April 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 April 23 (girls) and April 25 (guys). These will be the last book club events until fall, so be sure to preregister under the Kids Corner/Program Registration tab on the library website. We have two great books to discuss this month:

Girls Read

Beauty

by Robin McKinley

Harper & Row, 1978. Fiction. 247 p.

Beauty is a retelling of the classic story of Beauty and the beast. In this version, kind Beauty (who does not think she is actually beautiful compared to her sisters) leaves her family behind when her father returns home with a stolen rose and a threat from the Beast who he stole from - his life in exchange for the rose. Beauty, determined to be brave and save her father's life, chooses to live in the enchanted castle and hopefully tame the Beast. This is a fairy tale retelling so beloved and so classic that it is almost canon in its own right. The fairy tale is mostly represented accurately, but the characters come to life in such unique new ways - this is a romance for the ages.

Guys Read

Last Day on Mars

By Kevin Emerson

Walden Pond Press. 2017. Fiction. 325 p.

Liam has spent his entire life on the planet Mars. It is Earth year 2213 and the Sun has began to go supernova, sending Earth's population to Mars in retreat while they build the necessary spaceships to travel to a planet many light years away. With less than 24 hours until Mars will meet the same end as Earth, Liam and his sister Phoebe are the last kids on the planet as their parents put the finishing touches on one last project. As they are saying goodbye to their home, Phoebe and Liam make a surprising discovery - unbeknownst to humans, there is extraterrestrial life after all.

Comments

Review: Fowl Play

Fowl Play By Kristin O'Donnell Tubb New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2024. Fiction 277 pages. Still reeling from her beloved uncle's death, Chloe Alvarez is comforted and confused when at his last will and testament reading, Uncle Will gifts her his African Grey parrot, Charlie. Charlie has a robust vocabulary and loves to make Alexa requests for her favorite songs, but when she starts saying things like, "homicide," and "cyanide," Chloe becomes convinced that Uncle Will may have met his demise by murder instead of a genetic disease, as was previously thought. Ultimately, bringing in her brother, Grammy, and Uncle Frank (and of course Charlie,) Chloe's ragtag and adoring family support her search for answers ---going on stakeouts, engaging in fast pursuits, and searching for clues. But as the suspects stack up and the mystery grows, Chole will learn that the process of death and grieving is complicated, and in the end her Uncle Will's words that, ...

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages. Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

Review: A Game of Noctis

A Game of Noctis By Deva Fagan New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2024. Fiction. 310 pages. On the island of Dantessa, social standings and wealth are determined by your place in the Great Game. If you keep on winning, you can reap treasures, power, and security for yourself and your family; but if you lose too many games, you'll be exiled to Pawn Island and a life of servitude. That's what happens to 12-year-old Pia's grandfather. Due to poor vision, he struggles to see the games, but also can't afford new eyeglasses without winning. When his score falls to zero, he is sent away. Desperate to bring him back, Pia joins a ragtag group of misfits to form a team for the annual game of Noctis. The game requires contestants to perform dangerous challenges in front of a live audience, and no one outside the wealthy Diamond District has ever won. Each member of Pia's team, the Seafoxes, has their own reason to compete, but if they're going to win they'll h...

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