Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle & Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me by Nan Marino Jr Fiction Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle & Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me gave me warm fuzzies inside when I finished it. Tamara loves to play kickball. She also loved her best friend Kebsie until one day Kebsie just packed up and moved away without even saying goodbye to Tamara. So when Muscle Man McGinty moves into the neighborhood Tamara is not looking for friends. Muscle Man really drives her crazy when he brags that he can beat the entire rest of the neighborhood in kickball. Tamara knows that he lies about other things, but there is no way that she is going to let people believe this lie. This book takes place in 1969. It was fun to see the children’s perspective on when America landed on the moon and the Vietnam War. A fun story to learn a bit of history and to help understand other people and the true meaning of friendship.

The Museum of Mary Child By Cassandra Golds Kane Miller, 2009. 329 pp. Chapter book. In the care of her stern, cold godmother, little Heloise is raised never knowing love. Her deepest desire is to possess a doll, something which her godmother will never allow her to have. She considers them a sinister reminder of the reason for the Museum of Mary Child which exists next door, filled with eerie dolls. When Heloise happens to find a beautiful doll under a floorboard in her room, her life begins to change as she does everything in her power to conceal its presence from her godmother, even to the point of running away. This leads her to a strange and wonderful new life, eventually leading to the reveal of the greatest secret of all. Mysterious, strange, and haunting, this book will stay with you long after you've read it. Thoughtfully and beautifully written, it has an old-fashioned appeal mixed with a touch of magic, which when combined with a startlingly unique storyline makes for a

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman HarperCollins, 2009. 117 pgs. Juvenile Fiction. Odd has a lucky name (meaning the tip of a blade ) but not a lucky life. His father died at sea and when Odd tries to take over his woodcutter business, he drops a tree on his own leg, shattering the bones and crippling himself. Odd's stepfather has no use for the boy so Odd leaves home to live in his father's cabin in the woods. One morning Odd hears a noise outside the house and discovers a fox who leads him into the woods to where a bear is trapped in the hollow of an old tree. Odd rescues the bear and the fox, the bear, and an eagle follow him home where they reveal themselves to be Norse gods, transformed and turned out of Asgard by the Frost Giants. How Odd drives the Frost Giant out of Asgard with scarcely more ammunition than his dazzling smile is the burden of this delightful, mythical tale. An accessible book for reluctant readers, Odd and the Frost Giants is distinguished as well

Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U. S. Marshal By Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie Carolrhoda, 2009. Unpaged. Juvenile nonfiction. Bass Reeves is somewhat the rage these days with Gary Paulsen's fictionalized account of his life and now with Vaunda Nelson's impressive picture book biography. Reeves, a runaway slave who became one of the premier lawmen of the Old West, made more than 3,000 arrests in his tenure serving Judge Isaac Parker, and (reluctantly) killed fourteen men in the line of duty. His honesty, fearlessness, and ingenuity served him well as he used ploys and disguises to get close to the criminals and then bring 'em in. Nelson's style is perfect for her subject: she uses old-timey frontier expressions to tell Bass's story, enriching and focusing the narrative, and allowing her young readers to figure out from context what is meant. Gregory Christie's bold and roughhewn illustratio

Bobby vs. Girls (accidentally) by Lisa Yee Jr. Fiction Boys and girls love stories where each gender is against the other. This story fits just into that category except for Billy never wanted to turn against his ex best friend, Holly. One summer after being away for vacation he discovers that Holly has become more and more like a girl. She is wearing dresses, acting like a girl, and instead of going to find rocks the day before school starts which is tradition, she chooses to go shopping. Life is also rough for Billy because he has a pet goldfish that he doesn’t want, his dad (who is an ex football player) just joined the PTA, and he is running for the class election against Holly. This is a fun book and one that anyone can relate to who has lost a friend to someone else for one reason or another.

Paris Pan Takes the Dare by Cynthea Liu Jr. Fiction Paris Pan is the new girl in school and she isn’t very excited about it. She moves to Nowheresville, Oklahoma, her school is tiny, and everyone who lives there has to play on the basketball team. Oh and did I mention that her family is a little crazy. Her dad travels to work and is gone for weeks at a time, her mom works like crazy and still calls Paris Baby, and sometimes her siblings are just plain mean to her. On the first day of school Paris is relieved to get a note from a girl named Mayo asking her if she would like to be friends. It is Mayo’s birthday and for it they are going to reenact the dare. Years ago a girl went into the woods for a dare and was never seen alive again. After years and years of searching for her, finally a few of her bones were found. What really happened to her was a mystery. Many thought that perhaps a serial killer was living in the woods and waiting to strike again, others thought maybe a wi

Road to Tater Hill by Edith M. Hemingway Jr. Fiction Annabel (also known as Annie) and her mother are staying with her grandparents while her dad is has to go to Japan for two months in the military. During that time, Annie’s sister Mary Kate dies a day after she is born. Annie’s mother goes into depression and her grandparents have to take care of her during this time. Annie is sad and confused feeling that she not only lost her baby sister but her mother too. She sees a lady one day in the woods that supposedly killed her husband. After seeing some local boys making fun of the woman one day, Annie befriends her which helps her take her mind off of her baby sister and mom. This is a beautiful story about loss, healing, love and friendship. I enjoyed every minute of the story.

The Day-Glo Brothers: the true story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors By Chris Barton; illustrated by Tony Persiani Charlesbridge, 2009. Unpaged. Juvenile nonfiction. How would you like to invent a whole new color? That's exactly what brothers Joe and Bob Switzer did, and not only one, but three. These colors were a whole new type known as day-glo, or flourescent, because they appeared to glow brightly in the daytime. Their invention not only brought them wealth but also served many useful purposes, even helping win a war! After reading this book, it's interesting to consider all our current uses of day-glo colors that have lasted through the years. I found the Switzer brothers' life and inventiveness very interesting and loved to see how their creativeness evolved in such a fulfilling manner. Persiani's retro cartoon style is fantastic in this book, and I loved how the illustrations ranged from black and white to spreads with full-on neon

Camille McPhee Fell Under the Bus by Kristen Tracy If Kristen Tracey wins this year’s Newbery I wouldn’t be disappointed at all. Camille McPhee is a regular girl who thinks life is unfair. She has severe hypoglycemia so wherever she goes she has to take a lunch box full of food and gets to eat whenever she wants to in school. One day something tragic happens and she slips on the ice and falls under the bus! She gets dirty, all her food flies out of her lunch box, she almost gets run over, and all the kids make fun of her. This is just one of the unfortunate things that happen in her life. Her dad leaves on an extended business trip after fighting with her mom, her mom in going through a midlife crisis, and her best friend has moved to Japan and hasn’t even written her yet. This book was funny and everyone can relate to Camille when she feels as if everything in her life is going wrong. I enjoyed every minute of it!

A Pearl Among Princes by Coleen Murtagh Paratore It seems like when young girls come into the library wanting princess books that they have read them all. This is why I was excited to find A Pearl Among Princes. It has what girls want: princes, princesses, love and a surprise ending. Pearl lives on the secret island Miramore. Not many people know about the island because it is where the Princes in Training (PIT) come to learn how to be princes. This means that all the girls that live on the island get to help the princes practice their good manners, dancing, courting and more. Also, there is a new law that princes don’t have to marry a real princess anymore. Pearl just really wants to get off the island and sees one of the princes as a way to do that. However, the biggest problem is that Pearl has loved a stable boy for almost her entire life. There are numerous princes that are vying for Pearl’s heart though. A great book for princess lovers!

The True Gift: A Christmas Story by Patricia MacLachlan New York: Atheneum, 2009. 81 pgs. Juvenile Fiction. The incomparable Patricia MacLachlan ( Sarah, Plain and Tall ) and the incomparable Brian Floca ( Moonshot, et. al.) have combined their talents in this quiet little story about a child's gift to a lonely animal. Lily and Liam spend the week before Christmas each year with their grandparents reading books, eating Grandma's pie, shopping for gifts, walking to the "lilac library," but this year something is different. White Cow stands alone and lonesome in the pasture and Liam can't rest until she has company for Christmas. At first Lily resists because she wants Christmas to just be happy like it always is and not worrisome, but in the end she helps Liam in his plan to find someone for White Cow, and the two children bless not only this friendly beast, but everyone else as well. Just lovely.

Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas Picture Book The dust bunnies are learning how to rhyme and get so caught up in what they are doing that they forget to pay attention to the dangers around them. This is a fun, basic book about rhyming with a cute story and fun illustrations that consist of bold, solid colors. The illustrations may even make you like the dust bunnies in you house a little more when you discover how cute they are! haha

The Super Hungry Dinosaur by Martin Waddell Illustrated by Leonie Lord Picture Book Who likes dinosaurs? I know most of the children who come into the library do! This means that they will love The Super Hungry Dinosaur by Martin Waddell. Hal was playing in the backyard one day with his dog Billy when the Super Hungry Dinosaur runs up to Billy. He wants to eat the boy, his parents and the dog! Billy takes charge of the situation though and ties up the dinosaur to try to teach him a lesson. This is a fun, humorous story that both boys and girls will love. The illustrations are enchanting as well!

What Bluebirds Do by Pamela F. Kirby Nonfiction What Bluebirds Do by Pamela F. Kirby is full of fantastic photographs and information. The text in the book is very basic and easy to understand. However, it is the photographs that take the cake in this nonfiction book. In one shot the photographer was able to capture a worm being shared between two birds. Another one of my favorites was of a baby bluebird squawking in his hands. The glossy finish of the pages really help to make the birds colors look beautiful and vibrant.

A Penguin Story By Antoinette Portis HarperCollins, 2009. Unpaged. Picture book. The author of "Not a Box" brings another simple picture book to the scene starring a curious penguin. Her world seems to be composed of only three colors, being blue, white, and black; however, she is certain there must be more colors somewhere! She finally finds something that is not white, not black, and not blue, but might there be even more colors to discover? This fun story's charm lies in its simplicity, both in text and illustrations. It captures a child's curiosity about the world and love of learning new things. I also love the roughly drawn style and basic shapes used for the illustrations--there is a charmingly retro feel, especially with the limited color palette. Don't miss this one! CW

Pigs Make Me Sneeze! By Mo Willems Hyperion Books for Children, 2009. 56 pgs. Children's easy reader. In yet another hit in the hilarious "Elephant and Piggie" series by Mo Willems, poor Gerald the Elephant just can't stop sneezing! He reaches the conclusion that he must be allergic to pigs, which absolutely breaks his heart as Piggie is his best friend--perhaps they will have to be separated forever! Read Pigs Make Me Sneeze to find out what happens to these silly friends! CW

Catfish Kate and the Sweet Swamp Band by Sarah Weeks illustrated by Elwood H. Smith Picture Book - 2009 I knew I liked it from the first page . . . "Catfish Kate made up a little tune. She hummed it and she strummed it underneath the moon." Full of wonderful rhythm and rhyme, my favorite, with full spread illustrations done in watercolor and ink, Catfish Kate is a story of loud music, quiet literacy, and a compromise between the two. Several different kinds of swamp animals make an appearance in Kate's story; a newt, a snake, a gator, a skeeter, a spider, a skink, and some skunks. A fun story and perfect read aloud. Unite or Die - How the Thirteen States Became a Nation by Jacqueline Jules illustrated by Jef Czekaj J Nonfiction (picture book) - 973.3 JUL 2009 Jules gives us a perfect example of good nonfiction writing for children. It's not an easy thing to do. Unite or Die tells the story of th

Sticky Burr: The Prickly Peril Sticky Burr Graphic Novel #2 by John Lechner Somerville, Mass. : Candlewick Press, 2009 Sticky, Mossy, Scurvy and Spiny are back in all their prickly burriness. Sticky thinks that just because burrs look sharp and disagreeable on the outside doesn't mean they have to act that way. He just wishes they could all get along for one day. That is why he is planning a Harvest Fair, complete with variety show. Scurvy and his silly sidekick Spiny decide they will put a stop to this ridiculous fair. They enlist the aid of the only burr to ever be banned by the community, Burweena! Check out this hilarious graphic novel to find out if their plan works or not! And if you haven't read the first one, Sticky Burr: Adventures in Burrwood Forest , grab that one too. These are great graphic novels for younger readers. The illustrations are engaging as are the characters. Who knew I would ever find a burr adorable?

Louise the Big Cheese by Elise Primavera ill. by Diane Goode unpaged picture book New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2009 Louise knows she is going to be on Broadway someday. Or maybe she will walk down the red carpet to recieve her Bosco, or is it Oscar? At any rate, she loves the limelight and is determined to make it big some day. For now she will settle for being Cinderella in her class play. Things get complicated when the audition doesn't go quite how she planned. Young girls will grab this book just because of the pink and sparkly cover. The illustrations are adorable without overtaking the story. Happily, there is a story, it isn't all fluff and shiny letters. Children will learn a valuable lesson about friendship and attitude from Louise.

Clover Twig and the Magical Cottage by Kaye Umansky ill. by Johanna Wright juvenile fantasy adventure 297 pages New York : Roaring Brook Press, 2009 Clever Twig is a clever and strong girl. When the village witch, Mrs. Eckles, advertises for a live-in housekeeper, Clover jumps at the chance to help her family (and have her own room). The cottage quickly comes together under Clover's capable hands. However, life is not meant to run smoothly for the little house. The evil Mesmeranza has a diabolical plan for the cottage which of course involves just the right outfit, a spectacular hairdo, and the perfect pair of red shoes! Wait, how could I forget cake?! A scrumptious cake with white icing and a big red cherry is crucial to Mesmeranza's evil doings. Can Clover protect her new home with the help of her clumsy friend Wilf and Mrs. Eckles' familiar, the mangy cat Neville? A fun adventure full of quirky characters made this a quick and enjoyable read. I don't usually like sil

Billy & Milly, Short & Silly by Eve B. Feldman Illustrated by Tuesday Mourning Picture Book This book shows how two or three rhyming words and some pictures can create a fun, entertaining story. Billy & Milly, Short & Silly is an excellent book to teach children about rhyming. It’s also a great book for a laugh. The illustrations are also fun and help the reader visualize how the rhymes fit together. A fantastic book!

Sylvie and the Songman by Tim Binding Random House, 2009. 340 pgs. Fiction. How do the Brits come up with these wonderful stories? And how could we live if we had to wait for the packet boats to deliver them to our shores? Sylvie and the Songman is the beautifully imaginative tale of a young girl who must battle a shadowy, powerful enemy who steals the songs of the animals to get power over them. Sylvie's father, a musician and inventor, one day gets his unusual array of instruments to such a perfect pitch that they deliver an earthshaking blast--the One Note, apparently, to which all harmonies must yield. The Songman wants those instruments and that note, so he can subsume and control all the harmonies of life. But Sylvie and her friend George, a kite maker, don't know this until they have been chased all over creation by the Woodpecker Man, as frightening a creature as one might hope ever to find in a children's book. With the Woodpecker Man and his terrible bird minions

The Giant-Slayer by Iain Lawrence Delacorte, 2009. 304 pgs. Juvenile Fiction Shy, lonely, motherless Laurie Valentine has no friends to speak of until Dickie Espinosa moves in down the street and the two become inseparable, floating twigs down the stream in Rotary Park, playing with the train set in Dickie's basement--inseparable, that is, until Dickie contracts polio and winds up in an iron lung in the hospital. Laurie's father, a fundraiser for the March of Dimes, knows all about polio, including that it would be entirely safe for Laurie to visit Dickie, but he tells her to stay away just to be sure. She goes anyway. Two other children share the respirator room with Dickie and at his request, she tells them all a story which includes gnomes, dragons, gryphons, Khan the Hunter, and most of all, Collosso the Giant and Jimmy, the tiny little boy destined to slay him. As the story progresses it becomes clear that the children on the polio ward are not only hearing the story b

What Do You Say, Dear? by Sesyle Joslin Illustrated by Maurice Sendak Non-fiction; 1958 Here is an old Caldecott Honor book worth checking out again. What Do You Say, Dear? is by Sesyle Joslin and was first published in 1958. The illustrator is Maurice Sendak and in this book the illustration style is very different from many of his other books. This is a delightful book about manners. It teaches manners in certain scenarios such as if you are a pirate, princess, bride, guest of the queen, and more. Children will learn the basics of manners, but this book will make them laugh and enjoy learning about manners. Even if you feel you don’t need to learn about manners, check this book out for a good laugh. My personal favorite scenario in the book includes the dragon, knight and princess. It’s an oldie but a goodie!

Truce by Jim Murphy Nonficiton; 2009 Truce by Jim Murphy is a fantastic book that shows how powerful the Christmas spirit can be. Truce is a nonfiction book about warfare in the trenches during World War I. Times were hard and men were not only dying from war wounds but also by disease. In fact, main military commanders knew that the key to winning the war would be to get the other sides morale down. The opposing side’s trenches were so close that the soldiers would sometimes talk and sing to one another. On Christmas day though a miracle happened and many (not all) of the trench locations called a truce to celebrate this wonderful holiday. When the military commanders heard about this they called for the truce to end immediately. Sadly the truce did end after Christmas, but some people believe that if the commanders wouldn’t have stopped the truce then war would have ended and thousands of lives could have been saved. This was a fantastic book full of amazing pictures of tr

Juvenile Fiction 2009 278 pages This one is on a lot of "Best of 2009" lists . . . and rightly so. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is the beautifully written fantasy story of Minli, a young Chinese girl, who is determined to change her poor family's fortune. It is a tale of faith, love, and the importance of remembering to be thankful. Interspersed within Minli's adventure are short stories that other people and creatures share with her in order to explain some of the things Minli experiences. In the author's note at the end, Lin says she incorporated other Chinese fairy tales and folktales into this story. The end product is a wonderful children's book with dragons, monkeys, a raining moon, and a fierce green tiger. I won't tell you any more. Get this book and read it. You'll be glad you did!

Juvenile Fiction 2009 240 pages A "must" for anyone who loves Children's Literature. Wild Things is about Zoe, an 11-year-old who has long since learned to fend for herself and in the process, never learned to trust anyone. It's easy to understand, Zoe's mother was a lazy-good-for-nothing who had boyfriends coming and going on a regular basis. After her mother dies, Zoe goes to live with her uncle Henry, brother to the father she never knew. Henry used to be a heart surgeon, a pretty good one, as Zoe learns, but now devotes all his time to metal sculpting. As Zoe tries to adjust to her new life (Henry says she must go to school, Zoe disagrees), she meets some of Henry's good friends, some people who aren't, and a black and white feral cat who helps lead her to an old cabin where Zoe makes an interesting discovery. Told in voices, first person by Zoe and third person from the cat's point of view, Wild Things is a well constructed story about the

Juvenile Fiction 2009 164 pages This book was on a few "Best Books" lists, I'm not sure why. I found it slow, never quite getting off the ground. The storyline? Well, there's a being, an angel, or so we're told, who speaks in pigeon english, who observes the "peoples" around her/him. That's about it. It takes place in the Swiss Alps. The angel comes to know Zola, an American who moves into the house by the angel's home tower. Let's see . . . what else? Not much. Skip this one, even though it made it to some "peoples" lists.

The Daring Miss Quimby by Suzanne George Whitaker ill. by Catherine Stock unpaged picture book biography New York : Holiday House, c2009 We've all heard lots about Amelia Earhart and her high-flying achievements. Did you know that Harriett Quimby was the first woman in the United States to earn her pilot's license? She quickly became a hit at the airshows touring the country. She had a special purple satin flight suit made so she would stand out even more. Her story is filled with amazing feats and pure determination to go after your heart's desire. Unfortunately, her dreams were tragically cut short, but her life inspired many females to follow in her footsteps. This picture book biography has a great feel to it, thanks to the beautiful pencil and watercolor illustrations.

Dogs Don't Brush Their Teeth! by Diane deGroat and Shelley Rotner unpaged picture book with fold-out pages New York : Orchard Books, 2009 Finally, an etiquette book for your canine pal! Essentially this is a wordless picture book. The only text is "Dogs Do" and "Dogs Don't". The book creators combined photography with digital art to illustrate some pretty hilarious situations. Dogs Don't Brush Their Teeth provides a great opportunity for young children to "tell" the story in their own words as they describe what is happening on each page. My three-year-old son couldn't stop laughing as he read this book over and over and over again. In fact, I had to sneak it out of the house to return it to the library!