Provo Library Children's Book Blog

IF I RAN FOR PRESIDENT ; Catherine Stier; Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman, 2008; unpaged. Non-fiction. After a visit to Mount Rushmore, six schoolchildren imagine what it might be like to run for president. Ms. Stier takes these bright-eyed kids completely through the campaign process with each taking a part--Ellie hands out fliers, Ben assembles a campaign staff, Sam participates in televised debates, and Claire eats popcorn with voters in Kansas. This simple text with bright pictures should be helpful for parents to show their children what an election year is all about.

NICK OF TIME : AN ADVENTURE THROUGH TIME; Ted Bell; New York: St. Martin's, 2008; Children's/Young Adult Fiction. Nick McIver is an old-fashioned young hero, a straight arrow if ever there was one. His adventures in this book take place during the years just before the beginning of World War II, and as he toggles back and forth in time, on a British ship of the line during the Napoleonic Wars. When Nick and his faithful dog Jip find a sea chest on the shore of Greybeard Island where Nick's dad is the lighthouse keeper, they find a curious object apparently bequeathed to Nick by his great-great-ever-so-great grand uncle. The mechanism, designed by Leonardo da Vinci enables Nick to travel back and forth through time. Unfortunately, some ill-favored pirates are after the prize as well. Sea battles, German submarines, mysterious goings-on at the Hawke's Castle fortress make for a breakneck adventure in two centuries. Sometimes bloody, filled with nautical talk and lore, thi...

IRONHAND ; Charlie Fletcher; New York: Hyperion, 2008. 400 pgs. Children's/Young Adult Fiction. Often the second book in a trilogy is the weakest--not as exciting as the first, and having to set the table for the climax of the third. But this second volume in the Stoneheart trilogy is every bit as rip-snorting as the first, as George, Edie, and the Gunner soldier on in the unseen battle of London among the Spits, Taints, Glints, and most frighteningly of all the Walker and his Raven. George is separated from Edie early on when he is snatched up by a vengeful gargoyle. The rest of the action revolves around George and Edie trying to find The Gunner before "turn o' day," George frantically trying to meet the three challenges of The Hard Way, and Edie trying to escape the fate she has foreseen at the hands of The Walker. Although Ironhand is darker than the first volume, more frightening and sorrowful, the characters grow accordingly, as they meet stiffer challenges and ...

A must-read for all fans of the classic monsters. Encyclopedia Horrifica is filled with fascinating legends, facts and photos of such creatures as Dracula, zombies, the Wolfman, aliens and ghosts (just to name a few). The information is presented with humor and the colorful pages will grab almost anyone's attention. Beware, some of the legends and pictures are of a slightly gross nature so don't get this book unless you are prepared for that sort of thing.

In the third book of the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull, an unexplained darkness begins to infect the creatures of Fablehaven, spreading alarmingly fast. Kendra and Seth face even more frightening and dangerous situations than before as they try to discover the cause of the plague and the key to ending it. New characters are introduced, both good and bad; some characters mentioned in the first two books are also further developed. The Grip of the Shadow Plague was a quick and fun read. I was interested to find out how some of the loose ends from the second book would be resolved. It was interesting to follow the plot twists in the third book and to see that Mull still has plenty of great ideas up his literary sleeve. All in all, this was a fast-paced, magical adventure that will delight fans of his previous books and will satisfy those who have been anxious about the fate of main characters. Readers will also find that a fourth book in this series, Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary ,...

OTTO'S ORANGE DAY ; Frank Cammuso and Jay Lynch; New York: RAW, Jr., 2008. 40 pgs. Comics. Otto loves the color orange, and when an orange package arrives with a gold lamp from Aunt Sally Lee, he rubs it, produces a genie, and wishes everything in the world were orange. After the genie obliges, Otto wonders why there are so many car crashes (no red or green lights), how the police will catch "the orange robber," and whether he can choke down an orange pork chop and orange mashed potatoes. These days when graphic novels are often iffy for the little dudes, this entry in the Toon Book series provides bright and cautionary fun for young children.

In this sequel to Dragon Slippers , we find Creel working as a seamstress when she receives word of a bordering country's intention to invade with an army of dragons. With this news, Creel is launched into a situation calling for all her wit, talent, and courage. With the help of her friends Marta, Prince Luka, and some assorted dragons, a frightening enemy is challenged. Will she succeed? To continue Creel's adventure, read Dragon Flight ! I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first. Part of what I loved about Dragon Slippers was the fun orginiality of the plot and the lush descriptions and focus on Creel's artisitic ability as a seamstress. Dragon Flight was more predictable and had less satisfying character and plot development. However, fans of the first book will enjoy finding out more about Creel's adventures and some of the conclusions from the first book that are included.

THE M1 ABRAMS MAIN BATTLE TANK ; Steve Parker; Mankato, MN: Capstone, 2008; 32 pgs. Non-fiction. This book, one in a series of Edge Books Cross-Sections by Capstone Press, is distinguished by its clarity of text and excellent combination of photographs and diagrams describing and depicting the backbone of U. S. Military ground operations, the Abrams tanks. The book begins with a brief history of tank construction and warfare, and then moves on to the strength and adaptability of the Abrams' models. Exploded views (you'll excuse the expression) and cross-sections, as well as photographs of Abrams' firepower make this book, and the others in the series, enlightening without being confusing. Highly recommended for young people interested in weapons of war.

Ernie Banks was left on the doorstep of Lakeside Home for Boys when he was just a baby. Now a 13-year-old troublemaker, Ernie is being sent to work on a farm as a last resort before juvenile hall. Ernie discovers a mystery on the farm that he is determined to solve before his time is up. Little does Ernie know that his investigation will lead him into the incredible and dangerous world of the Puddlejumpers and the Troggs. Will he and Joey make it back to the Frazier farm? Where did Ernie's crystal acorn come from? And most importantly what does this have to do with who Ernie really is? Grab this book for a fun action-packed fantasy adventure. Hooty-hoooooooo!

There is a newly reprinted Choose Your Own Adventure series by R. A. Montgomery that is written especially for the intermediate reader crowd. There are currently four books available and each has from 9-18 possible endings. Since you are the main character of the book, you get to make all the decisions throughout the story. If you don't like the ending you reach, just turn back to page one and start again, this time make different choices and hope for a better ending! Believe it or not, there is even a new non-fiction series called You Choose Books. Everything in these books happened to real people in history. As you read the story you are faced with numerous decisions. Your choices may lead you into battle and a horrible death or maybe they will land you in the lap of luxury. Will you be the hero or the villain? It's all up to you. Grab one of these books and see what choices you would have made in some critical historical situations!

  Mysteries of the Mummy Kids By Kelly Milner Halls Darby Creek Pub., 2007. 72 pp. Juvenile nonfiction. If mummies, dead bodies and mysteries of the distant past intrigue you, Mysteries of the Mummy Kids is something you might want to check out. What is unique about this mummy book is that it only talks about mummies of children. A few years ago some construction workers in Washington D.C. accidentally stumbled onto a sealed iron sarcophagus. When scientists finally broke it open they found a teenage mummy dating back to the civil war era. Mummies in the USA? You bet. This book is filled with fascinating facts about mummy kids from all around the world. It covers everything about how they lived, how they died and how their bodies were discovered in modern times. There are many detailed photos of each mummy presented, so if you are squeamish about such things you might want to pass this book up. But if you’re the sort who loves learning every fascinating and grizzly detai...

Hairdo! What We Did and Do to our Hair by Ruth Freeman Swain Holiday House, 2002. Informational. Unpag. Have you ever wondered about all the strange hairstyles throughout our country and history? If so (even if not), you should read Hairdo! What we did and do to our hair . It's informative with many hairy details I had never known. For example, in ancient Rome, a lady had her marble bust sculpted with a removeable stone hairdo so she'd never be out of style. People put up with many inconveniences like itchy heads, unpleasant smells, and sore necks simply to be fashionably coiffed. This is a fascinating book that is a delightful read. It's completely "hil-hair-ious!"

GHADDAR THE GHOUL AND OTHER PALESTINIAN STORIES ; retold by Sonia Nimr; London: Frances Lincoln, 2007; 95 pgs. Non-fiction (Palestinian literature). For all who think of Palestinians only in the political context of Middle Eastern troubles, this book will be a welcome surprise. Several of these stories draw on the archetypes from which folk stories of many nations derive: Ghadar the ghoul is a variant of Jack of the beanstalk's giant; "Dancing Jasmine, Singing Water" is reminiscent of "The Fisherman and his Wife." The story of Tanbouri's shoes is a particular delight. These stories would be great for reading aloud, and would acquaint children (and their parents) with a much lovelier side of the Middle East than we are wont to hear.

If you are looking for an educational book with a fresh and different approach, Jobs People Do might be what the doctor ordered. This book isn’t just about different careers—it is a work of art. Each of the six chapters covers a day in the life of a different person and what they do on the job. A farmer, a chef, a doctor, a firefighter, a teacher and a veterinarian and what they do are all presented in simple and easy to understand short stories. At the end of each story, job specific vocabulary is presented as well as some fun facts and games. All of this, in and of itself, would be enough to make this a wonderful non-fiction selection, but it is the pictures in this book that really make it stand out from the crowd. Every detailed scene on every page is made up of hundreds of meticulously crafted miniatures with darling, hand-sculpted clay figures populating the colorful world. The amount of time and care that went into making this book must have been phenomenal. Each of the hundred...

BAR GRAPHS ;TALLY CHARTS; Vijaya Khisty Bodach; Manakato, MN: Capstone, 2008; 32 pgs. each. Non-fiction Tallying is such second nature to most of us it is easy to forget it as a mathematical principle, but in Vijay Bodach's excellent beginner's book, children are taught first through tactile means (placement of pickup sticks by players' names) and then by physical objects translated into tally sheets, this easy way to keep track of things. Similarly in Bar Graphs , children place toy animals of different sorts in lines to discover how many of each they have. The animal numbers are than transferred to a bar graph. Other examples follow. Each of these excellent book concludes with pictures of items which their young readers are allowed to transform into a tally sheet or a bar graph on their own. Text and pictures are bright, easy to understand, and inviting. Each book is also linked by number to the Facthound website which will take children, parents, and teacher...

THE SHEPHERD'S TRAIL ; Cat Urbigkit; Honesdal, Pa: Boyds Mill Press, 2008. 32pgs. Non-fiction. As a reporter and rancher in Wyoming, Cat Urbigkit knows whereof she speaks when she describes the transhumance (defined in these pages) herding of sheep in the American West.Using methods that have remained virtually unchanged for the past hundred years, sheepherders move their flocks from winter to summer pasture, with the able assistance of horse and dog. Urbigkit's beautifully evocative photographs of the high desert West perfectly complement her account of a sheepherder's year.