November 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 November 18 (guys) and November 23 (girls). Preregister under the Kids Corner/Program Registration tab on the library website. We have two great books to discuss this month:

Girls

Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster

By Jonathan Auxier

New York: Amulet, 2018. Historical fantasy.

Nan Sparrow is a ten-year-old orphan girl who spends her days working as a chimney sweep. Because she is small and quick, she is one of the best "climbing boys" in all of London. One day, when climbing up a flue, she gets stuck and is certain she is going to die when another climbing boy starts a fire in the fireplace. Instead, the mysterious lump of coal she carries in her pocket is brought to life by the burning fire. Her lucky "char" becomes a golem named Charlie and the two misfits become responsible for one another. This is a historical fantasy novel about adventure, friendship, and discovery told in lovely classic-feeling writing. This award-winning novel is a favorite of several Provo City Librarians.

Guys

Brave Like That

By Lindsey Stoddard

New York: Harper, 2020. Realistic fiction.

Cyrus' adoptive father is a hero -- a real one. He fights fires for the city of Northfield and was once a football superstar. Cyrus isn't sure he will ever be brave like his dad -- he hates football and would rather listen to old records with his Grandma than get on the field. When a puppy is left outside the firehouse door, just like Cyrus was 11 years previous, he steals Cyrus' heart. The dog inspires Cyrus to be brave enough to stand up to his dad's no-dogs policy and maybe, just maybe, tell his dad the truth about how he feels about football as well. This book will appeal to athletes and non-athletes alike. Young readers will celebrate seeing Cyrus find his own voice and stand up for others at school.

Comments

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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