Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Fish by Gregory Mone juvenile historical fiction 241 pages New York : Scholastic Press, 2010 Maurice is the fifth child and youngest son born to the Reidy family on a small farm in Ireland. It becomes evident quite early that he isn't cut out for farm work. He is a good, peace-loving boy who accidentally discovers he has an amazing affinity for water and he swims every chance he gets. This earns him the nickname of Fish, which will serve him well in years to come. When he is about twelve years old the family horse dies which means they have no way to work their entire farm. Fish, as the least helpful on the farm, is chosen to go to the city and work for an uncle so he can send money back home. Fish quickly adapts to city life and loves his job as messenger boy for his uncle. Then one of his assignments goes terribly wrong and he unwillingly gets caught up in the world of pirates and treasure hunters. Throughout everything Fish remains an absolute hero, never wavering from his sense

Doodlebug: A Novel in Doodles by Karen Romano Young juvenile realistic fiction (unpaged) New York : Feiwel and Friends, 2010 Middle-schooler Dooreen (Dodo) Bussey has had a few problems at school. So you think she would be excited about moving to a new city and starting fresh at a new school. Not so, she is still quite nervous about relocating from LA to San Francisco. On the drive there she discovers doodling and even decides to call herself "The Doodlebug". Filling her blank sketchbook with doodles of the move and her new life proves an excellent outlet for her ADD. Unfortunately, not all of her new teachers find it acceptable. Dodo and her sister Momo both face challenges at their new school and they each have unique ways of coping. Reading Doodlebug is a bit tedious at times as the writing is sometimes cramped and chaotic, causing the flow of the story to not always be clear. However, for fans of illustrated diary-type books, this is a decent one that has a real

The Missing Golden Ticket and other Splendiferous Secrets Roald Dahl ill. by Quentin Blake juvenile biography 117 pages New York : Puffin Books, 2010 Whether or not you are an avid Roald Dahl fan or just a casual reader, this fun-filled book will truly delight your senses. The chapters alternate Dahl's wisdom and insights from each and every month of the year with fun facts, recipes, quizzes and other delectable bonuses. There is much background information revealed about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , including an entertaining missing chapter. As always Quentin Blake's fabulous black and white illustrations bring Dahl's words to life!

Little Kids First Big Book of Animals by Catherine D. Hughes National Geographic, 2010. 128 pages. Nonfiction. Kids of all ages (and adults) will enjoy the colorful photos and fascinating facts about the various animals in this big book. The chapters are divided by habitat: grassland, forest, desert, ocean, and polar. The text is simple, but full of interesting information, and is written in such a way that you can read as much or as little as your child is ready for. There are sidebars for each animal that list the vital statistics, such as size, home, sounds, etc., and even these are written in a very accessible way. For example, the size of a koala is "about the size of a one-year-old child", and a green sea turtle is "a little longer than a baby's crib." The photos are large, clear, and add to the text--it is worth getting the book just to see the adorable baby otter that has been wrapped up in seaweed to keep it from floating off while its mother is ou

The Dead Boys By Royce Buckingham G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2010. 208 pages. Fiction. Well written, creepy, suspenseful book about a 12 year old kid named Teddy, who moves with his mother to a small town in Washington. Teddy senses that there is something strange about the huge sycamore tree growing next door in the yard of an abandoned house. Things get even stranger when the boys Teddy meets keep disappearing, and the town itself starts shifting backward and then forward in time and no one seems to notice. It turns out that years ago, radioactive waste from the nuclear power plant nearby was dumped in the river that nourished the sycamore tree. The tree now feeds on boys, not killing them, but keeping them trapped in a type of limbo. The sycamore now intends to make Teddy its next victim. Can he save himself? And what about the poor boys already ensnared? Warning: This book is not for the faint in heart--it is fairly macabre and tense.

Heads by Matthew Van Fleet Simon & Schuster, 2010. Unpaged. Board Book This darling interactive book will be the new favorite for any toddlers in your family. Through the combined use of touch and feel elements and pull tabs that animate the animals that star in this book, children will learn all about heads and how they work. Little ones will squeal with delight as they watch what happens when the elephant sneezes, when the chameleon catches the fly, or as they feel the icky sticky tongue of the anteater with their fingers. If you are anything like me, you just might find you like this book so much it will quickly be added to your wish list for Christmas this year.

The Limit by Kristen Landon Aladdin, 2010. 291 pgs. Fiction Matt lives in a world where money has been done away with and only lines of credit are used instead. When Matt’s family goes over their limit, the government immediately sweeps in and takes him away to a workhouse facility, where he is required to help work off his family’s debts. But this workhouse is nothing like what Matt imagined. His genius with mathematics gets him placed on the top floor of the facility with the other smart kids, a ritzy place which has everything his heart could desire—or does it? It isn’t long before Matt realizes not everything is as it seems on the surface in this facility and he is determined to find out what is really going on behind the scenes where no one sees. Too bad it just might get him killed. Fast-paced and full of edge-of-your-seat adventure, this book is a good one for that hard to please dystopian, mystery lover in your family!

The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud Hyperion, 2010. 398 pgs. Fiction When the Bartimaeus trilogy ended with Ptolemy's Gate , didn't we think we would not see Bartimaeus again? We did. Thankfully, we were wrong. Set before the time (a meaningless construct to Bartimaeus) of the London trilogy, The Ring of Solomon finds the smart-mouth demon serving in the court of King Solomon where he is kicked off the temple-building project for sassing back while wearing the form of a hippopotamus in a skirt. Relegated to bandit-patrol in the desert he and a fellow-demon wipe out the robbers who have destroyed a caravan, but find a survivor whom the reader already knows as Asmira, sent by the Queen of Sheba to kill Solomon and steal his ring of power. But Bartimaeus thinks he might be able to be released to the Other Place if Asmira puts in a word for him with the creepy Khaba and his horrifying living shadow. Without revealing overmuch of a truly tempestuous plot, suffice it to say that

The Village Garage by G. Brian Karas Henry Holt, 2010. Unpaged. Picture Book. Chosen by the New York Times as one of the best picture books of 2010, The Village Garage tells the story of the workers at the local garage who clean up trash and green waste, repair the bridge and the phone lines when a big storm blows through, and plow the roads in a snowstorm. A particular delight for young boys, The Village Garage is also home to all manner of machinery: a wood chipper, a steamroller, chainsaws, picks and shovels, and a front loader. Beginning in Spring and cycling through the seasons to spring cleaning again, The Village Garage is a worthy successor to Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel or Katy and the Big Snow.

The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus, Book 1) by Rick Riordan Hyperion, 2010. 553 pgs. Fiction. I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the first book in Rick Riordan's new Heroes of Olympus series is a crackling good read, Riordan once again employing his breakneck/wisecracking mythological adventure formula to splendid effect. The bad news is that the next volume, The Son of Neptune , will not come out until Fall of 2011. Until then we will be left to wonder what will become of young Jason, a Roman hero with amnesia, who finds himself at Camp Half-Blood after a terrifying fight with storm spirits over the Grand Canyon. With him are two friends whom he doesn't remember: Piper, daughter of Aphrodite and my personal favorite, Leo, son of Hephaestus who can generate fire with his hands and can fix or fabricate anything with the help of us trusty magic tool belt, including Fetus, the mechanical dragon. Without revealing too much I can tell you that the three friends le

The Really Big Book of Amazing Things to Make & Do By Lucy Painter Southwater, 2008. 256 pages. Nonfiction. This book might be just what is needed for cold winter days when the kids (and adults) are stuck indoors complaining of "nothing to do." Inside, there are over 100 projects and ideas, each carefully explained with step by step instructions accompanied by colorful photographs. Not only are there chapters on more traditional crafts such as mask making, modeling with clay, and decorating T-shirts, but there are also sections on more unusual projects like body and face painting, making balloon sculptures, juggling, and magic tricks, to name a few. One of my favorites showed how to paint your hand to look like an octopus, using your fingers as the tentacles. There are many ideas that would make any birthday party a hit, and the Fabulous Hairstyles section could keep a group of girls happy for quite a while. The projects in this book are definitely geared towards 8

Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon Candlewick, 2010. 170 pgs. Fiction. Zora and Me is a sparkling entry in the genre of children's books written about children but not particularly for them. The title character is Zora Neale Hurston, famed American folklorist and novelist and the first-person narrator is her fictional friend Carrie. The story takes places in a small Florida town at the turn of the last century. Zora and Carrie are playing in the dirt, pretending not to be listening to the menfolks' stories as they sit on the porch of the General Store. Along comes Sonny Wrapped offering to rassle a 'gator, and the girls follow along to see Sonny dragged under the water and killed before the horrified onlookers can jump in and pull him away from Ghost, the 'gator. From this violent beginning Zora spins a tale about an alligator man who morphs into a beast to take his victims. The Gator Man legend grows when a transient musician's headless body is found n

On the Blue Comet by Rosemary Wells Candlewick, 2010. 329 pgs. Fiction. Oscar's mother is killed in a freak lightning accident, leaving him behind to live with his dad. The two have a tight father-son relationship and share a love of Lionel model trains. But when the Great Depression hits, Oscar's dad must travel to California to find work and their home and beloved train set are sold. Oscar is horrified when he is sent to live with his strict Aunt Carmen. It seems almost unbearable until he makes friends with Mr. Applegate, an intelligent transient looking for work. When Mr. Applegate finally lands a job, it's as the night watchmen guarding a local bank. Oscar visits Mr. Applegate at the bank one particular evening and he ends up witnessing a bank robbery. Subsequent events catapult Oscar into taking a time travel trip into the future. Will he ever be reunited with his dad? Batoulline's illustrations provide visual clues to things that are not included in the text. A

Ancient, Strange, and Lovely By Susan Fletcher Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2010. 315 pp. Juvenile fiction. In this modern day continuation of Susan Fletcher's Dragon Chronicle series, Bryn and her young sister, Piper, carry on the traditional talent of kenning, or communicating mentally with birds. Her mother has disappeared without a word while carrying on scientific research in Alaska, and now the girls' father has also left to join in the search. Left alone with their aunt as temporary guardian, Bryn discovers a strange egg with some of her mother's research items. When the egg hatches suddenly, Bryn's life is changed forever as she struggles to care for and protect a baby dragon from the dangers of her world and those who would harm the creature. I read and loved all the previous books in this series growing up, and it was a delight to read a new installment! I enjoyed the mix of modern and ancient and also liked the references to my home, Alaska. Somet

Rules By Cynthia Lord Scholastic Press, 2006. 200 pages. Twelve-year-old Catherine has a younger brother named David, who is autistic. Because she is often embarrassed by him, she makes him lists of rules on how to act in public, such as "A boy takes off his shirt to swim, but not his shorts." While accompanying David to his occupational therapy classes, Catherine befriends a paralyzed boy named Jason. Jason is unable to speak, so he carries around a scrapbook of words that he can point to when trying to communicate. Catherine helps him by illustrating new, descriptive cards for him such as "Stinks a big one!" and "Whatever." She helps Jason to become expressive and more like any other teenager. Although Catherine is often angry and frustrated by her autistic brother, her friendship with Jason teaches her about tolerance and acceptance. Cynthia Lord does a beautiful job of showing the humor and heartache of being a twelve year old girl, especially one

Scaredy Squirrel By Melanie Watt Tonawanda, NY : Kids Can Press, c2006. Unpaged. Picture book. The Scaredy Squirrel books are some of my favorite picture books. Each one has a cautionary introduction. This one reads, "Warning: Scaredy Squirrel insists that everyone was their hands with antibacterial soap before reading this book." Scaredy gives us a list of things he is afraid of, a rundown of the advantages and disadvantages of leaving his nut tree, and his plan for an emergency escape if needed. Scaredy makes some drastic changes after facing an actual emergency (an encroaching bee) and decided to start living his life less cautiously. His "new-and-improved daily routine" only slightly differs from his old routine, but includes a "jump into the unknown" @ 9:37am. This picture book is fun and will make you giggle. It is a great book to read aloud, and the illustrations are simple and silly to match the text. Overall, Scaredy is very lovable, and t

Insects and Spiders by Noel Tait Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2008. 64 pages. Nonfiction. Did you know that bees and silkworms are the only insects that have been domesticated by humans, or that, when threatened, a bombardier beetle can release with deadly accuracy a spray of boiling hot, noxious fluid and gas from its abdomen? Have you ever heard of a bird dung spider, that mimics its namesake and has a bad smell which helps camouflage it from predators? Insects and Spiders, by Noel Tait, is full of interesting tidbits of information accompanied by colorful, large, and lifelike illustrations. (Warning: If you are an arachniphobe like me, getting through the spider section will be difficult!) Tate doesn't try to cover everything, but instead presents clear and concise facts in an accessible and appealing format for all ages.

The Legend of the Golden Snail Graeme Base Abrams Book for Young Readers, 2010. Unpaged. Picture book. Wilbur's favorite story is about an amazing Golden Snail that can magically transform into a magnificent golden snailing vessel to travel through its realms...that is, until the Grand Enchanter captures it and puts it under a spell, forcing the snail to do his will. When the Grand Enchanter grows tired of sailing on the Golden Snail, he banishes the snail to the Ends of the Earth, where it waits for another Grand Sorcerer to claim it. Wilbur always has his mother read this last part twice. He decides to sail to the Ends of the Earth, and dreams of becoming the Grand Enchanter. The kind-hearted Wilbur has many adventures as he travels around Butterfly Island, and through the Maze of Madness and other perils. He also discovers that kindness pays off. When he reaches the Ends of the Earth and finds the Golden Snail, Wilbur decides that maybe being a Grand Enchanter is not all i

Rain School by James Rumford Houghton Mifflin, 2010. Unpaged. Picture Book. Another lovely, evocative picture book in James Rumford's canon of books about Middle Eastern and African lands and peoples, in this case, Chad. Thomas is surprised when he arrives at the schoolyard to find no school there. "It doesn't matter. There is a teacher. 'We will build our school,' she says. 'This is our first lesson.'" After the children build their school with a wooden frame, adobes, and thatch, they begin to learn letters, geography, math, and science. When the school year ends the rainy season comes and the school is washed away. Next year Thomas will help the younger children build a new school and all will begin their book-learning again. Rumford's simple story and beautiful, warm illustrations convey not only the love of the children and their teacher for each other, but for learning.

My Havana: Memories of a Cuban Boyhood by Rosemary Wells with Secundino Fernandez Candlewick, 2010. 65 pages. Fiction. Rosemary Wells' latest sits uneasily between fiction and non-fiction. With architect Secundino Fernandez' help, she retells his story of growing up in Cuba, having to move to Spain temporarily, and then having to leave Cuba permanently when Fidel Castro came to power. Because she writes in first person, the book is categorized as fiction, though it is no doubt authentic. Whatever it is, it is good. Dino loves the warmth and light and heart of his native land, and spends so many hours sketching Havana's buildings that his best friend thinks he will grow up to be "a fussy old professor with white hair growing out of [his] nose." Wells' descriptions of Cuba are evocative and lovely, and make Dino's relocation to cold, gray New York hard to bear. But when Dino goes to Coney Island in a New York springtime, and rides the Ferris wheel high en