Mrs. Malecha Reads!

by Lynda Mullaly Hunt Lexile:  550 Genre:  Realistic Fiction 2018-19 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Ally has become an expert at fooling people.  Her extreme behaviors have helped her mask the fact from her teachers that she can't read.  She prefers to have people think that she is a troublemaker, rather than "slow" or "dumb."  In reality, Ally is a very bright girl who has creatively managed to fool all of her teachers for the last seven years, until Mr. Daniels takes over for Mrs. Hall midyear.  Mr. Daniels isn't falling for Ally's old tricks.  He actually expects her to stay in class and do all of the reading and writing assignments.  He tells Ally that she can trust him, but will Ally be willing to reveal her biggest secret?

by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman Lexile:  810 Genre:  Mystery 2018-19 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Emily and her family have lived all over the United States.  It is her parents' dream to live in all 50 states.  This has meant that for Emily, life is a series of constant interruptions and changes.  The one thing that has remained the same is her obsession with the online game, Book Scavenger.  Emily is a master at solving puzzles and following clues, but when the creator of the game, Griswold,  is attacked and his life is put in jeopardy, Emily fears that the Book Scavenger will cease to exist.  Emily is convinced that Griswold finished one last adventure.  It will be up to her and her new friend James to prove it!

by Louis Sachar Lexile:  700 Genre:  Mystery 2018-19 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Tamaya and Marshall walk home their school, Woodridge Academy, nearly every day without a problem.  But the new kid in school, Chad, won't stop bullying Marshall and finally decides to challenge him to a fight.  Tamaya and Marshall decide to walk home through the woods to avoid having to confront Chad, even though they have been warned to stay out.  Tamaya and Marshall think they are avoiding trouble, but they have no idea what trouble they are about to get themselves into.

by Ellen Emerson White Lexile:  740 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Fantasy 2018-19 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Webster, or Bad Hat as he calls himself, has decided that he is done with humans.  He has been adopted 3 times and all 3 times he has been returned to an animal shelter.  So this time he decides that as soon as he has the opportunity, he is going to escape and live life on his own terms.  But Webster didn't count on the fact that there would be some animals who are not willing to let him go.  Each time he thinks he has finally gotten free, another animal from the shelter shows up.  Webster wonders why these animals care so much about him  Is it possible that he has finally found some friends who will stick by him no matter what?

by Sharon Robinson Lexile:  640 Genre:  Historical Fiction 2018-19 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee It's 1948 and Steve and his dad are huge Brooklyn Dodgers fans and Jackie Robinson is Steve's hero.  So imagine their excitement when they learn that he is moving into the house 2 doors down from them!  The two families, from very different backgrounds, meet and become lifelong friends.  This story, written by Jackie Robinson's daughter, is based on the real life friendship between these two families.  Jackie and Steve built a special relationship that continues on through their families today.

by Bruce Coville Lexile:  800 Genre:  Fantasy 2018-19 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Angus is a brownie.  Not the kind you eat, and not the kind that comes before becoming a Girl Scout, and certainly not an elf!  He is a brownie with a terrible temper who has been bound to the McGonagall family in Scotland for hundreds of years.  He carries with him a curse that only inflicts itself on the male members of the family he serves.  Now he has a new assignment...one that will take him across the sea away from his beloved Scotland.  What will he find in the Carhart home...a place to call home or a disaster?

by Lisa Lewis Tyre Lexile:  660 Genre:  Mystery 2018-19 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Lou and her friend Benzer want something exciting to happen this summer.  They make their wish and suddenly they get more than they bargained for.  Lou finds out that the county is going to try to take away her house; the only home she has ever known.  It has been in their family for years and there is a possibility that some gold dating back to the Civil War is hidden somewhere on their property.  Lou thinks that if she could find the gold, all of her family problems would be solved.

by Katherine Applegate Lexile:  540 Genre:  Fantasy 2018-19 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Jackson knows that his parents are telling him the truth.  He has seen this happen before.  There isn't enough food.  The bills are piling up and his parents are starting to sell their belongings.  Jackson has been homeless before and he doesn't ever want to go through it again.  Last time he was only 6 and an imaginary cat, Crenshaw, shoed up to help him through this difficult time.  One day Crenshaw disappeared and Jackson hasn't seen him again until now.  Why is Crenshaw back?  And why won't his parents tell him the truth about what is going on?

by Mac Barnett and Jory John Illustrated by Kevin Cornell Lexile:  620 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Humor 2018-19 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Miles Murphy is the new kid at the Yawnee Valley Science and Letters Academy.  Miles does not want to be the new kid.  He was quite content at his old school where he was known as the biggest prankster of all time.  He plans to award himself that title at this new school so he designs the birthday party prank.  But someone is on to him and pulls off a suprise prank on him right at the end of the party.  Niles, the school helper, and the only one who has really spoken to Miles since he moved, is the culprit.  Niles wants to team up with Miles to create the biggest pranks of all time. Miles isn't sure he wants a partner so he and Niles launch the great prank war.  Who will win the battle?

by Joan Bauer Lexile:  510 Genre:  Realistic Fiction 2018-19 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Baseball is Jeremiah's life.  However, because he had a heart transplant, he can no longer play.  He knows so much about the game though, that he decides that he wants to coach.  When his dad takes a job in Hillcrest, OH, a town known for its winning baseball tradition, Jeremiah has a the perfect opportunity.  His new middle school doesn't really have a team and he is determined to discover why.