April Girls Read and Guys Read

Each month we have two book clubs for kids at the Provo City Library! These book clubs are especially designed for kids ages 9-12 and a caregiver. This month, our Girls Read book club will meet April 26 and our Guys Read book club will meet April 28. You can preregister for these programs on the library calendar online, beginning the first of the month!

Girls

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

By Jeanne Birdsall

New York: Knopf, 2005. Fiction.

The Penderwick sisters, Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty, are set to spend their summer holiday in the Berkshires. Accompanied by their family dog, Hound, and their loving but absent-minded father, the girls embark on a summer adventure at Arundel - the estate of the snobby Mrs. Lifton. After a rocky start, the Penderwick sisters befriend Jeffrey, the son of Mrs. Lifton, and involve him in their antics around the posh mansion -- including lots of trips into Mrs. Lifton's prize garden. These book reads like classic literature and is the perfect book to prepare for summer adventures.

Guys

One Dead Spy: The Life, Times, and Last Words of Nathan Hale, America's Most Famous Spy

By Nathan Hale

New York: Amulet Books, 2012. Graphic novel.

Revolutionary War hero Nathan Hale is about to be hanged when he utters his famous last words -- words so famous that they earn him a spot in the Big Book of American History. As he awaits his fate on the gallows, he stalls his execution by recounting his adventures to his hangman and a British soldier. The graphic novel follows the famous events of the Revolutionary War and displays the author's impressive amount of research. But these graphic novels especially excel because they are so engaging. Action packed and light in tone, this series is popular with young readers for good reason!

Comments

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.

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...

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