February Girls Read/Guys Read

Did you know that we have two parent/child book clubs every month at the Provo City Library? They are for children ages 9-12 and a caregiver. This month, they will meet February 26 (girls) and February 28 (guys). Preregister is available under the Kids Corner/Program Registration tab on the library website. We have two great books to discuss this month:

Girls

A Long Way From Chicago

By Richard Peck

Dial Books for Young Readers, 1998. Fiction.

During the Great Depression, Joey and his younger sister Mary Alice take a yearly trip from their home in Chicago to visit their odd Grandma Dowdel and her sleepy small town. The quickly learn that Grandma's life is not so quite after all, and it certainly isn't boring. This episodic novel is told through surprising and hilarious stories that bring one of the greatest characters of children's literature (Grandma Dowdel) to life. This book was the only book selected to receive a Newbery Honor in 1998, meaning it basically came second only to...

Guys

Holes

By Louis Sachar

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998. Fiction

This perennial favorite novel won the Newbery Award in 1998 and has remained remarkably popular since. This is the story of Stanley Yelnats, whose whole family has had bad luck his whole life ever since his family was cursed because of his "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather." Stanley's luck officially runs out when he is sent to a boy's correction camp called Camp Green Lake where there is no lake and the boys are made to dig holes in the desert all day. But as he digs, Stanley discovers more than he bargained for in the hands of a missing buried treasure, an old legend, and his first real friend.

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Five Faves: Mysterious High-Low Intermediate Books

Intermediate Mystery books are a gold mine. High-low books refer to titles that are of high interest to readers, but contain low level vocabulary. These titles are clever, action-packed, and have several books in the series to keep the mystery alive. These intermediate mystery books are the first in their series and are sure to appease any mystery loving reader. The Ghost Tree Written by Natasha Deen Illustrated by Lissy Marlin New York: Random House Children's Books, 2022. Intermediate. 95 pages. With a dash of paranormal mixed with mystery, this book introduces Asim, a Guyanese American fourth grader who moves to a new town. After a visit to a graveyard, an evil spirit is unleashed. Asim works with new friends, Rokshar and Max, to save their town. With scarily cool illustrations to accompany this text, this book is great for any amateur sleuths who love a touch of creepy. Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash Written by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver Illustrated by Dan San

Display: Dino-mite Reads

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs By Mo Willems New York: Balzar + Bray, 2012. Picture Book. "Once upon a time, there were three hungry Dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur . . . and a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway. One day--for no particular reason--they decided to tidy up their house, make the beds, and prepare pudding of varying temperatures. And then--for no particular reason--they decided to go . . . someplace else. They were definitely not setting a trap for some succulent, unsupervised little girl. Definitely not!" --Editor Smart Vs. Strong! Written by Jill Esbaum Illustrated by Miles Thompson New York: Simon Spotlight, 2021. Easy Reader. 64 pages. "When Thunder gets stuck in quicksand, Cluck uses his smarts to free his friend." --Editor How Dinosaurs Went Extinct Written by Ame Dyckman Illustrated by Jennifer Harney New York: Brown and Company, 2023. Picture Book. "When a child in a museum asks how dinosaurs became extinct, Dad co

Review: The Enigma Girls

The Enigma Girls By Candace Fleming New York: Scholastic Focus, 2024. Informational. 371 pages. If you have an interest in little known aspects of history or in World War II in particular, this book is for you. The Enigma Girls tells the story of 10 young women who worked at Station X at Bletchley Park in England helping to break ciphers during World War II. Each of the girls grew up in different circumstances, and thus, each worked at in a different part of Station X cracking codes. The reader learns about how Station X worked through the stories of each of the girls. Whether it was transcribing the Morse code messages that the Germans were sending to their armies or decoding, translating, or paraphrasing messages, each girl had a part to play. The stories of the girls are intermixed with plenty of photographs as well as special chapters about how to decode various types of ciphers. Learning about Station X through the eyes of the girls that worked there helps the reader gain a huma

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