Mrs. Malecha Reads!

by Gillian McDunn Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Mystery Simon and his family never stay in one place for long.  They are constantly on the go so that his parents can post on their travel blog about all of the cool places they have been.  Simon is getting tired of life on the run and would really like to stay in one place for awhile.  The family has settled into an apartment in the Tangerine Pines when a priceless necklace is stolen.  Simon and his new friend, Amaya, decide that they will take on the case and try to find the necklace.  His parents aren't sure that they want to stay in a building where things are stolen, so it will be up to Simon and Amaya to solve the mystery and convince his parents that this is a place where they should put down some roots and stay.

 by Kekla Magoon Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Mystery Chester and Skye are on a mission to solve a mystery.  Clues have been left and cracking the code seems to be something they should be able to do if they work together.  However, Chester thinks that the clues are somehow linked to his father who left when he was very young.  As he and Skye get further into the hunt for clues, they are both learning new things about each other.  But Skye knows something that Chester hasn't yet figured out.  When Chester learns about the secrets both his mom and Skye have been keeping from him, he really feels like the world is out to get him.  Will Chester crack the code and be able to accept what he finds out?

 by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass Genre:  Mystery What happened the night the library burned to the ground?  That is the mystery that Evan realizes he needs to solve.  It seems that people have long believed that his father had something to do with it when he was a young library intern.  While Evan looks into the past, something strange is happening in the present.  A ghost and a cat seem to have taken ownership over a small collection of books that survived the fire and are in the process of building a little free library.  What do they know about that fatal night?

 by Alyson Gerber Genre:  Mystery Weatherby has loved sailing her whole life so when she wins the regatta and attracts the attention of the prestigious private school, Boston, she can't believe her good fortune.  The Boston School offers her a full scholarship and suddenly Weatherby's life has completely changed.  She is nervous to start at the new school, but hopes her sailing skills will help her make some new friends.  On the first day, she learns that the money for the school's annual trip to a private island has been stolen.  It will be up to Weatherby and her new friends to figure out where the money went and how to get it back.

 by Melissa Savage Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Mystery, Adventure When Ada Ru learns that she has to spend the whole summer in Scotland, she is certain that it will be the worst summer ever!  She wanted to go to Disney World, but instead, her parents have decided to work in Scotland which means Ada Ru has to go along with their horrible plan.  Once she arrives, she quickly meets Dax and Hammy, two unique individuals.  Dax has a passion for music and Hammy has a passion for discovering whether or not the fabled Loch Ness Monster is real.  Hammy invites Dax and Ada Ru to join him in the race to prove the Loch Ness Monster exists which leads Ada Ru to the discovery that maybe a summer in Scotland will be better than she thought!

 by Ally Carter Genre:  Adventure, Mystery April didn't mean to burn down the museum, but in doing so she caught the attention of the Winterborne Foundation and after a series of foster homes, April has finally found a special place.  She and several other orphans are living at the Winterborne Home that has been shrouded in mystery ever since the mysterious disappearance of Gabriel Winterborne, 10 years ago.  When April begins to suspect that someone is lurking around the property, she decides to investigate.  What she finds astounds her and will change the course of her life as well as that of several others.

 by Taryn Souders Genre:  Mystery The whole town of Windy Bottoms, Georgia is buzzing about the discovery of skeletal remains on the town's playground.  Who is it and and how did they get there?  Coop and his friends are most curious, but when the police discover that the remains belong to Coop's grandmother who disappeared many years ago,  the town is suddenly looking at Coop's grandfather with suspicion.  Everyone in town seems to have their own theories and many are keeping secrets. Coop and his friends are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery by solving the crime and clearing his grandfather's name.

 by James Ponti Genre:  Mystery, Adventure Sara Martinez is a kid who has been bounced from foster home to foster home, but now she is facing time in juvenile detention for hacking into the NYC juvenile justice system.  She is resigned to her fate when a mysterious visitor appears and tells her that he is her new lawyer.  She has to make a split second decision...does she trust this strange man who is offering her an opportunity to go free or does she take her chances with time in juvenile detention?  Sara takes a leap of faith and suddenly finds herself training as an undercover spy in a centuries old home in Scotland.  Could this finally be her chance to find a place where she can truly belong?

 by Kristin L. Gray Genre:  Mystery Amelia "Millie" Ashford is about to have the adventure of a lifetime.  She is one of six girls selected to spend the night at Amelia Earhart's birthplace.  She is so excited to get to spend more time learning about one of her heroes and she is especially excited to get a chance to see the original flight goggles that Amelia wore before they are moved to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.  But just as the girls are settling in for the night, the goggles disappear, a storm rages, the power goes out, and their host is poisoned.  The girls will have to work together if they are to solve the mystery of the missing flight goggles!

 by Carl Hiaasen Lexile:  830 Genre:  Mystery Noah's dad has a temper and it has gotten him in trouble this time.  He is trying to stop a casino boat's illegal dumping, but now that he's in jail, Noah and his sister, Abbey, have to pick up the mystery where their father left off, to prove that he is innocent.  Meanwhile, the casino boat is still dropping its crud into the ocean.  Noah and Abbey are determined to put a stop to the nasty pollution.

 by Stuart Gibbs Lexile: 820 Genre: Mystery Teddy lives with his parents at FunJungle, the world's largest zoo. One day Henry the Hippo is found belly up in his home at Hippo River. What caused the mascot to go die? Henry takes it upon himself to attend the autopsy and learns that Doc, FunJungle's crabby veterinarian, thinks that Henry was murdered. Teddy begins his quest to find out the real story behind Henry's death.

by Matthew Swanson Realistic Fiction, Mystery Moxie McCoy is the best detective around.  At least she used to be when her best friend, Maude, used to be around.  Now that Maude has moved, Moxie is solving cases on her own and the first big one is to discover who has stolen Eddie the owl, her school's mascot!  So far there are 4 suspects and the only person that Moxie has to share ideas with is her younger brother Milton who may be more helpful than she thinks, if he is given the chance.  Can the McCoys solve their first big case by working together?

by Thomas Taylor Lexile:  710 Genre:  Fantasy, Mystery Eerie-by-the Sea is a strange little town where some people believe in the malamander and some do not.  Whether you believe or not, you have heard the rumors and the stories about this strange creature that is said to lurk in the shadows.  Herbie Lemon and Violet Parma have teamed up to try and uncover the mystery.  Violet's father was writing a book about the malamnder when he disappeared.  Violet is determined to find out what happened to her parents and Herbie just wants answers to questions that no one in his town can agree on.  Will these two young detectives be able to solve the mystery that has haunted Eerie-by-the-Sea for decades?

by Kat Shepherd Genre:  Mystery Zach, Evie, Vishal and Sophia all have one thing in common:  they love a good mystery!  When Sophia's family heirloom, the famous North Star Necklace is stolen, the friends are on the case.  They have an inside track as Zach and Evie's mom is a crime reporter so if they lay low, she might help lead them to the thief.  The sleuths begin to investigate and as they get closer to the answers to the question of who stole the necklace, things begin to get more dangerous.  The police have told the kids to stay out of the investigation, but they are determined to get to the bottom of the crime so that Sophia's family can get the necklace back.  Do the Gemini Detectives have what it will take to solve this case???

by Sherri Winston Genre:  Mystery Meet Jada Sly. Artist and Spy.  Okay, so maybe she is only 10 which actually makes her an artist and spy in training.  But she is taking her training very seriously because her mother's life depends on it.  Everyone is convinced that Jada's mom dies in the a plane crash, but Jada is suspicious about what happened and the more she investigates, the more she uncovers to the true story.  Her father is convinced that Jada is imaging things and thinks that she needs to accept her mother's death and move on.  Luckily for Jada, her new school has a spy club that she can join.  She and her friends are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery of her mom's disappearance.

by Kate Messner Lexile:  840 Genre:  Mystery, Adventure Wolf Creek is the perfect place to spend the summer and Nora can't wait.  But when 2 inmates escape from the maximum security prison in the town, everyone's summer plans are put on hold.  Doors are locked, activities are cancelled and police are patroling everywhere.  Nora and her classmates were working on a time capsule project so now they have lots to share about the present.  How will this inmate escape impact the future of Wolf Creek?

by Kat Zhang Lexile:  780 Genre:  Mystery The last thing that Mia Chen wants to do is spend the summer in China with her mom, aunt, and brother, but unfortunately, that is exactly what she has to do.  When her Aunt Lin's old friend, Ying, comes over to meet them, Mia takes an instant dislike to him.  He and her aunt discuss an old treasure hunting game they used to play when they were younger and then the very next day, Aunt Lin disappears!  Mia's mom believes the note that Lin leaves that says she will be gone a few days visiting friends, but Mia is suspicious.  It isn't like her aunt to just leave without saying goodbye.  Mia and her brother are going to do all they can to figure out where Aunt Lin went.

by Natasha Tarpley Lexile:  800 Genre:  Mystery Harlem, NY is an exciting place to live.  Jin and Alex have to do a project about the history of Harlem and they are having trouble narrowing the field until they meet Elvin and he tells them the story of how his grandfather was mysteriously attacked.  They begin to investigate a group called the Invisible 7 and along the way they are learn some surprising, and perhaps very dangerous things.  Will they find the missing artwork that one of the Invisible 7 artists created in time to save it from some greedy crooks?  Read The Harlem Charade to find out!

by Patrick Carman Lexile: 740 Genre:  Mystery Ryan and Sarah are looking to solve the mystery of the mysterious dredge that has been abandoned in the forest near their home of Skeleton Creek.  Rumors have swirled for years that the dredge is haunted and kids have been warned to stay away from it.  But Ryan and Sarah see that warning as a challenge.  They take their video camera to the dredge to see what they can learn, but when Ryan falls and breaks his leg, he and Sarah are forbidden to continue their investigation.  The story unfolds as you read Ryan's journal and watch Sarah's videos.  Be warned...what you see might keep you up at night!

by James Ponti Lexile:  680 Genre:  Mystery Florian Bates is the youngest FBI agent on record at the age of 12.  He impressed the FBI agent assigned to an art theft at the museum where his parents work so now the FBI is interested in having him help them solve other crimes.  Florian invented T.O.A.S.T. - the Theory of All Small Things.  Florian uses this strategy to pay attention to the small details that other people might work.  It has proved useful in many school situations, but now that he has taught it to his new friend, Margaret, it seems like T.O.A.S.T. can be applied to many situations.  What will T.O.A.S.T. help him solve next?