Skip to main content

January Guys Read/Girls Read

Did you know that we have two parent/child book clubs every month at the Provo Library?  They are for children 9-12 and a parent and they meet the fourth Tuesday (girls) and Thursday (guys) of each month during the school year. Families can preregister under the Kids Corner/Program Registration tab on the library website. This month we have two great books that we will be discussing.

Guys
The Westing Game
By Ellen Raskin
Dutton, 1978. Newbery. 185 p.
Millionaire Sam Westing has named 16 potential heirs in his will.  When he dies of foul play the heirs are put into teams, and whichever team can figure out how he died will win the inheritance money.  Young and old, male and female, the heirs work together and against each other to figure out "who dun it."  This is one of the all time favorite Newbery winners.  It is a fast paced and complex story with a whole host of interesting characters.  So grab your magnifying glass and get ready for a wild ride.


Girls
Gustav Gloom and the People Taker
by Adam Troy Castro
Grosset and Dunlap, 2012. Fiction. 226 p.
Fernie's father is a safety inspector and is careful about everything.  Fernie and her sister are just the opposite.  They crave action, adventure and danger.  When they move into their new home in a quiet suburban neighborhood they are thrilled to find out that just across the street is what appears to be a bonafide haunted house.  Its one (living) inhabitant is a boy who looks so sad Fernie can not help but want to meet him.  She gets her chance one night when her cat runs away and she enters the "haunted" house in search for it.  More awaits her there than she could have expected and soon she begins to regret her adventurous nature. This book is two-parts scary and one-part giggles.  Readers will like Fernie's open heart and plucky personality.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Faker

Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...

Review: Fresh Start

Fresh Start By Gale Galligan New York: Graphix, 2025. Graphic novel. 270 pages. Ollie Herisson is only in 7th grade, but she has already lived all over the world. Her father is an American diplomat, whose job has taken their family to France, Singapore, Thailand (where her mom is from), and now to Chestnut Falls, Virginia. Ollie loves that her family doesn't stay in one place very long, it allows her to have a fresh start and hide from any embarrassing moments each time they move. But Ollie's parents have big news -- they've decided to buy a house in Virginia and put down roots. Now, Ollie and her younger sister Cat have to figure out how to build lasting friendships which means resolving conflict rather than running away when things get hard.  Loosely based on the author's own childhood experiences, this graphic novel is sure to be popular with readers who like coming of age stories. Watching Ollie learn to think of others as she advocates for her sister Cat, and navig...

Review: Will's Race for Home

  Willl's Race for Home  By Jewell Parker Rhodes Little Brown & Company, 2025. Fiction. 256 pages.    Will is a young man whose father and family are working the land as sharecroppers in Texas. When Will's father comes home with the news that there is land available in Oklahoma to those who can stake and settle it, Will's father expresses his deep desire to go and claim land for their family. Will begs to be included, but his mother is reluctant to let him go. After input from the entire family, they decide that Will is ready for the responsibility. Along the way Will and his father develop a deeper appreciation for each other, form deep friendship, discover hidden enemies, and encounter many challenges which force them to make difficult decisions. Will's father has to rely heavily on him, especially as they get closer to their final destination. Will's bravery is inspiring and commendable.  This book is full of many amazing elements: suspense, adventure, fr...