September 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 September 24 and our Guys Read book club will meet September 26. You can register now, using the library's online calendar.

Girls Read is reading

Fish in a Tree

By Lynda Mullaly Hunt

New York: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2015. 276 pages.

Ally has a secret. Though she is a talented artist and math whiz, she cannot read. Now, in her seventh school in seven years, she plans to follow her normal pattern -- acting out in class to distract her teachers from the truth. It's just, whenever Ally tries to read, the words on the page move around and transform. When she tries to read, she gets headaches from trying to concentrate so hard. And, what's worse, Ally's never had a teacher who believed in her before. Now, she has a new long term substitute teacher named Mr. Daniels, who has a new way of teaching and insists that Ally is smart. This realistic fiction novel is a great back to school story with a protagonist that readers will want to cheer for.

Guys Read is reading

Mark of the Thief

By Jennifer A. Nielsen

New York: Scholastic Press, 2015. 339 pages.

Nic is a slave working in the mines of Ancient Rome, when he is sent into a sealed cavern to search for the treasure of Julius Caesar. What he finds is Caesar's bulla - a magical amulet thought to have given the emperor his great power -- and now that power belongs to Nic. Suddenly, Nic is on the run from powerful men in Rome who will kill Nic to get the bulla. With his sister still enslaved, Nic has to figure out how to get her out and escape with his life. This high-adventure, historical fantasy novel is great for readers who like stories with lots of action. Written by Jennifer A. Nielsen, a Utah-based author, this popular series is an exciting way to start the year in Guys Read!

Comments

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...

If You Like...KPop Demon Hunters

KPop Demon Hunters has been one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. If you loved this movie as much as I did, you don't want the magic (or the music) to stop. Try reading these books that touch on some of the same topics and themes as the animated hit! Brick Dust and Bones By M. R. Fournet New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2023. Fiction. 247 pages. Orphaned Marius works in the family business--as their cemetery's ghost caretaker. However, Marius also moonlights as a monster hunter in order to earn the costly Mystic currency he needs to bring his mother back from the dead. As the window to bring his mother back begins to close, Marius's exploits get more and more dangerous, and he may have set his sights on a monster too big to handle on his own. Like Mira, Marius longs for familial connection, and his work as a monster hunter will satisfy the thrill of demon hunting for fans the movie. Where's Halmoni? By Julie J. Kim Seattle, WA: Little Bigfoot, 2017. Comics. W...

Review: Finding Lost

Finding Lost By Holly Goldberg Sloan New York: Rocky Pond Books, 2025. Fiction. 208 pages. Middle schooler Cordy, along with her mom and little brother, Geno, are still learning how to adjust to their life after “The Accident,” a tragic boating accident that cost their father’s life. When Cordy is walking home from school one day, she finds a little stray dog who the family nicknames Lost, and as he joins their family, he helps them rediscover all of the beauty that life has to offer. Holly Goldberg Sloane delivers a heart-warming and poignant novel about loss, family, and perseverance. This was a well-written novel that could appeal to a wide range of readers. Any middle schooler will be able to relate to Cordy’s experience of dealing with change, and those who have experienced a similar loss will be sure to find solace in this beautiful story.

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