Mrs. Malecha Reads!

by Brian Farrey Lexile:  670 Genre:  Fantasy 2019-20 MHL Nominee Jeniah is a twelve year old princess who is about to assume the throne at a much earlier age than she had planned.  Her mother is dying and she has only weeks to learn what it means to be queen.  The first thing her mother tells her is that she must never enter Dreadwillow Carse, a secret place that lies in the center of the Monarchy where people know only happiness.  Jeniah has more questions than answers.  Her questions lead her to edge of Dreadwillow Carse where she meets Aon, a young girl mourning the loss of her father who was taken from her village by the mysterious Crimson Hoods.  Jeniah and Aon form a partnership.  Aon will go into the Carse to explore for Jeniah and in return, Jeniah will find and free Aon's father.  Neither one of them realizes that their partnership will change both of their lives forever.

by Andrew Clements Lexile:  860 Genre:  Realistic Fiction 2019-20 MHL Nominee Alec's favorite thing to do is read and now it has gotten him in big trouble!  His principal has told him that if he doesn't put down the books and pay attention in class, then he will be spending the summer taking a study skills class.  Alec's parents have signed him up for extended day because of their new work schedules.  He thinks that will be great - 3 hours of after school time where he can read his books.  But he quickly finds out that reading for fun is not on the list of activities for extended day.  He can, however, create a club as long as there are 2 members.  Alec decides to create a book club and sets out to find one other person who likes reading as much as he does.  When he finds Nina, they both agree that they don't want other members in their club who might interfere with their goal of quiet reading time, so The Losers Club is born.  They thin...

by Nicole Helget Genre:  Realistic Fiction 2019-20 MHL Nominee Fern does not have an easy life.  Ever since her mother and baby brother were killed in a car accident, she has had to take care of her stepfather and 2 younger brothers.  They don't have much money, but Fern is very resourceful and is able to forage for lots of natural foods in the woods around her home.  Fern loves the woods so when she learns that a fracking company is moving to town and plans to build a wastewater plant in the middle of the woods, Fern decides that something must be done.  Will Fern be able to protect her family and the forest that she loves?

by Sarah Weeks Lexile:  780 Genre: Realistic Fiction 2019-20 MHL Nominee Joe and Ravi are too completely different people, but they have one thing in common:  they both struggle with being in 5th grade at Albert Einstein Elementary School.  Joe has some special learning needs that make school difficult for him and he is continually made fun of because of his learning challenges.  If that wasn't enough, his mom has started a new job as a lunchroom monitor.  Ravi has just arrived from India where he had friends and was at the top of his class.  Everything at his new school is different and he is struggling with how to fit in.  Unfortunately, the one thing that Joe and Ravi have in common is being tormented by the class bully.  Would things get better for both of them if they were able to find a way to work together?

by Hena Khan Lexile:  800 Genre:  Realistic Fiction 2019-20 MHL Nominee Amina and her best friend, Soojin, have always enjoyed hanging out together.  But now they are in middle school and everything seems like it is changing.  Soojin wants to include Emily into their circle of friends and starts to talk about changing her name to something that sounds "more American."  Amina likes Soojin just the way she is, and doesn't know how to feel about all these changes.  Things are different at home too with her uncle visiting the family from Pakistan.  He seems determined to scrutinize the decisions her family has made since coming to live in the United States.  And then a tragedy strikes Amina's community and she will have to figure out the best way to respond to the violence that others have shown.

by Varian Johnson Lexile:  610 Genre:  Mystery 2019-20 MHL Nominee Candice Miller's grandmother has left her a letter that describes what happened in the town of Lambert, SC a very long time ago.  The letter tells of a mystery that if solved would give the person and the town a whole lot of money.  Candice isn't happy about having to spend the summer in Lambert, but maybe this mystery will give her something to do.  Candice meets Brandon, a boy across the street, and together, the two of them decide to unravel the mystery that will disclose some of the town's deepest secrets.  Will the two of them find out that the Parker Inheritance does actually exist?

by Barbara O'Connor Lexile:  850 Genre:  Realistic Fiction 2019-20 MHL Nominee Charlie Reese wants a family that is not broken.  She wants her dad to get out of jail, her mother to get out of bed, and her sister to pay attention to her.  Instead, Charlie has been shipped off to a new city to live with an aunt and uncle she has never met.  While Charlie keeps wishing for her family to get back together, she meets a new friend Howard, and falls in love with a stray dog named Wishbone and discovers that her new life with her aunt and uncle is pretty good.  Is it possible that her wish for a family has come true in a slightly different way than she expected?

by Melissa Savage Lexile:  630 Genre:  Mystery 2019-20 MHL Nominee Lemonade Liberty Witt has had to move away from her home and her friends and is trying to figure out life without her mom.  She is moving to a small town in California where she will have to live with a grandfather she has never met.  Her first day in Walnut Creek, she meets Tobin Sky who is the CEO of Bigfoot Detectives and is intent on finding the Bigfoot that he is sure is living in the woods around town.  Lem is willing to go along with his adventures as long as he understands that this is a temporary situation.  Lem IS going to figure out a way to get back to San Francisco and nobody is going to stop her, that is, until the actual discovery they make in the woods, changes everything.

by Jewell Parker Rhodes Lexile:  410 Genre:  Realistic Fiction 2019-20 MHL Nominee Deja is not excited about starting at a new school.  Her family is homeless and living in a shelter. Her mom has a job, but her dad is another story. He is often sick and is withdrawing from their family and Deja doesn't understand why.  But when Miss Garcia starts teaching her 5th graders about the 9/11 attacks, something Deja knows nothing about, her dad gets very angry when she mentions it at home. What does her father know about 9/11 that he isn't sharing?