Mrs. Malecha Reads!

 by Vera Brosgol Genre:  Fantasy, Graphic Novel Plain Jane is about to be kicked out of the only home she has ever known.  Her parents are dead and because she is a girl, she can not inherit their estate.  She decides to solve her problem by asking a local boy, Peter, to marry her, but before that happens, he is lured into the sea by an evil mermaid. Jane must find the courage to venture into the ocean to save Peter so that they can have their happily ever after.

 by Kwame Mbalia Genre:  Fantasy Tristan Strong feels like he is having a hard time living up to his name.  He lost his last boxing match and he couldn't save his friend when their bus crashed.  Tristan's parents think that the best thing for him to do is to spend a month on his grandparent's farm in Alabama.  But when he arrives, he finds that this farm is anything but ordinary.  Somehow Tristan ends up in the middle of a battle that has worn down the defenses of John Henry and Brer Rabbit.  Apparently, Tristan is going to be involved in saving a world that he didn't even know existed!

 by Claribel A. Ortega Genre:  Fantasy Seven can't wait for the Black Moon Ceremony when she will learn what coven she will be placed in to realize her dream of becoming a full fledged witch. Each year there are a few leftovers, called Spares, who aren't placed in formal covens, but Seven has never considered what that would mean for her.  But on the night of the ceremony, Seven watches as her friends and all of the others are selected.  At the end, Seven and 2 others are identified as Spares.  Instead of quietly accepting her destiny, Seven challenges it and is granted an impossible task to complete.  If she and her 2 other Spares can complete it, they'll gain their full magical powers.  If not, well, it's possible they could live out the rest of their lives as toads.

by Jess Redman Genre:  Fantasy, Adventure Milton P. Greene has had a rough year.  He is being bullied at school, his best friend doesn't like him anymore, and his parents are probably getting divorced.  As summer approaches, his parents announce that he will be traveling to Lone Island to spend the summer with his Uncle Evan.  Milton loves to play the video game, Isle of the Wild, so maybe this will be a chance to pretend he is a famous naturalist, like Seahawk, who stars in the video game.  Milton isn't sure he wants to spend the whole summer away from home, but if it will help him move on from his awful year, he is willing to give it a try.  What adventures await him on Lone Island?

 by Diana Lopez Genre: Fantasy Felice has often wondered about her mother, but her uncle will never tell her anything about how she died and why they came to live in Corpus Christi when they were originally from the magical town of Tres Leches.  When Uncle Clem's friend Reynaldo comes to town, Felice sees her opportunity to learn the truth.  She sneaks out of her house and goes with Reynaldo.  As they travel to Tres Leches, Felice learns the truth about what the town believes her mother has done.  Felice realizes that she will have one chance to confront her mother and change the town's opinion of her.  Will she be brave enough to face her fears to make this happen?

 by Christina Soontornvat Genre:  Fantasy Sai has many secrets.  She is the assistant to the famous mapmaker, Paiyoon, and if her secrets were revealed, she would lose her position.  She desperately is looking for a way out of the Fens and in order to have a chance, she must pretend that she is a well-bred young lady.  When the Queen requests Paiyoon's assistance on a voyage to discover new lands, Sai begs him to take her with him.  Paiyon finally agrees and Sai is thrilled to be setting off on an adventure that she is sure will change her life for the better.  Sai has no idea what will happen once she sets sail.

 by Robert Black Genre:  Fantasy Serafina has been warned by her pa to never go into the forests that surround the Biltmore Estate.  She and her pa live secretly in the basement and Serafina has never really understood why.  Her pa is the engineer of the house while she has the title of C.R.C., chief rat catcher.  All is good until one evening when Serafina sees the man with a black cloak steal a little girl who has been visiting the estate.  Suddenly, children begin to disappear, one per night, and nobody except Serafina knows why.  If she told what she saw, would anyone believe her?  Serafina is going to have to take on the Man in the Black Cloak alone and in the process will learn some secrets about herself that her pa has kept from her.  Serafina's life is about to change forever.

 by Stuart Gibbs Genre:  Fantasy Once upon a time there was a peasant named Tim.  Tim wanted to be more than a peasant so when Prince Ruprecht announced open tryouts for knights, Tim jumped at the chance. He could not wait to set off on adventures that would allow him to be brave and daring.  Their first quest is to rescue Princess Grace who had been snatched by an evil stinx.  Tim knows he is ready to accept the challenge and do whatever it takes to bring the princess home safely.

 by Chrissie Krebs Genre:  Animal Story, Humor, Fantasy, Graphic Novel Bear was just an average old bear until the day a tornado hits the woods and causes a wizard's wand to fly into bears head.  He can't pull it out and now he looks like a giant unicorn. But the good news is that he can now grant wishes.  This works out okay at first until everyone in the forest starts lining up to have their wishes come true.  How will Bear manage his newfound popularity?

 by Alina Chau Genre:  Fantasy, Graphic Novel Jordan was a star player on her school's basketball team until an injury left her paralyzed from the waist down.  She still hangs out with the team, but it's not the same as when she was able to play.  One day on her way home she comes across a mysterious white elephant who has been injured.  She takes the elephant home and names her Marshmallow.  Marshmallow shows Jordan that there are lots of things she still can do and one of them is swim.  Jordan discovers that water polo is a new sport that will allow her to compete with a team.  But will her basketball friends understand why she isn't coming to their practices and games anymore?

 by Dave Eggers Genre:  Fantasy, Animal Story Johannes is the fastest dog ever and he uses his speed to be the Eyes of the urban park by the sea.  Every day he runs throughout the park and then reports back to the ancient bison about what he sees.  But things in the park are changing and disrupting their way of life and Johannes isn't sure what to make of all the changes.  Her really likes looking at the mysterious rectangle pictures that are suddenly appearing and he is curious about the new building that is being constructed in the park.  Johannes must run faster to stay ahead of those who wish to capture him so that he can continue to be the Eyes of the park.

 by Angie Thomas Genre:  Fantasy It's not easy being a Remarkable.  All Nic Blake wants is to understand more about who she is and how she can use her Gift to be a powerful Manifestor like her dad.  Her dad seems hesitant to teach her, but all of a sudden things are happening to her and those around her, that Nic doesn't understand.  Before her dad can fully explain, he is taken prisoner because he kidnapped her when she was a young child.  A mother and brother she never knew existed have shown up and are trying to fill her in on the details of a life she knew nothing about.  Nic learns that she must hunt for a powerful magic tool and she must find it if she wants to save herself and the rest of her family.

 by Kate DiCamillo Genre:  Fantasy A king, a wolf, a girl, a boy, and an owl puppet have been trapped in a trunk.  They are tired of living all together in the dark so the day when the lid is lifted and they see daylight again...they are beyond excited.  They are finally taken out and placed on the mantel in the home of two little girls.  There next chapter is about to unfold, and they have no idea what to expect.  But that is what makes living out of the trunk exciting, right?

 by Kelly Barnhill Genre:  Fantasy Stone-in-the-Glen used to be a beautiful town, but ever since a fire destroyed most of it, the townspeople have all retreated into their homes and have tried to survive on their own.  They have been content to let the Mayor control their lives because he is the one who saved them all from the terrible dragon.  But times are getting harder, particularly at the Orphan House where there are many children to feed.  An Ogress has moved into the area and she helps people by leaving them gifts of food that she has made from things she grows in the garden.  When a child from the Orphan House goes missing, the townspeople fear that the Ogress has something to do with it.  It will be up to the orphans to set the town straight on who is the real enemy in Stone-in-the-Glen.

 by Zachary Sterling Genre:  Fantasy, Graphic Novel JJ and Althea are struggling to find their place in school.  JJ wants to be accepted into the "in" crowd and Althea wants people to accept her just the way she is.  Their parents don't seem to understand that making them help run their family food truck is only making things worse.  When their mother's lessons about Filipino folklore come to life, they realize that they are going to have to fully embrace the Filipino heritage if they are to save the ones they love.

 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 Greg Van Eekhout Genre:  Fantasy, Mythology Mott believes in always keeping her promises, no matter what.  Partly this is because her father doesn't always keep his promises which really frustrates Mott.  So when she finds an abandoned puppy, she promises to do everything she can to protect him.  However, the puppy turns out to be a legendary wolf named Fenris who might possibly be about to bring about the end of the world.  Suddenly there are Norse gods and goddesses running around Mott's town with the intent to capture Fenris.  Can Mott actually dave him or is this yet another promise that will be broken?

 by Natalie Lloyd Genre:  Fantasy Olive has spent her whole life worrying about how fragile she is.  She was born with brittle bone disease which means that over her lifetime she has broken many bones.  She has been homeschooled ever since the first day of kindergarten when she was injured, but now she would like to convince her parents that going to middle school is safe.  Olive wants to be with other kids and figure out who she is.  Can she convince her parents to let her spread her wings and do all the other things that kids her age are doing?

 by Shakirah Bourne Genre:  Fantasy Josephine and her father have been figuring out life on their own ever since her mother died.  She is desperate to make the school's cricket team because she thinks it will bring some happiness back to her father.  But tryouts go badly and now a beautiful woman has shown up who seems to hold a strong power over her father.  Josephine has never liked the idea of her father finding someone new, but this new girlfriend seems to be up to something.  Josephine is determined to figure out the mystery and make sure she and her father live happily ever after.