Mrs. Malecha Reads!

by Kelly Barnhill Lexile:  640 Genre:  Fantasy Award:  John Newberry Award Every year the Elders of the Protectorate take the youngest baby of the town and sacrifice it to the witch so that they can continue to live in peace and harmony.  No one questions this ancient practice until one year when a woman refuses to give up her baby.  And so begins the story of Luna, the witch who rescues her, the mother who goes mad, and Anatin, a boy who questions.  As Anatin grows up he questions the existence of the witch and the need for his rulers to continue this ancient practice. Meanwhile Xan, the witch, is raising Luna as her granddaughter.  Luna was fed too much moonlight when she was a baby so because her magic was out of control, Xan had to place a spell on her that will make her forget about magic until her thirteenth birthday.  Xan thinks that she will have plenty of time to share what she needs to share about Luna.  But time is going quicker th...

by Michelle Weber Hurwitz Lexile:  700 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Award:  2015-16 Maud Hart Lovelace Award Nomniee Eleven year old Calli Gold is trying to find her place in her family.  Her older brother is a superstar basketball player and her older sister is a competitive figure skater.  Calli spends a lot of her time waiting in the car or at the gym or at the skating rink as her stressed out parents try to figure out how to get their kids to the right place at the right time.  But what about Calli?  What is she good at?  Will anyone in her family give her the time and space to figure it out?

by Dean Pitchford Lexile:  830 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Award:  2016-17 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Sam Brattle is having the worst Christmas ever.  His dad's business is nearly bankrupt, his mom has remarried and cancelled his Christmas visit, and because he damaged his neighbor's house, he has to spend the entire winter break working off his debt.  But working for his neighbor, Mr. Wells, turns out to not be the experience he expected. In fact, meeting Mr. Wells, just might be one of the best things that has ever happened to him.

by Laurie Myers Lexile:  520 Genre:  Historical Fiction Award:  2016-17 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Tommy and Annie are growing up in Georgia during the Civil War and on a daily basis they see wounded Confederate soldiers brought into the makeshift hospital in the church across the street from their house.  But one day, they meet a soldier named Red, who seems different than the others.  He speaks differently and the buttons on his jacket look strange...could he be a Union soldier?  And if so, should they report their suspicions knowing that he would be sent to prison if he is from the North?

by P.J. Petersen Lexile:  420 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Award:  2016-17 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Ryan's older brother Tanner has invited him to go on a camping trip that involves an excursion down the Boulder River on an inflatable kayak.  Ryan is usually more comfortable on the couch playing video games so he's not sure how much fun this overnight will be.  But when the river's water level gets high and the current gets stronger, a terrible accident occurs that will cause Ryan to have to act quickly and bravely if he is going to save his brother's life.

by Carol Weston Lexile:  720 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Award:  2016-17 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Ava and Pip are sisters, but they could not be any more different.  Ava is noisy and outgoing while Pip is shy and hardly ever speaks.  Ava wants to be a writer and when a 7th grader, Bea, wrongs her sister, she gets an idea for a story to write for the library contest.  Ava was only trying to help her sister, but when the story gets an honorable mention, it is circulated for others to read.  When Bea recognizes herself in the story, she confronts Ava. Surprisingly, Bea is willing to turn the story into something good: helping Pip overcome her shyness.  Can the mess Ava got herself into actually turn into something good for herself and her sister?

by Trevor Pryce, with Joel Naftali Lexile:  740 Genre:  Fantasy Award:  2016-17 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Darel is a young frog who dreams of joining the elite warrior squad, the Kulipari. His father was a famous Kulipari warrior, who lost his life in a battle and Darel wants to follow in his father's footsteps.  Darel's home has been protected by the turtle king's magic ever since the end of the last war, but know the scorpions are threatening to attack.  Does Darel have the courage to become the warrior he has dreamed about for so long?

by Jeri Watts Lexile:  920 Genre:  Historical Fiction Award:  2016-17 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Kizzy Ann Stamps loves to go to school even if her teacher Mrs. Warren says she is sometimes a troublemaker.  But now change has come to town and schools are being integrated.  It is 1963 and Kizzy Ann is going to have to go to a new school with white students and a white teacher.  In order to support this transition, Mrs. Warren asks her students to write to their new teacher.  So Kizzy Ann does...and discovers that she really likes to write.  Her new teacher, Miss Anderson, gives her a journal and she writes letters all year long about the triumphs and challenges of being a student in her new school.

by Cece Bell Genre:  Memoir, Graphic Novel Award:  2016-17 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee, Newberry Honor Book Cece Bell is starting a new school and she is worried about what others will think about her.  Cece is deaf and has to wear hearing aids that are clearly visible to everyone else and her teacher has to wear a special microphone that works in conjunction with her hearing aid.  Cece feels like everyone looks at her strangely and she isn't sure if kids will want to be friends with her.  All Cece wants is to fit in and make new friends.  Will it be possible or will she need to develop a superpower to overcome her problems?

by Joanne Rocklin Lexile:  760 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Award:  2016-17 Maud Hart Lovelace Award Nominee Oona and her little brother Fred love their cat named Zook.  Loving Zook is helping them recover from the loss of their father.  But when Zook gets sick, they get worried.  Oona tries to help her brother by telling him stories about Zook's other lives because even if Zook is really sick, this is only his fifth life, which means he still has four left.  Oona is great at telling stories, but sometimes those stories turn into whoppers and since Freddy is younger, he sometimes believes more than he should.

by Judy Cox Lexile: 450 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Award:  2016-17 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Daniel loves animals so he could not be anymore excited about the fact that his class is going to try and hatch chicks as a science project.  His first step is convincing his parents to let him bring one of them home to raise at the end of the project.  His mother has said "no more animals", but his father is very interested in the idea of having fresh, free eggs.  Once he convinces them, he's going to have to work hard to get the egg to actually hatch.  One by one his classmates lose interest, but Daniel stands by the eggs until one day when he sees one start to move...and out pops a chick whom Daniel names Peepers.  He is so sure that Peepers will soon be his egg laying chicken.

by Eugene Velchin Lexile:  670 Genre:  Historical Fiction Award:  2016-17 Maud Hart Lovelace Award Nominee, 2012 Newberry Honor Book "Anything ever happens to me, go see your Aunt Larisa.  She'll put you up." Sasha's dad whispers in his ear one night.  Sasha is growing up in Communist Russia and since a very young age has been waiting for the moment he turns ten so that he can become a Young Pioneer and pledge his loyalty to Stalin.  Hours after his father whispers to him, the secret police come and escort his father away and take him to prison.  The police tell Sasha they will be back for him in the morning.  Sasha remembers his father's words, but when he gets to Larisa, his uncle refuses to take him in.  Sasha has no choice but to fend for himself until he can figure out a way to get to Stalin and explain that this is all just a big misunderstanding.

by Kate Messner Lexile:  700 Genre:  Mystery Award: 2016-17 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Anna, Jose, and Henry are at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. with their parents.  They have never met before, but their lives are about to intersect around the mysterious theft of the original Star Spangled Banner.  They speak for the first time in the airport where a snowstorm has cancelled all flights.  They hear that the flag has been stolen and figure that there is a good chance that whoever took it, might be trying to sneak it out by plane.  Rather that be bored in the airport, they decide to investigate.  Is there a criminal mastermind in their midst?

by Vivian Vande Velde Lexile:  740 Genre:  Fantasy Award:  2015-16 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Twitch is the school year squirrel.  He happily lives in the trees watching all the little children show up for school.  But one day he makes the mistake the disturbing a neighborhood dog who starts to chase him. Twitch's only option is to race into the school as someone left the door open.  Once in the school, he gets all the classroom pets involved in trying to save him from the dog.  8 class pets plus 1 squirrel divided by a dog makes for one huge mess!

by Polly Carlson-Voiles Lexile:  790 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Award:  2015-16 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Nika and her brother Randall are trying to find a permanent home.  Their parents have died so that has meant a series of foster homes.  Nika and Randall are happy with Meg, their foster mother of eleven months until the day that their social worker calls with the good news that their uncle in Northern Minnesota has offered to have them come to visit.  Nika is less than excited about the idea of leaving her friends in sunny California to move to the wilderness, but it turns out, she does not have a choice.  Shortly after she arrives, she and her uncle rescue an abandoned wolf pup and Nika starts to think that maybe this strange new place could be a new beginning for her and her brother.

by Jenny Lundquist Lexile:  680 Genre:  Fantasy Award:  2015-16 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Callie needs glasses, but she doesn't want them.  Her mom makes her go to the eye doctor and he tells her that he will have to order her glasses.  In the meantime, he offers a loaner pair.  When Callie finally tries them on, she realizes that she can actually see people's thoughts!  She learns what her best friend really thinks about her and learns about the troubles her parents are having.  Her eye doctor warned her that the loaner glasses came with a big responsibility...now Callie has to decide how she is going to use the insight she has gained.

by Jenny Lee Lexile:  760 Genre:  Fantasy Award:  2015-16 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Benji is accident prone and faints without a moment's notice.  But now he has had a major seizure and his doctor doesn't know why. She decides that he has two choices:  he can either wear the world's ugliest  protective helmet or get a therapy dog who can sense when he is in trouble.  Benji's mom does not want a dog in her house, so she opts for the helmet.  Benji has a disasterous day at school wearing the helmet which convinces his mom that maybe the dog isn't such a bad idea.  When Benji's therapy dog arrives at the house, they are all in for a big surprise!

by Lisa Graff Lexile:  720 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Award:  2015-16 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Francine has always wanted to be the news anchor for her school news program. But this year when it's time to vote, the new kid, Kansas, gets half the votes!  Francine is outraged.  The media club decides to settle the decision by having Kansas and Francine complete dares.  The game is on and now Kansas and Francine have become enemies and competitors, until they realize that they both have something in common.  Is it possible that it might actually make more sense for them to become friends?

by Nate Bell Lexile:  690 Genre:  Science Fiction Award:  2015-16 Maud Hart Lovelace Award Nominee Zack McGee's room has been invaded by a four inch tall alien who has crash landed his spaceship. He flew in through Zack's window and now he won't leave.  Amp was sent to Earth ahead of the big invasion, but he is quickly learning that his planet has seriously underestimated the knowledge of humans.  Amp needs to get back to his planet as quickly as possible to warn his fellow aliens that an invasion of Earth is not a good idea.  Will Zack be able to fix his space ship in time to get him back to his home planet?

by Erica S. Perl Lexile:  710 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Award:  2015-16 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Zelly Fried really wants a dog.  She has begged her parents.  She has pleaded with her parents.  She has promised that she would do everything for the dog.  But they keep saying no.  And now they have moved her to Vermont so that they can live with her grandfather.  Zelly is trying to adjust to her new life when her grandfather, Ace, comes up with a great idea.  She can prove to her parents that she is responsible enough to have a dog by taking care of a pretend dog!  Ace gives her an empty plastic o.j. container that she must walk three times a day, feed, and clean up after.  At first Zelly feels completely ridiculous, but then discovers that Ace might actually help her realize her dream of getting a dog.