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 Matt de la Pena Illustrated by:  Christian Robinson Lexile:  AD610 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Awards:  John Newberry Award, Caldecott Honor, and Coretta Scott King Honor CJ and his nana ride the bus across town on Sundays all the way to the last stop on Market Street. CJ's not very happy about it.  He wants to know why he doesn't have all the things that other people have.  His nana encourages him to find the beauty in the things that he does have by opening his eyes to the wonders that exist around him.