February 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 February 25 and our Guys Read book club will meet February 27. You can register now, using the library's online calendar!

Girls Read is reading

Inside Out and Back Again

By Thanhha Lai

New York: Harper, 2011. Fiction. 262 pages.

When she is 10 years old, Ha's family flees Vietnam after Saigon falls. In 1975, her family leaves Vietnam and eventually settles in Alabama. In Alabama, Ha's family finds refuge, but is also bullied and condescended to. She struggles to learn English and struggles to make friends and adapt to life in America before she finally finds allies. This emotional historical fiction novel is based on the author's own experiences leaving Vietnam and coming to America. Told in free-verse with dated poems, this Newbery Honor and National Book Award winner draws readers in and holds their interest.

Guys Read is reading

All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook

By Leslie Connor

New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2016. Fiction. 381 pages.

11-year-old Perry T. Cook was born in the Blue River Co-ed Correctional Facility where his mother is incarcerated. He's spent most of his life there -- thanks to a kind prison warden who lets him stay in a room close to his mother. But a new district attorney finds out about the arrangement and takes guardianship of Perry, making him leave his mother and prison-home to live as a foster kid. This is a character driven novel, and Perry is a memorable and winning protagonist. His positive attitude and determination to secure parole for his mother are some of the qualities that make him so memorable.

Comments

Stand Tall by Joan Bauer

Stand Tall By Siena Siegel by Joan Bauer Putnam, 2002, 182 pgs Realistic Fiction Tree is 12 years old and over 6 feet tall. That would be great if he were a basketball player, but he is not. Dealing with his unusual size is not Tree's only challenge. Tree's parents have recently gone through a divorce, and his grandfather has had his leg amputated as the result of an old Vietnam War injury. The strength of this book is the characterizations. All of the main characters are dimensional and sympathetic. Bauer sets the characters in real and often funny family situations. Best of all is the character of Tree. He is boy with a heart to match his stature. This is a great book for boys or girls ages 9-12, as a read aloud or for individual reading. This book could also be a good Rx book for children whose families are going through divorce, or for anyone who feels like they don't fit in.

Review: The New Girl

The New Girl By Cassandra Calin New York: Graphix, 2024. Comic. 261 pages. 12-year-old Lia and her family have just moved from Romania to Montreal, and she's doing her best to keep up with the changes. But, she's homesick. She misses the rest of her family, her friends, and her favorite Romanian treats. She doesn't speak French and her English is shaky, which makes it hard to make friends, even in her international immersion class. And she's dealing with super painful menstrual cramps every month. But before long, Lia starts to hit her stride. She befriends the other bilingual girls in her class, she gets a spot as the artist for her school's magazine, and even has a new crush -- Julien. Though she may be the new girl, Lia is starting to fit in. This slice of life graphic novel is an adorable choice for middle grade readers and young teens. Lia is a likable protagonist and readers will have little difficulty relating to her adjustment to school. The text speaks to a...

Review: Cincinnati Lee, Curse Breaker

Cincinnati Lee, Curse Breaker By Heidi Heilig New York: Greenwillow Books, 2025. Fiction. 291 pages. Thanks to Cincinnati Lee's no good, dirty rotten, artifact stealing great great great grandfather, Cincinnati's family is now cursed and Cincinnati feels like it's up to her to break the curse. Which involves trying to steal the artifacts back from museums that her grandfather robbed from graves and archeological sites around the world and return them to their countries of origin. But when Cincinnati's first artifact stealing mission goes awry, she decides it might be more effective to steal an all-powerful artifact herself that she can use to break the curse - The Spear of Destiny. Unfortunately her race for the spear will pit her against art smugglers and thieves intent on finding the ancient artifact themselves. If you are looking for an Indiana Jones read-alike, this is the perfect for you! Heavy on the adventure with similar levels of mysticism to those seen in th...

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