Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Who hasn’t read a good ghost story under the covers late at the night? If you were anything like me as a child, you didn’t sleep much afterwards either. Of course, that was the best part! Delicious chills, spooky delights, mysterious goings on, this book has all the things middle grade readers love. If you are looking for a spooky thrill and a fantastic mystery, Hunt for the Seventh is right up your dark alley. When Jim and Sally’s father takes a job as a gardener on a sprawling estate with a mysterious past, the kids find themselves drawn into a ghostly hunt for the histories of six children who all died on the estate under strange circumstances. Spooky statues, an ancient curse, a mystery that spans a hundred years, and a murder most fowl. How could any ghost story buff resist? Parents should be aware that though there is no violence or gore within the context of the story, it might be just a little too creepy for some younger or more sensitive readers.

Penguin and the Cupcake by Ashley Spires unpaged picture book Vancouver : Simply Read Books, c2008. Penguin is sick and tired of eating fish all the time. What he really wants is CUPCAKES !!!! He sets off on a journey to find the desired treat. Penguin does not end up where he thought he would, but it's okay because he meets some new friends. Eventually he decides to return home to his regular meals of fish. This is a silly story that might have entertained more if it weren't for the interjections that show up on lined notebook paper. These comments don't seem to fit the story and interrupt the flow. The cute characters were inspired by the author/illustrators own line of felt finger puppets. Maybe she hopes to sell more of her creations to the people who read this book, but I am not buying.

The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones by Helen Hemphill Front Street, 2008. 228 pgs. Juvenile Fiction. I grew up on Westerns, but all the action these days seems to be in Outer Space (or with what comes from there). But then along comes Deadwood Jones. Inspired by the true narrative of Nat Love (upon whom the dime-novel character of Deadwood Dick was based), the story of Deadwood Jones has a little bit of everything--faithful horses, riled-up Indians, stampeding cattle, and quick and violent death on the road North. Prometheus Jones must hightail it to the territories when he is accused of stealing a horse he won in a raffle. He an his young cousin Omer hire on with a cattle drive going north from Texas to the Dakota Territory. Prometheus is also hoping to track down his father who was sold into Texas years before. Through good times and bad, great sorrows and personal triumphs, Prometheus makes his way north where he becomes "Deadwood" Jones a cowboy through and thr...

I Saw Three Ships: a Magical Christmas Tale by Elizabeth Goudge Boston: David Godine, 2008 (reprint) "Christmas in July" is a commonplace expression but Christmas in May is even better if it shows up in the form of Elizabeth Goudge's timeless story. Polly Flowerdew wants to leave the doors open at her aunts' house for Christmas Eve so whoever comes may enter (they always left them open in the country when her parents were alive). The Aunts, having no man about the house to protect them, refuse. But Polly figures out a way to let three wise men in, even though the door is bolted against them and when Christmas morning arrives, so do three ships, bearing a most remarkable gift. Lovely in its telling, I Saw Three Ships is a tender, cheerful delight, any time of year.

Picture Book An energetic, brightly dressed man is looking for a "didgeridoo", and he won't take NO for an answer! He asks the owner of a music shop, repeatedly, and in fun, bouncy rhyme, for a didgeridoo and describes all the things he plans on doing with it. Do you do a dedgeridoo? One that blows a low wa-hoo? I'd paint it in purple, or yellow , or blue . . . The text is fun, rhythmic, and musical. The bright, colorful illustrations remind me of The Beatles Yellow Submarine . The ending to the story falls off sharply and, unfortunately, demonstrates downright rudeness on the part of the main character, who, until this point, had been quite likeable. So, check it out from the library, read it once through for the artwork, but don't spend money for a book that lets you down at the end.

I have always been drawn to Chris Wormell's illustration style using wood engravings. My family first discovered him in An Alphabet of Animals. His newest work, The Animals Came Two by Two , is just as engaging and enjoyable. Wormell tells the timeless story of Noah and the ark simply, putting the bulk of the story at the beginning and the end of the book. The middle part is filled with beautiful illustrations of all the different kinds of animals brought into the ark, arranged in pairs of opposites; From the tall (giraffes) to the short (weasels). Wormell includes a brief biosketch of each animal at the end, and includes the names of the male, female, and what a group of that particular animal is called. (Did you know that a group of falcons is called a "cast"?)The story itself is familiar enough that the religious undertones should not deter anyone from purchasing this book for a school library. And if you really don't want to hear the story again, get it for the...

Chicken Butt by Erica S. Perl ill. Henry Cole unpaged picture book New York : Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2009. Don't deny it, every one of you at one point in your elementary school years said, "Guess what?". Then after your victim said, "What?", you gleefully responded, "CHICKEN BUTT!" That is exactly what one young boy does to his older brother in the first few pages of this book. The rest of the book is variations upon the same phrase. The illustrations are fun. Overall I wasn't too impressed with this books. Kids will love it because it will give them the excuse to say " CHICKEN BUTT !!!!" over and over and over.

Change has Come: an Artist Celebrates our American Spirit The drawings of Kadir Nelson with the words of Barack Obama New York: Simon & Schuster, 2009. Unpaged. Non-fiction/Inspirational No matter your politics (unless you are a Limbaugh/Hannity/Beck devotee), Change has Come . . . should be a lovely, stirring expression of the best of American practice and sentiment. Nelson, Caldecott honor and Sibert award winner, has deftly pictured, with impressive economy, the nature of the American spirit and constituency. Although shelved in the Children's Department, Change has Come is a brief but poignant tribute, for all ages, to the spirit of democracy and the hopes of a free society.

Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian Atheneum, 2009. 43pgs. Poetry Douglas Florian's funky, jazzy poetry ("Triceratops./Try-scare-a-tops./Try-wouldn't-want-to-dare-a-tops.") could only be outdone by his even funkier, jazzier pictures of dinosaurs on the loose. Who would even think that giving the already imposing Triceratopial presence jade-green eyes with a slash of black would make him so unsettling? or picturing Tyrannosaurus Rex as an X-ray image listening to an iPod and either swallowing or disgorging all creation (one can scarcely tell). Dinothesaurus is a perfect treasure for art and poetry lovers of all ages.

Toot Toot Zoom! by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Matthew Cordell Candlewick, 2009. Unpaged. Picture Book. "Poor Pierre! He lived all alone at the foot of a sky-high mountain, and ah, his heart, how it longed for a friend." So Pierre hops in his little red car and drives up the switchbacks of the very high mountain, tooting his horn and zooming around the hairpin curves. He almost hits a goat--who asks to ride along. He almost hits a sheep--who asks to ride along. He almost hits a bear--who asks to ride along. All these companions come in handy when Toot Toot Zut! his car runs out of steam near the summit, and they push him to the top. Then they all whiz down the mountain AAAAAHHHH, brakeless. They crash, they are stuck, and there are no potential friends to be found . . . . except the goat, the sheep and the bear. And they all live happily ever after.

The Last Invisible Boy by Evan Kuhlman ill. J. P. Coovert New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2008. 233 pages age 10+ Finn Garrett is becoming invisible, his hair is turning white and his skin is extremely pale. It all started on The Terrible Day That Changed Everything. As you read Finn's journals and see his drawings you get a feel for what is going on in his head as he copes with his father's sudden death. Thankfully he has a strong support group of other family members and a wonderful best friend. I liked parts of this book. I felt his grief was realistically portrayed. However, I did get a bit annoyed with him telling the meaning of every single name mentioned in the book. It just got old after awhile. It was bothersome enough that I would have quit reading the book for that reason alone. The only reason I stuck with it is I wanted to find out how his father died. Overall, I wouldn't say I loved this book, but I didn't hate it either.

The Birthday Pet by Ellen Javernick Ill. Kevin O'Malley unpaged picture book New York : Marshall Cavendish, c2009. It's Danny's birthday and his parents said he could get a pet. After much consideration he decides on a turtle. His family doesn't think much of his choice and try to persuade him to change his mind. The Birthday Pet is cute and rhyming, though some of the rhymes are a little forced. The illustrations are adorable and full of character.

I’m not usually a fan of poetry books but Orangutan Tongs: Poems to Tangle Your Tongue had some great poems and tongue twisters in it. The layout of the book is set up like a picture book so each poem has a related picture. The tongue twisters were funny and what makes them even more funny is attempting to read them out loud and fast. Poem titles such as Wacky Wheelies, Rotten Writing, Undies, The Can't-Get-Inn and Hugh's Yo-yo are sure to catch the child's attention. They are a great way to get children interested in poetry.

Pirates Drive Buses by Christopher Morgan is a hilarious Intermediate book fun of jokes and laughs. One day a pirate and his pig dressed like a parrot pick up two children. The pirate is giving a tour to sea creatures and want to show them what humans look like. (Beware the girl Heidi bites!) During the tour however, Heidi and Billy have to help the pirate get his ship, the SS You Beauty, back from the monkey-crabs. One of my favorite parts was when the pirate tells his rules for bus driving: 1. You can’t wash your clothes when driving. 2. You must never try to say your name into a bucket when you are driving. This is a book that I would suggest to a child who is just learning to read and wants a bigger book. The book is filled with many pictures so the reader feels as if they are reading a larger book while some pages have only a few sentences on it. It is also something I would give to children if they enjoyed Captain Underpants. Not because of potty humor, but just because style and...

From 1850 to 1899, a former slave named Rosa nursed, healed, and comforted countless men, women, and children who fought on both sides of Cuba's struggle for freedom from Spain. She was a real person, not a work of fiction, as were Lieutenant Death, Jose, her husband, and General Weyler. The Surrender Tree is part biography, part history, and fully poetry. An interesting combination that Margarita Engle weaves together masterfully and is so deserving of the Newbery Honor awarded this book. I had heard of the Spanish-American war but was not aware that the first modern concentration camps made their debut during this time in Cuba. Even though it's poetry, flowing and visual, shelved in the 811's at the library, Engle's book teaches volumes about Cuba's bloody, long-lasting war for independence. A great supplement for any history class, as well as language arts. It's not often we see a book that can serve both. Well done, Margarita!

Magic Pickle and the Garden of Evil by Scott Morse 136 pages Age 7-12 New York : Graphix, 2009. Jo Jo and Magic Pickle are back playing checkers, fighting crime and ridding the world of THE BROTHERHOOD OF EVIL PRODUCE!!!!!! Jo Jo's class is growing a garden, a nice normal vegetable garden. At least that is what it is supposed to be. But when you combine mystery seeds from the school's compost pile and Jo Jo's Grow Forth and Conquer formula the results are anything but normal. Magic Pickle flies to the rescue and battles the Phantom Carrot as well as the Romaine Gladiator. Scott Morse has kept the humor going in this third installment of the series. His illustrations are fun and add great action to the storyline. A fun combination of chapter book and comic book that will surely engage some reluctant reader's interest. While the book will most likely appeal more to boys, the main character is a girl so should draw some female fans as well.

Uncle John's Strange & Scary Freaky Facts about Peculiar People: Bathroom Reader for Kids Only by The Bathroom Readers' Institute Ashland, Or. : Bathroom Readers Press, c2006. 144 pages Who doesn't love bizarre trivia and ghost stories? This is a fun collection of stories that will either make you laugh out loud or feel nauseous, or possibly both. Uncle John will tell you how to make a real mummy, too bad the first ingredient is a dead body, makes it a little hard to try at home. Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhen-uakitanatahu is the world's longest place name. You will have to read the book to find out where the city is located and what it means. Or you could google it, hopefully I spelled it right for you even though Spell-checker doesn't seem to think so. These are just a few of the amazing things you can read about in this fun bathroom reader. There are many other titles in this series that are equally fascinating....

This is a different type of picture book. It has a very specific purpose and it's "dialogic reading". DR is simply having a dialogue with your child about the book you're reading. Not All Animals Are Blue is perfect for that because it's written as questions and statements about the illustrations. It all encourages interaction. Parent and child can have hours of good conversation, prompted by Coutignon's text. Her sweet animal pictures are done in pen, pencil, and oil. Each animal in each picture has something a little different from the rest. Look for this in picture books and have fun!

Here's a very fine informational, photograph-illustrated, book for children all about Korea. This caught my eye on the new book cart because I'm half Korean. K is for Korea is one in a series of nonfiction books which are well done and I'll list them all at the end. Set in alphabet-format, each letter teaches something different about Korea and its people. For example: "B is for Buchaechum, a spectacular fan dance." Each short paragraph of information is accompanied by a large photograph. The paragraphs are just long enough to give some interesting details but short enough that children won't get bored. This is a nice way to gain some exposure to another culture without actually traveling there (who can afford that nowadays?). Here are the other titles in the series that are at the library: A is for Africa B is for Brazil C is for China M is for Mexico

Hannah Duck by Anji Yamamura unpaged picture book La Jolla, CA : Kane/ Miller Book Publishers, 2008. Hannah Duck feels safe and secure at home with her two friends Gigi and KameKame. Every Sunday she strikes out on her own to walk to the park. But outside is a scary place. Will her friends be able to help Hannah Duck overcome her fears. A cute little story with adorable, bold illustrations by the author. This Little Bunny Can Bake by Janet Stein unpaged picture book New York : Schwartz & Wade Books, 2009. Bunny is one of several animals attending Chef George's world-famous School of Dessertology. Chef George starts with the basics, "This is a pot. This is a spoon". Eventually the class is given free reign of the kitchen to create a dessert. The illustrations are black and white with Bunny being pink. As the red text is read pay close attention to what is happening all around Bunny. This wasn't my favorite story, but the illustrations were clever and humorous. Oh y...

Watching Jimmy by Nancy Hartry 152 pages Juvenile Fiction (age 9-12) Toronto : Tundra Books, 2009 Uncle Ted says Jimmy fell out of the swing and landed on his head. Jimmy can't communicate enough to tell anyone the truth. Carolyn is too scared to tell anyone what she saw. The best Carolyn can do is to help Jimmy and his mom in anyway she can. Opportunity arises for her to sing in a church choir, but she is reluctant because practices are on Ted-day also known as Thursday. Uncle Ted comes visiting Jimmy and his mom and Carolyn feels she needs to be there to protect Jimmy. This short little story about a Toronto family trying to get back on their feet after World War II is touching yet not overly complex.

Freckleface Strawberry & the Dodgeball Bully By Julianne Moore; illustrated by LeUyen Pham Bloomsbury, 2009. Unpaged. Picture book. The first Freckleface Strawberry book was completely captivating; this second book is also charming. Little Freckleface is very, very afraid of getting hit by the dodgeball during class games because she just knows it is going to HURT! It doesn't help matters that the classmate who usually wields the ball is a bigger and stronger than everyone else, either. Freckleface learns, however, to employ her furry, purple, inner monster to help conquer her fears. This book is a beautiful, endearingly illustrated companion to the original. LeUyen Pham has done a wonderful job with the illustrations, as always, and Julianne Moore has conjured a delightful character who could become a definite literary darling.

Pinocchio alt. title: The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, translated by Geoffrey Brock New York Review of Books, 2009. 189 pgs. Classic Anyone who only knows Carlo Collodi’s “Pinocchio” from the Disney film is in for a rare treat with Geoffrey Brock’s new translation of the classic tale. Pinocchio’s essence, says philosopher Benedetto Croce, is “the wood of humanity,” and, indeed, the wood from which Pinocchio is made speaks before the puppet is even carved. As the puppet emerges from the stick he uses his newly-made hands to snatch Geppetto’s wig from his head, his carved mouth to laugh at his creator and call him "Corn Head," and his feet to run away. When hunger and cold drive him back home, he falls asleep by the fire and burns his feet off. You will be startled to learn what Pinocchio does to The Talking Cricket in Chapter Three, and may indeed see Mankind’s woeful ways in Pinocchio’s endless cycle of foolishness and sore repentance. With all that, “Pinocchio”...

Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuar y By Brandon Mull, illustrated by Brandon Dorman Shadow Mountain, 2009. 535 pgs. Juvenile fiction. In the fourth installment of the Fablehaven series, our heroes continue to pursue the 3 remaining hidden artifacts guarded in various magical sanctuaries to keep them from the tainted intents of Society of the Evening Star. They embark upon a journey to retrieve a key located in one of the most dangerous places imaginable--Wyrmroost, a dragon sanctuary. Hooray for Brandon Mull! His work continues to improve and his ideas remain creative. This is impressive and a sign of a good author. New creatures and characters are brought into play, enriching the storyline and adding fresh interest. The secrets revealed in this book are both shocking and amazing, making it hard to resist devouring this page-turner in one sitting!