her social skills group.  She writes to major-league pticher, VJ Capello, and is shocked when he writes her back!  The two strike up an unusual correspondence and VJ promises to help her if she can convince her mom to le t her play.  Vivy can't wait to take the mound and see what she can do!

 by Terri Libenson Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Ruby and Mia used to be best friends, until they got to middle school and now Mia wants to hang with the popular crowd and Ruby just feels awkward and alone.  As they each figure out their new interests they will have to figure out whether their friendship can accommodate the changes or will they continue to grow a part and go their separate ways?  There's no doubt about the fact that middle school can be hard!

 by Celesta Rimington Genre:  Animal Story, Realistic Fiction, Paranormal Lex Willow doesn't remember her life before the tornado.  That night she lost her family, but gained a zoo.  The wild winds transported her into the elephant habitat where Nyah saved her life.  Now that Lex is older, she is curious about where she came from.  She and Nyah have always shared a special bond and lately Lex feels as though Nyah is trying to communicate something to her.  Lex is drawn to an abandoned trailer in the woods outside the zoo.  Lex and her friend Fisher decide to investigate and try to figure out what the mystery is surrounding the trailer and how it is connected to Lex and Nyah.  

 by Cindy Baldwin Genre:  Realistic Fiction Annie Lee's daddy died at the beginning of the summer and nothing has been the same ever since.  Her mom is sad all the time and to make matters worse, her dad's ghost seems to be hanging around the apartment they had to move to after they sold their house.  Annie Lee is supposed to go directly home after school, but she can only stay in the tiny apartment for so long.  When she ventures out, she meets a new friend Ray who plays the piano at the mall and agrees to give her lessons.  At school, Annie Lee tries to be invisible, but that only works until a new girl, Mitch, discovers her and decides they should be friends. Can Annie Lee open herself up to the possibility that there is still room for happiness in her life?