Mrs. Malecha Reads!

 by Rick Riordan Genre:  Science Fiction Ana Dakkar and her brother are students at Harding-Pencroft Academy, a high school that specializes in graduating the best underwater explorers.  Their parents were killed in a scientific expedition so all they have left is their school and each other.  Ana and her freshman class set off to sea to begin their freshman exams when an explosion destroys their school and everyone left behind.  Ana can't believe that her brother and all of the others are gone.  Worse yet, the explosion seems to have been intentional.  Who would want to destroy their school and what can 20 freshman who have barely started their education do about it?  Ana is about to realize that she has a lot to learn if she wants to save herself and the remaining students at Harding-Pencroft.

 by Lisa Yee Genre:  Realistic Fiction Maizy has never been to the town where her mother grew up and doesn't know why her mother has never taken her there.  But when her mom learns that her father is ill, they cancel their summer plans and they are off to Last Chance, Minnesota.  Maizy isn't too excited about spending time in Last Chance with people she doesn't know.  Her grandparents run the Golden Palace Restaurant and Maizy is surprised to learn how well respected her grandparents are.  As she gets to know them better, they begin to share stories with her about her family's immigration from China to the United States.  The more Maizy learns, the more interested she becomes in their past and realizes that the time she has with her grandfather is limited.  

 by Chris Grabenstein Jake McQuade would admit that he is one of the laziest kids at Riverview Middle School until he eats a jar of jelly beans that turn him into the smartest kid in the universe!  Suddenly he knows that answers to everything and his head is filled with all kinds of knowledge.  He gets recruited by his school's Quiz Bowl team, the FBI, and the US Military to put his new expertise to work.  But Jake and the inventor of the smart jelly beans don't know how long his new found knowledge will last, so Jake is going to use his powers to solve as many of the world's mysteries as he can.  The first challenge will be saving his middle school from the evil principal and her uncle.  Will Jake and his friends be able to stop the school's destruction in time?

 by J. Dillard Genre:  Realistic Fiction Who's the best barber in town?  When J.D.'s mom gives him a terrible haircut, he decides to try and fic it himself.  When he gets lots of attention for his new style, he realizes that he could make some cash cutting other people's hair.  As word of mouth about his barber skills travels, more and more kids are coming to him for his styles.  This creates a problem for the local barbershop who is losing business and threatens to report J.D. to the board of health for operating an unlicensed shop.  So J.D. challenges him to a contest that will prove once and for all who's the best barber in town.

 by Kate Albus Genre:  Historical Fiction William, Edmund, and Anna are completely alone when their grandmother dies just as WWII is coming to London.  Their solicitor decides their best option is to be sent to the countryside with the other evacuee children with the hopes that they could find someone who would permanently take them in.  Their first two homes turn out to be disasters, but when they meet Mrs. Muller, the kind librarian, they wonder if she would possibly be willing to take them in?  It's a lot to ask of anyone, but William, Edmund, and Anna will do whatever it takes to stay together and find their forever home.