Provo Library Children's Book Blog

  The Picasso Curse By Dan Gutman New York : Holiday House, 2025. Fiction. 183 pages. In this funny tale, Edwin Hodge visits the flea market with his parents all the time. Mostly he wanders around bored, but this week he decides to haggle his way into a "signed" Kobe Bryant poster (that the stall owner refuses to confirm is actually autographed) for $10. When he gets home and pulls it out of the frame he sees a random doodle in the frame behind the poster and rolls them both up to bring for show-and-tell. When his art teacher sees the doodle she speculates that it was created by Picasso, which Edwin's family later gets confirmed by art specialists. But when a string of terrible things begins happening to Edwin's family, he worries that he may be cursed.  Dan Gutman, who is known for his My Weird School series, focuses for much of the book on why Edwin is making the decisions he's making, and gives kids ample opportunities to think through what they would do if the...

  Holding On for Dear Life  Written By Dusti Bowling  New York: Bloomsbury Children’s Books, Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., 2025. 228 pages.  Canyon loves bull riding…or so he says. He is a thirteen-year-old bull rider who wants so badly to impress his father—a one-time bull riding champion who tends to be either depressed or drunk ever since Canyon’s mom died. However, Canyon’s body is plagued by pain and the side effects of numerous concussions due to the sport he says he loves. The only thing that can help ease the pain from his injuries is when he plays his fiddle, just like his mom used to.  Canyon is a great kid who has a passion for being a real cowboy and for being there for his family, especially his younger sister. This is a great book full of grit, bull riding adventures, and heart—with a little music thrown in on the side. Kids who want to read about cowboys and the dangers they face and the choices they make (from all the nerves of getting on a couple ...

  Sole Survivor  Written By Norman Ollestad and Brendan Kiely  New York: Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2025. 255 pages.  This is a juvenile biography/memoire about the plane crash that Norman Ollestad survived when he was a sixth grader. The book starts off with Norman wining a skiing competition and heading home to play in a hockey game only to head onto an airplane with his dad, his dad’s girlfriend (Sandra), and the pilot so he could go and claim his trophy for the skiing competition. Only, the plane crashed and the pilot and Norman’s dad were killed. Then when Sandra falls and dies as well, Norman is left as the sole survivor from the plane crash in the San Gabriel Mountains during a snowstorm.  Fans of Hatchet or other adventure novels will love reading how Norman survived this ordeal. And they will be even more impressed with the fact that this is a true story and the person who survived and is still alive today. This book goes over all of...

  I know, I know. I work in a library. Which means I am biased when it comes to thinking that the library is a great place to work. But, I also think that a library could be a great setting in a book. Again, I know that I am biased. But hopefully you all think libraries are swell too, since you are reading a blog post written by a librarian about libraries. Anyway, here are five great juvenile fiction books that take place in a library. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did! Happy reading!  The Legend of the Last Library Written by Frank L. Cole  Salt Lake City, Utah: Shadow Mountain Publishing, 2024. 284 pages.  Juni lives in a dystopian world where paper is worth more than money. There is a legend of a lost library that holds treasures untold. And Juni, who at first is tempted to find the library to ease her family’s financial woes, decides to try to find it. Readers who like adventure, mysteries, and a dystopian world where books and knowledge are the true treasu...

Looking for a new read? We’ve got you covered! Check out one of our Book Boxes for kids ages 9-12. Each Book Box contains a book to check out, as well as envelopes filled with fun surprises that you can open as you read along. We have two new books available to check out! Boxes can be put on hold through the library website, and can picked up at the Circulation Desk. Our One Dead Spy and The Case of the Missing Marquess Book Boxes will each be available to pick up from December 19, 2025 through December 30, 2026. Each child aged 9-12 can check out each Book Box once during that time, so get one now to read during winter break, or wait until summer and check it out then! One Dead Spy By Nathan Hale New York : Amulet Books, 2012. 127 pages. Comic. This graphic novel tells the tale of Nathan Hale, one of America's first spies, who was hanged for espionage in 1776. But in this version, just before he is set to be hanged he is eaten by a giant book, which he uses to explain the revoluti...

Bear in the Air Written by Allison Wortche Illustrated by Cat Min Bear is in the air, and he likes it up there! Beautifully colored illustrations tell the story of Bear as he floats his way through the forest, passing friends and family. At first, he happily declines their invitations to join them in activities on the ground, but as time passes, he starts to feel a little tired of being in his hot air balloon. It takes a lot of courage to admit that he doesn't know how to get down!  Brightly colored and sunny characters will make any child excited to read or listen to this charming picture book! The story itself is simple, yet tells a wonderful narrative that children will be able to relate to. It can be scary to admit we don't know things, but as Bear finds out, helpful friends will always be there to step in.