Provo Library Children's Book Blog

The Bigfoot Files By Lindsay Eagar Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2018. Fiction. 371 pages. Twelve-year old Miranda Cho used to believe in it all, used to love poring over every strange footprint, every stray hair, everything that proved the world was full of wonders. But that was before her mother's obsession with monsters cost Miranda her friends and her perfect school record, before Miranda found the stack of unopened bills and notices of foreclosure in the silverware drawer. Now the fact that her mom's a cryptozoologist doesn't seem wonderful. It's embarrassing and irresponsible, and it cost them everything. So Miranda agrees to go one last creature hunt, determined to use all her scientific know-how to prove to her mother, once and for all, that Bigfoot isn't real. Then her mom will have no choice but to grow up and get a real job - one that will pay the mortgage and allow Miranda to attend the leadership camp of her dreams. But when the trip goes horribly a...

Stories in the Park Lou By Breanna Carzoo New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2022. Picture Book.  Meet Lou. Lou has an important job... as the neighborhood toilet for dogs on their walks. Useful as he may be, he gets the feeling that deep down inside, there might be more to him than that. He just doesn't seem to know exactly what yet. When disaster strikes, will Lou find out what he's made of and save the day? --Publisher Stories in the Park A Little Bit Brave By Nicola Kinnear New York: Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2020. Picture Book.  Logan has always been a stay-at-home bunny, too scared to join his best friend Luna in her adventures; but one day after she has stormed out he works up the courage to follow her--and when he finds that she is in trouble he even has the courage to save her. --Editor Canopy Capers and Summer Story Time Molly's Moon Mission By Duncan Beedie Somerville, MA: Templar Books, an imprint of Candlewick Press, 20...

  The Secret Library By Kekla Magoon  Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2024. 373 pages.  Dally finds a mysterious letter from her grandfather who just passed away. The letter sends her to a library that is full of secrets with books that she can check out and read —if reading was holding a book that is a portal that transports Dally back in time so that she can see the secret play out in real life. Secrets about her past, her family’s past, or secrets from other families. Basically, the Secret Library is a place full of adventure where she must learn and survive each family secret. However, all secrets come with a price, and there is one price that the Secret Library wants Dally to pay that she isn’t sure she wants to pay.  Readers who love all the various types of genres mashed up together will enjoy this particular novel. It has adventure, fantasy, historical fiction, and realistic fiction —just to name a few. A lot is going on, and yet Dally and the various famil...

Looking for a new read? We’ve got you covered! Check out one of our Book Boxes, just for kids ages 9-12. Each Book Box contains a book to check out, as well as envelopes filled with fun surprises that you can open as you read along. Supplies are limited and pre-registration is required. You can register for July Book Boxes beginning June 24th and pick them up at the Children's Reference Desk, Monday through Saturday during regular library hours beginning July 1st. Each child can only check out one book each month, so check out these book descriptions to decide which book you want! The Girl Who Drank the Moon By Kelly Barnhill Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Young Readers, 2016. Fiction. 388 pages. In this Newbery award-winning book, Luna was sacrificed as a baby as part of a yearly ritual to the forest witch.  Luckily for Luna, Xan the witch is kind-hearted and finds homes for each of the children that the villagers sacrifice. After Luna accidentally gets "enmagicked" with moo...

  Isabel in Bloom By Mae Respicio New York: Wendy Lamb Books, 2024. Fiction. 363 pages. Twelve-year-old Isabel is facing a lot of new challenges. Raised for the last five years by her beloved grandparents in the Philippines, Isabel is now moving to rejoin her mother in San Francisco. She is nervous about what this move will mean, especially assimilating into a new country and rebuilding her relationship with her mother. However, her Lolo has advised her to keep looking for the familiar in all of the the newness, and Isabel strives to do just that -- pulling on her deep connection to her Filipino heritage through her family's love of plants. As she joins her new school's culinary club, makes friends, and gains purpose rebuilding the school's community garden, Isabel finds she truly can bloom.  A heartfelt tale of the unique challenges inherent to immigration, as well as the pressures related to adolescence, Isabel in Bloom is a story that will resonate with anyone who has w...

 Books about friendship are fun to read and they teach important skills like being kind, showing respect, and having empathy for others. Being a good friend and having a good friend is priceless. If you like books about friends and friendships, here is a list of books for you to read. Little Ghost Makes a Friend By Maggie Edkins Willis New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024. Picture Book. A little shy ghost wants to make a friend. He is told that to make a friend he just needs to be his spooky, sparkly self so when a new girl moves in next door he decides to invite her to his Halloween party. Now he just has to decide what he should dress up as so she will want to be his friend.  A sweet tale that reminds us that reaching out and being friendly and kind to others doesn't have to be scary. Anonymoose By Shawn J.C. Tenney Minneapolis, MN: Beaming Books, 2024. Picture Book. Moose is shy and when it's time for recess she looks for places to hide so she doesn...

Game of Freedom By Duncan Tonatiuh New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2023. Informational.  When Mestre Bimba was young, he became fascinated with capoeira—a combination of music, dancing, acrobatics, and fighting—even though it was illegal to play in the streets of Brazil. Wanting to give it a better reputation, he created a new style of capoeira that could be respected like a martial art. Through his persistence and discipline, Mestre Bimba was able to elevate capoeira from a game kids played while avoiding the police to a cultural treasure of Brazil. A glossary of Portuguese words follows the story.  This informational picture book tells an inspiring story of resisting oppression. Tonatiuh does not shy away from the history of slavery in Brazil, showing the shadow of enslaved people as a group plays capoeira. As well, the lively images of the capoeiristas make you want to get up and move! This is a great read for anyone intrigued by martial arts or dance.

  Eyes That Kiss in the Corners Written by Joanna Ho Illustrated by Dung Ho New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublisher, 2021. Picture Book. A self-confident and strong young girl recounts how she shares her eyes--and so much more--with her mother, her amah and her little sister. --Editor Playing at the Border Written by Joanna Ho Illustrated by Teresa Martinez New York:  Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublisher, 2021. Biography.  This book   tells an inspiring story of Yo-Yo Ma, who challenges conventions, expectations, and beliefs in order to build bridges to unite communities, people, and cultures. --Publisher Eyes that Weave the World's Wonders Written by Joanna Ho Illustrated by Liz Kleinrock New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublisher, 2024. Picture Book. A young girl who is a transracial adoptee learns to love her Asian eyes and finds familial connection and meaning through them, even though they look different from her parents'. Her ...

  Stories in the Park The Secret Life of a Tiger Written by Przemysław Wechterowicz Illustrated by Emilia Dzuibak Lake Forest, CA: words & pictures, 2017. Picture Book. At night, Tiger's strange and heartwarming hobbies come to light. --Editor Stories in the Park Run! By Guilherme Karsten Berkeley, CA: Owlkids Books, 2022. Picture Book. Run! is an easy-to-follow yet joyfully tricky story for preschool to grade-two readers, with language arts, reading, counting, and character education curriculum tie-ins. It offers ample opportunity for interaction in spotting visual cues in a light and humorous mystery and in naming animals and their wacky hiding technics throughout a jungle game of hide-and-seek--all the while subverting expectations and imparting the valuable lesson that things are not always what they seem. In the dark depths of the jungle, something is on the hunt and all of the animals have to RUN! One by one, as fast as they can, they look high and low amon...

Amulet is a beloved comic book that captures readers with the non-stop adventures and keeps them with the world-building. The magic and terrifying monsters are some of the biggest allures. If you have a fan of the Amulet series, here are a few books with similar pacing and adventure. The Secret of the Ravens Written by Joanna Cacao Illustrated by Kyla Aiko New York: Clarion Books, Harper Alley, imprints of HarperCollinsPunlishers, 2023. Comics. 254 pages. Elliot and Liza are twins experiencing homelessness. They decide to participate in the raven games, which promise wealth and magic at their disposal. But a quest goes horribly wrong and Liza is poisoned. Now Elliot must do whatever it takes to find the antidote. Wingbearer Written by Marjorie m. Liu Illustrated by Teny Issakhanian New York: Quill Tree Books, HarperAlley, Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2022. Comics. 201 pages. Zuli was raised by mystical bird spirits and has never left her safe home until a dark force threatens th...

The Iguanodon's Horn By Sean Rubin New York: Clarion Books, 2024. Informational. 48 pages. When the first mysterious bone of the iguanodon dinosaur was discovered in 1822, scientists believed it was the horn of the dinosaur... but they were completely wrong. This book follows the path of discovery towards a more accurate image of the iguanodon, exploring the thought processes of the past artists and scientists that created unintentionally inaccurate images of the creature. While today we think we know what the iguanodon might have looked like, the book is quick to emphasize how much we still don't know about these and other dinosaurs.  The text amuses as it informs, including via commentary from the iguanodon itself, who is disappointed at how it is drawn for decades after its discovery. Readers of all ages will be enchanted by the rich illustrations, filled to the brim with extra facts, historical references, and comedic asides that provide plenty to pore over. A delightful in...

Today we are celebrating Juneteenth, a holiday to celebrate the end of slavery in the United States. On this day in 1865, troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to ensure that all enslaved people in the state be freed. As we celebrate this holiday, here are some great biographies of important leaders from Black History to read and talk about with your family! Fighting with Love: The Legacy of John Lewis Written by Lesa Cline-Ransome Illustrated by James Ransome New York: Simon & Schuster, 2024. Biography. For older children, this picture book biography serves as an inspirational introduction to the mighty civil rights leader John Lewis. Growing up in a sharecropper family in rural Alabama, John Lewis learned early that people were not always treated equally or fairly. John craved education and left home at 17 to learn practices of nonviolent resistance and became instrumental in the fight for civil rights. He led sit-ins; he rode buses with the Freedom Riders; he spoke at the March on ...

Fishing in Fire By Trent Reedy New York: Norton Young Readers, 2023. Fiction. 198 pages. When two groups of middle school friends that have bad blood wind up fishing in the same spot, no one is happy. But things go from antagonistic to life-threatening when multiple wild fires block their path to safety.  Can the two groups put aside their differences to survive?  Although this story starts as a slow burn (pun very much intended), once the wildfires start spreading it becomes non-stop action and anxiety-inducing danger.  It was really easy to envision myself in the same situation, which just made it all the scarier.  I love the enemies to friends plot and the grit and bravery exhibited by all the characters.  Fans of Gary Paulsen will gobble this right up.  Read as part of a series or as a stand alone. 

The summer solstice is quickly approaching. For many people, this signals the “true” start of summer! There are a wide variety of adventures that people like to put on their summer bucket lists. The following books may help inspire you to try something new this summer, remind yourself why you keep going back to tried-and-true favorites, or possibly resonate with you if summer is not your favorite season.  Gather Round By David Covell  New York: Viking, 2024. Picture Book.   Going camping and sitting around a campfire is not only warming to the body, but also creates a certain amount of comfort for the soul. This picture book includes beautiful depictions of animals and people feeling welcome. A beautiful book with elements of nature, community, and friendship that will make you grateful that summer camping trips exist.   On Your Mark, Get Set, Gold: An Irreverent Guide to the Sports of the Summer Games   By Scott Allen  Massachusetts: Nosy Crow, an imprint ...