Mrs. Malecha Reads!

 by Wanda Coven Genre:  Fantasy Now that Heidi is used to life at Broomsfield Academy, she is able to focus her efforts on the most important thing:  her CRUSH.  The object of her affection is the super cute Hunter.  The problem is that everyone seems to have a crush on him.  What can Heidi do to get him to notice her?  She tries to talk to her friends about it, but they seem to be tired of her going on and on about him.  Should she use her magic to create a potion that will make Hunter notice her?  Heidi knows that using magic outside of the classroom isn't allowed at school, but would it really matter if she just used magic one time?

 by Wanda Coven Genre:  Fantasy Heidi Heckelbeck is starting middle school at Broomsfield Academy...a boarding school that has top secret classes for witches-in-training.  Heidi is excited, but also nervous.  Her biggest question is whether or not she will get along with her Broommate!  Heidi is able to say goodbye to her parents, unpack, and settle in before the door opens to reveal her Broommate and Heidi gets an unexpected surprise...her Broommate is a girl from home that she has NEVER gotten along with.  Is learning how to use her magic worth it if she has to live with her enemy?

 by Meg Medina Genre:  Realistic Fiction 8th grader Merci Suarez is finding that navigating friendships can be very challenging.  She spends most of her time with Hannah, Lena, and Edna, but she also plays soccer and sometimes thinks it would be cool to spend more time with Avery and the other soccer girls.  Merci notices though, that Avery doesn't seem to want to include her other friends, which leaves Merci feeling stuck.  Things have gotten more challenging at home too as Merci's grandfather's Alzheimer's disease continues to progress. Merci wants things to go back to the way they were...easy friendships and a grandfather who remembers her.  Unfortunately, life brings changes, and Merci is going to have to navigate some big ones.

 by Matt Tavares Genre:  Historical Fiction, Graphic Novel It's Friday night in Wilkins, Indiana and in 1976, the only team that people showed up to watch was boys basketball.  When the school decides to add a girls team, nobody seems to care.  The girls have to wait until 7:00pm to practice, and they don't get a bus or uniforms.  The team decides to appeal to the school's athletic director to get equal treatment.  They are told that will only happen if they can fill the gym.  So the Lady Bears set out to do just that.  Can they prove to their community that girls basketball is just as exciting as boys?

 by Jeff Kinney Genre:  Humor Greg Heffley is still trying to survive middle school.  This time the biggest problem is that the school seems to be falling down around him.  The principal has been fired and the retired principal is back and is doing whatever he can to raise money to keep the school going.  That has included selling advertising space to different vendors, renting out classrooms to small businesses and cutting all of the fun things out of the budget.  Greg learns that if test scores don't improve, then the school will close and he will be sent to Slacksville Middle School without his best friend Rowley.  It's time for Greg to see if he can save the day and save his school!

 Edited by Ellen Oh Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Short Stories It's an ordinary day in a crowded Chicago airport where 12 young Asian Americans are spending the day.  An incident in the TSA line that doesn't involve any of them, impacts their day as they wait out delays in the airport on the way to their various destinations.  12 different authors have written short stories based on their experiences, but the stories are all intertwined.  All 12 young Asian Americans see themselves as Americans, but not everyone they encounter in the airport on this particular day, feels the same way.   

 by Gordon Korman Genre:  Realistic Fiction Reef and Theo have never met, but someone they are getting their memories mixed up. When they finally meet, they realize that they were born in the same hospital on the exact same day and something must have happened when they were together.  As they investigate things further, they learn that on the day they were born, they were in an incubator together when it was struck by lightning.  The older they are getting, the more their memories are getting mixed up and they figure out that the only way to fix it might have to be to get struck by lightning again!  It seems dangerous, but what choice do the boys have if they want to remember who they really are?

 by Jerry Craft Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Jordan is excited about finally being able to head out on a school field trip to Paris!  He can't wait to see all the sights, especially the art museums since he is convinced that he wants to be an artist when he grows up.  But a last minute mix up sends the wrong chaperones on the wrong trips, so they have to make the best of it with two teachers who had not planned to take a bunch of middle schoolers to Paris.  Despite some challenges, Jordan and his friends have a great time on the school trip and learn some things about traveling the world, themselves, and art!

 by Gordon Korman Genre:  Science Fiction Oliver and Nathan  love to play pranks on their teachers and classmates, but they have met their match with their new teacher, Mr. Aidact.  The guy seems to know about the prank almost before they even pull it!  How is it possible that he has super human reaction times that allows him to stop spitballs in mid air and he can answer almost every trivia question without even thinking about it? Turns out that Mr. Aidact is actually a robot.  He's part of the Department of Education's plan to see if teachers can be replaced by an all knowing robot.  Mr. Aidact is quickly becoming the most popular teacher and coach in the 7th grade, but what will happen when everyone learns the truth about him?