April Girls Read and Guys Read

Every month we have two book clubs for kids here at the Provo City Library! These book clubs are just for kids ages 9-12 and a caregiver. This month, our Girls Read book club will meet April 23 and our Guys Read book club will meet April 25. You can register now, using the library's online calendar.

Girls Read is reading

A Tale of Two Castles

By Gail Carson Levine

New York: HarperCollins, 2011. Fiction. 328 pages.

12-year-old Elodie longs to become an actor, and so she leaves her family farm for the capitol city of Two Castles where she hopes to come an apprentice. Unfortunately, she has no money, and so instead she finds an apprenticeship with a dragon named Meenore who teachers her to solve mysteries using deduction and reason. Her first case (to save an ogre named Count Jonty Um) sets her up for continuing success solving the various intrigues at court. Of course, as political intrigue sends the court into chaos, Elodie finds herself in a situation where she needs to discover what is happening or face execution. A remarkably unpredictable novel, this story is a fairy tale grounded in a gritty medieval world, and filled with mystery, humor, and wit.

Guys Read is reading

The Star Shepherd

By Dan Haring and MarcyKate Connolly

Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Young Readers, 2019. Fiction. 303 pages.

On the outskirts of the city of Drenn, Kyro helps his father in his work as a Star Shepherd. Together, they watch the sky all night looking for falling stars. When one falls, Kyro and Tirin hurry to re-launch the star back to the sky before dawn. In his world, stars hang from hooks in the sky where they protect the people from monsters who love the dark. It's been centuries since creatures have been seen in Drenn and so people don't believe the old stories anymore. Then stars start falling in big clusters - even during the daytime - prompting Kyro's father to leave to warn the Council, and he doesn't return. Now, Kyro, is left to protect civilization from impending chaos. This is a stand-alone fantasy with steampunk elements and illustrations, it is especially good for younger kids or readers who are needing an introduction into epic fantasy.

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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

Review: The Hidden Dragon

The Hidden Dragon By Melissa Marr New York: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2023. Fiction. 161 pages. Three children, Otter, London, and Sophia, live in a fantasy world with dragons. Otter (short for Ottilie) is the daughter of a ship captain, and she loves the sea and its dragons. London is a stowaway boy, searching for a new life full of adventure. Sophia lives in a thief house with other children, all dedicated to helping each other and trying to make the kingdom better. As trouble begins to brew both on land and at sea, these three heroes realize that maybe it's up to the kids to make things right. Readers experience the book from multiple perspectives, and with a bit of mystery and adventure, this is an amazing fantasy read. With the inspiring message that children truly can make a difference, readers will enjoy how each character fights for what's right, even when it's inconvenient. The ending is resolved a little quickly, but this is a great read for all "hatchlings."

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