Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Have you ever wondered what monsters are scared of? Well, if you read Trick or Treat on Monster Street , you'll learn that the best scary costume for monsters is anything that looks like a cute, little kid! The hero in the story accidentally finds Monster Street on Halloween. He hooks up with, can you guess?, MONSTERS! They go trick-or-treating together (the things put into trick-or-treat bags on Monster Street are a little different) and end up at a Halloween Party. There's a traditional costume contest and guess who wins? The best part about the story, written in fun rhyme, is the friendship developed between the hero and the monsters. They realize just how "alike" they are. The second best part is the sweet justice in the turn of events between the hero and his two older brothers who find endless pleasure in scaring him. His new friends help teach his brothers a lesson about just what it feels like to be scared by real monsters! The beautiful, bold, full-spread il...

Petra Kronos lives in a world of magical mechanical wonders. Petra’s father, a metalsmith who creates living clockwork creatures for a living, is hired by the teenage prince of a neighboring kingdom to work on a special project. This single event soon draws Petra and her talking tin spider, Astrophil, into a dangerous world filled with dark magic, political intrigue, and a cabinet full of wonders. I found the world Petra lived in intriguing and the clockwork animals her father created charming. The people she meets during her adventures were colorful characters you can’t help but love—or hate, as the case may be. However, I would have liked a little more information about certain aspects of the story that didn’t always make sense. (For example: I would have liked to know more about the nature of brassica oil why it gave the metal creatures life when it was fed to them. Why did Iris’ skin ooze acid? Was she born that way or was she cursed later in life? And why did Astrophil suddenl...

Melvin Might? , one of the books in Jon Scieszka's Trucktown series, is about poor, worry-wort Melvin. His friends, Pete, Jack, and Rita, want him to join in their rather daring stunts but Melvin just isn't sure if it's safe enough. When one of his friends has an accident, does Melvin let his worries consume him, or does he go to the rescue? Read Melvin Might to find out! Scieszka's books are always funny and good fun, and this book is no exception. The bright, interesting pictures by the 3-team of artists--Shannon, Long, and Loren--make the story even more engaging and will especially delight boys with the images of trucks zipping and zooming around town. Coupled with a great message about conquering your worries when it counts, this is a story that manages to be fun and helpful together.

Max has a great imagination and loves to act out his visions. He is Superman , King Kong , and Evel Knievel all in one, until he decides to be... Mighty Max ! Mighty Max can do anything, but his forte is saving the day, of course, which he does multiple times. Hooray for the Mighty Max in each little boy! In this funny picture book, Ziefert vividly details the active nature and enthusiasm of young boys, perfectly accompanied by Kreloff's scribbly illustrations and collage. This is a book that can be appreciated and enjoyed by parents and children alike.

When good old dependable Leo inherits a beautiful, antique music box from his great-aunt, his life is turned upside-down. First, his annoying, headstrong cousin Mimi comes to stay with his family with her horrible little dog, Mutt. When Mimi decides to break the first of a set of rules that have been handed down with the music box, strange events are set into motion. A powerful witch is released and the music box is revealed to be much more than it seems. Leo and Mimi must embark on a difficult quest to save Mutt as well as an entire world from destruction. Filled with adventure, friendships, magic, and betrayals, this is an exciting and thrilling story sure to please any fantasy fans, especially those seeking stories about magical worlds and creatures. I loved the twists and turns introduced in the book and was very pleased to find the story intriguing, fast-paced, and well-written. The characters are believable and well fleshed-out. If you choose to read this story, you will never lo...

THE ULTIMATE WEAPON: THE RACE TO DEVELOP THE ATOMIC BOMB ; Edward T. Sullivan; New York: Holiday House, 2008. 182pp. Juvenile/Young Adult Non-Fiction. This book was so interesting I wished it had had even more information than it does, particularly about the physics of the creation of the atomic bomb. Most of us older types know a little bit about the Manhattan Project, Los Alamos, even about the first atomic pile experiment in the squash court under the University of Chicago's Stagg Field. But Sullivan adds texture and detail to what we know, and shares a wealth of information beyond that. Although the race to build the A-bomb was intended to beat the Germans to the punch, spies on the project were actually feeding information to the Soviets, who would have nuclear weapons shortly after the end of the war, and German's project fizzled after its Finnish heavy water plant was blown up. Two "cities" besides Los Alamos sprang up almost overnight as farmers and townsfolk ...

I think the front cover alone describes what a neat and fascinating book Sabertooth is. Sabertooth by Patrick O’Brien is about many different prehistoric animals but mainly stars the Sabertooth Tiger and its descendents. In this short, but informative book readers can learn about the animal’s teeth, when they lived, what they may have looked like, what they may have eaten and where many of their bones have been found. It was a very interesting book and I learned in prehistoric days there were rodents that were bigger than cows! (This shows that I definitely could never have been a cave woman!) This is a short book that reads like a picture book and is a great resource to use to introduce children to the wonderful world of nonfiction.

I was debating on whether or not to do a review on Something Special because I wasn’t sure how to describe it without giving the ending away; but decided to do a short one! The illustrations in this book were fabulous, endearing, and imaginative. The main character is a frog which fits the secret something perfectly. This book is well worth your time so check it out! It is definitely one I want to add to my personal collection and I think you will fall in love with it as well!

MASTERPIECE ; Elise Broach; New York: Henry Holt, 2008; 291pp. In spite of the rave advance reviews for this book, I was underwhelmed by it, although it may well be one of those stories that kids like better than adults, which would be all to the good. And, in fact, it is a good story about friendship--in this case, the friendship between a boy named James and a beetle named Marvin. Marvin and his family live under the sink in James' house and feel sorry for James because his mother and stepfather (the Pompadays) are too snooty and busy to pay much attention to James. When James' father, an artist, gives him a pen and ink set for his birthday, Marvin wants to give him a gift, too, so he dips his legs into a cap of ink anddraws a stunning miniature of the view outside the apartment. James is delighted by the gift, but uncertain as to what to do when everyone thinks he drew it. Marvin and James' friendship is tested and strengthened as James is asked to replicate a drawing b...

Cat Royal is an orphan, named after the Theater Royal, the theater on whose doorstep she was abandoned as a baby. Unfortunately, Cat has a knack for sticking her nose in where it doesn’t belong, stumbling onto unfathomable mysteries, and making bitter enemies. On the other hand, Cat also is a tough, spirited young lass with a clever wit and a talent for making loyal friends and admirers wherever she goes. With Cat around, life in 1790’s London has never been so exciting! The first book in the series, Diamond of Drury Lane is the story of how Cat manages to uncover the secret of a diamond rumored to be hidden somewhere inside the Theater Royal and now every would-be thief in London is after it. The Second book in the series, Cat Among the Pigeons , begins as one of Cat’s friends is hunted down by his old slave master, who plans to force him back into captivity. Before long, Cat is up to her petticoats in trouble and is forced to go into hiding—at an all-boys school for young ge...

You don't have to be a fan of jazz to enjoy Kristyn Crow's Cool Daddy Rat. You do have to be a fan of well-written, creative, rhythmy, and fun-rhyming text. Mike Lester's art, a sort of messy pencil with bright watercolors, seems to look like how jazz feels. With every phrase of story, Crow puts in a short, jazzy musical rhyme: hippy zippy zee zat, lookie lookie see dat, yipsy tipsy top dat. This is exactly the kind of book I make big hype about in our Emergent Literacy class. It's perfect for developing phonemic awareness in young children because Crow's text plays with language. Was that the author's intention, to make it into my recommended reading list for my EL class? I doubt it, but she does a great job anyway. Aside from the beautiful text itself, the story is sweet and endearing. You can feel the love between Cool Daddy and Ace, his stowaway son, both in words and pictures. A wonderful read aloud to read again and again. (P.S. - If you're wonderi...

It isn’t often that you find one of those books. One the reader can’t put down, even when they know they should. It’s past midnight, but they are still reading, knowing they’ll never be able to sleep anyway without knowing how the book is going to end. The Ruby Key was one of those books for me. Genna and her younger brother Dan live in a magic world where humans travel by day and Nightlings (known to us as fairies) rule the night. One night, in an attempt to save their dying mother’s life, Genna and Dan break the strict laws of their land and risk their lives by leaving the safety of their home after dark, invading the Nightling world. This single event sets off an exciting adventure the reader will never forget. If you love, magic, monsters, dark bargains, prophetic heroes, and a touch of mystery in your books, put this title on hold right away. Those of you out there who loved Fablehaven series, Chronicles of Narnia , or the Spiderwick Chronicles , T he Ruby Key is definitely...

The picture and title pretty much sum up what this book is about. Obviously a picture book was too short of a format to convey all the necessary information pertaining to bathing Bad Kitty. Bad Kitty Gets a Bath is 125 pages filled with hilarious text and fabulous black and white pictures. Most beginning chapter book readers will get a kick out of reading this book. Likewise, I think anyone who has ever attempted bathing a cat (or even thought about it) will enjoy Bruel's latest. Try it as a read-aloud; I read it to my 2-year-old and we were both laughing the whole time.

Children's book illustrator, Don Wood, has created a wonderful graphic novel for all ages. The story is full of adventure and suspense, as well as great artwork. Two brothers, Sumo and Duffy, are sent to spend a few weeks with an aunt who they have never met. Sumo is wary and unsure of this odd collection of people who his parents have dumped them with. Duffy is relaxed and easy-going. He trusts his parents and looks forward to the unknown. The group is preparing for a mysterious climb (at least it is mysterious to the brothers). They will soon be involved in danger beyond their wildest dreams as they head Into the Volcano .

Here's a simple story, very predictable, about a cat who is, as the title says, grumpy. A little kitten enters his life and, after some persistence on the kitten's part, helps him become un-grumpy. I told you it was simple. And painfully predictable. Didn't I say that too? Maybe not the painful part, but it is so. After the first two pages, you can figure out exactly what will happen in the story. (The cover illustration is also a dead giveaway.) Tickentrup leaves no room for discovery or interpretation. Why is he grumpy? Because he's lonely (isn't that the reason behind all grumpiness?). Why is he lonely? Because he "just doesn't know how" to join in the nightly cat playtime (poor misunderstood soul). Grumpy cat's grumpy facial expression doesn't change much, giving us a one-dimensional feel for his foul mood. There are no examples of grumpy behavior, so we really don't know why the other cats think he is grumpy, except that the author tel...

THE TROUBLE BEGINS AT 8: MARK TWAIN IN THE WILD WILD WEST ; Sid Fleischman, New York: HarperCollins, 2008. 224pp. Sid Fleischman's love letter to/biography of of Mark Twain is more fun if the reader already knows Twain's works, especially the early ones. Anyone familiar with Roughing It, The Innocents Abroad, and "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," will enjoy discovering the circumstances surrounding the writing. But young people who don't know Twain should find plenty in this delightful book to draw them into Tom Sawyer or Twain's short stories, including Fleischman's Twainish style ("like a Missouri tornado, all full of grit and spare parts"). Excellent introduction to Mark Twain for upper elementary and Middle School children.