Mrs. Malecha Reads!

 by Ritu Hemnani Genre:  Historical Fiction, Novel in Verse Raj and Iqbal love to fly kites together and are hoping to be able to fly them in honor of India's independence from Britain celebration.  But what they don't realize is that this celebration is going to divide their country into 2 parts and that their families are going to be impacted.  Raj's family is forced to flee the only home they have ever known and start their lives over in a brand new country.  Will Raj ever find a friend like Iqbal again?

 by Linda Williams Jackson Genre:  Historical Fiction Ellis Earl Brown has big dreams.  He would like to be a teacher or a lawyer or someday, or maybe both!  But growing up poor in Mississippi is making it hard for him to stay focused on his dreams. He has eight siblings and his momma has a hard time finding enough work that will keep food on the table. When his teacher invites him to memorize a speech for the Easter breakfast, Ellis Earl decides to give public speaking a try.  Can he use his voice to help his family have a better life?

 by Gayle Forman Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction Alex has just been sentenced by a judge to serve community service for his entire summer. Alex isn't angry with the judge, he knows what he did was wrong and knows that he has to try to put things right. But Alex has had a rough time of it. His mom needed to be hospitalized and when she left too soon, he was placed first in foster care, and then with his aunt and uncle who really didn't want him.  His community service is at an assisted living facility and he has to help the staff take care of the elderly residents.  Alex knows nothing about how to work with old people so he is prepared for the worst.  Instead, he meets some wonderful people who will end up helping him find real value to a life that has felt all mixed up.

 by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Genre:  Historical Fiction, Paranormal 12 year old Miriam's life is changing rapidly.  She and her parents had to leave their home and move to Paris when the Nazis drove them out of their small French village.  When Jewish people start to disappear, Miriam and her family know that they must make a plan to get to safety.  But before they can leave Paris, the Jewish people are rounded up.  Miriam escapes with her 2 year old neighbor, Nora, and they are brought into hiding with at a Catholic school.  Miriam promised Nora's mother that she would do everything she could to get Nora to safety.  Does Miriam have the courage to live up to her promise? 

 by Thanhha Lai Genre:  Historical Fiction Ha and her family have started to make a life for themselves in Alabama, far away from their home in Vietnam.  But now Ha's mother wants to move the family to Texas where she hears there are better jobs and better prospects for her children.  Ha doesn't want to move in the middle of the school year where she will have to start the process of fitting in all over again, but her mother insists that it will be for the best.  Will this unwanted change bring new opportunities for Ha and her brothers?

 by Jennifer A. Nielsen Genre:  Historical Fiction 12 year old Lidia has no idea how here life will change after the day when she watches a Nazi airplane fly over her city of Warsaw.  Poland quickly falls to the German soldiers and as life gets more and more miserable, Lidia knows she has to do something to fight back.  Her brother is already secretly working for the Resistance, even though he refuses to admit it.  Lidia won't take no for an answer so she finds a way to show her brother's friends what she can do.  As the Warsaw uprising begins, Lidia finds herself in the thick of the fighting and no longer cares whether she lives or dies.  She just knows that she has to find the courage to keep on fighting back for as long as she can.

 by Jennifer A. Nielsen Genre:  Historical Fiction WWI is taking over Europe and affecting the lives of millions of people.  This book tells the story of 5 young adults whose lives will never be the same because of this war.  Felix is from Austria-Hungary, Kara is from Britain, Juliette is from France, Elsa is from Germany, and Dimitri is from Russia.  There lives and their stories should never have intersected, but because it did, each of them must display big moments of courage that will in turn, link all of their stories together.

 by Christian Diaz Gonzalez Genre:  Historical Fiction The summer of 1980 brought big changes to the country of Cuba.  Hector and his brother had adjusted to life without their father, who had to flee to the United States to save his life.  Cuba is now opening the port of Mariel for anyone who wishes to leave.  Hector has never thought about what life outside of Cuba would be like.  He misses his father, but is also comfortable with the life and future he has in Cuba.  However, his mother has other ideas and it is her dream with Hector's father in Miami.  As soon as friends and family learn of their plans, they are denounced as traitors and the violence escalates.  Hector's best friend is caught in the wrong place at the wrong time which leads to a life changing tragedy.  Will Hector be able to find a way forward?

 by Laura Elliott Louisa June had no idea that the attack on Pearl Harbor would change her life forever.  Her family has fished the waters off the coast of Virginia for years without an issue, but now there are U-boats patrolling the water and torpedo strikes.  Louisa wishes that she could do something to help, but when the worst tragedy strikes, Louisa and her family will have to pull together to survive.  Cousin Belle, who has her own stories about war, comes to try to help the family get through their tough time.  Will they be able to move on during this awful time?

 by Aida Salazar Genre:  Historical Fiction Lula and her family have to work very, very hard to try to earn enough to survive.  They are migrant farm workers who move throughout California, harvesting grapes wherever they can find work.  They are at the mercy of the growers to pay them whatever they want, which is usually to little to feed, cloth and shelter their growing family.  Now the migrant workers have had enough and are attempting to strike to improve working conditions.  Lula is excited about the labor movement, but at first her papa is not and he forbids her to have anything to do with it.  Papa has ruled over their family with his angry temper and cruel punishments, but Lula and her siblings are excited by what the labor activists have to say.  Will they be able to convince Papa that striking is what might most help their family in the future?

 by Karyn Parsons Genre:  Historical Fiction Stevie's life is changing...new school, new friends, new cousin coming to live with her.  The kids at school make sun of her hair and her old best friend is too cool to hang out with her anymore.  When Stevie learns that her cousin Naomi is coming to stay, she figures that will just be another thing to struggle with.  As she is adjusting to having her cousin around, her parents seem to start having problems.  Stevie's mom wants to get a college degree, but Stevie's dad thinks she should just stay at home. Will Stevie be able to navigate these changes and come out in one piece?

 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 Jennifer A. Nielson Genre:  Historical Fiction Hazel Rothbury is about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime!  She is going to sail on the Titanic to the United States where she will work with her aunt in a garment factory so that she can send money home to help her mother make ends meet.  When Hazel realizes that she doesn't have enough money to pay for her ticket, she figures out a way to sneak on board.  Hazel wants to be a journalist and she is full of questions and the more she asks about the Titanic, the more worried she becomes about how seaworthy the ship actually is.  Once they have set sail, Hazel tries to ignore the felling in her gut that so many things happening on the ship are not as they should be.  There are so many mysteries to solve...is Hazel up to the challenges that she is about to face?

 by Barbara O'Connor Genre:  Historical Fiction Walter misses his big brother Tank who was recently killed in WWII.  He has the same dream over and over...just as he is about to make a wish and blow out his birthday candles, he wakes up and Tank is still gone.  When Posey moves in next door, he is excited to have a distraction and when the two of them meet up with Banjo who has lost his hot air balloon, the adventure really begins.  Maybe having new friends and a new purpose in life will help Walter move on with his life.

 by C.C. Harrington Genre:  Historical Fiction Maggie Stevenson is tired of people making fun of her stutter and her dad is tired of listening to her try to talk.  She has gone through 3 schools in 2 years so as a result her parents have decided to send her to live in the country with her grandfather for awhile.  The only time Maggie doesn't stutter is when she is talking to animals.  While exploring the Wildoak forest, Maggie comes across a snow leopard caught in a trap.  She frees him and then does everything she can to help him recover from his injuries.  She tries to tell her grandfather about the leopard, but he is convinced that what Maggie found is a runaway farm cat.  When the townspeople start to complain about a "monster cat" that is terrorizing live stock, he finally listens to what she has been trying to tell him. Can Maggie and her grandfather work together to save the snow leopard?

 by Sheila Turnage Genre:  Historical Fiction Stick Lawson lives on Hatteras Island, North Carolina and is seems that while World War II is being fought around them, life on their island seems unchanged.  But then the slightly crabby postmistress starts to act strange.  And then there is the rumor about there being spies on the island.  Stick and her friends, Rain and Neb, call themselves the Dime Novel Kids and they are interested in solving mysteries.  So these new developments have gotten their attention. Is WWII coming to their tiny island after all?

 by Rodman Philbrick Genre:  Historical Fiction When Jo and Davy's mother dies, their cousin Ruthie shows up to take care of them.  Ruthie is the star of a flying circus so Jo and Davy join her on tour.  Davy sells popcorn and Jo decides she is interested in learning how to be an aviatrix too.  As the circus moves throughout Maine, they encounter some evil Ku Klux Klan members who seek to destroy their business.  Davy, Jo, and Ruthie will have to get creative to defeat their enemies and keep the flying circus in the air.

 by R.J. Palacio Genre:  Historical Fiction Silas and his pa are living a quiet, simple life until one night when 3 horsemen come and take his pa away.  Silas's pa tells him to stay home, but Silas knows that he must trust his instincts which are telling him to go after his pa.  He sets off with his long time ghost companion, Mittenwool, to begin a journey that will take him through the Woods, a place he has never dared to go before.  It will be an adventure that will change his life forever.

 by Kate Albus Genre:  Historical Fiction William, Edmund, and Anna are completely alone when their grandmother dies just as WWII is coming to London.  Their solicitor decides their best option is to be sent to the countryside with the other evacuee children with the hopes that they could find someone who would permanently take them in.  Their first two homes turn out to be disasters, but when they meet Mrs. Muller, the kind librarian, they wonder if she would possibly be willing to take them in?  It's a lot to ask of anyone, but William, Edmund, and Anna will do whatever it takes to stay together and find their forever home.

 by Amina Luqman-Dawson Genre:  Historical Fiction One night, Homer and his sister, Ada, flee the Southerland Plantation in search of freedom.  They narrowly escape the slave patrollers who chase after them.  They find themselves in a secret community named Freewater that has been formed by formerly enslaved people.  Homer and Ada struggle to adapt to life with freedom in their new community, while also thinking about their mother, whom they had to leave behind.  Homer will not be fully content until he can figure out a way to bring her to Freewater too.