Provo Library Children's Book Blog

A Day at the Beach Written by Gary Schmidt and Ron Koertge New York: Clarion Books, 2025. Fiction. 213 pages A single day at the beach brings together a diverse cast of children as they each spend the day at a beach in New Jersey. Told through multiple points of view, each chapter highlights a different young person as they spend time at the beach with their families or by themselves, intersecting with other children’s stories in at times hilarious ways. One boy loses his brand-new phone in the sand, a large family decorate the beach with bright pink umbrellas and put on a circus performance, a girl helps a dog find his person using the magic of imagination, another dog finds a new home, a boy talks to a maybe run-away-bride, and each story is told in a vibrant and hilarious way to showcase what could happen on the beach in a single day. While we are far from the ocean and don’t have beaches with crashing waves, this book isn’t any less relatable as summer has officially hit. With the ...

Grandpere's Ghost Swamp By Rachel M. Marsh New York: Greenwillow Books, 2026. Fiction. 238 pages. 12-year-old Basil Theriot is haunted by the ghost of her grandfather. At his funeral, Grandpere shows up in the back row, and Basil is the only one who can see him. Basil begins to follows G'Pere's instructions to see if she can help him move on. Meanwhile, her family's restaurant is in disarray as Basil's father takes over as head chef and tries to figure out G'Pere's secret ingredient. G'Pere warns Basil that he regrets the restaurant and bringing his family to the city of New Orleans and away from the bayous where their Cajun family originated. This is all fine by Basil, because she secretly hates the family business and resents her parents' dream for her to someday take over. With her school's Career Day looming, Basil and her best friend Tommy, follow G'Pere's ghost on a journey to reconnect with the Theriot's Cajun roots by venturin...

  Little Bones Written by Sandy Bigna  New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2026. Fiction. 239 pages. Anyone who has lost a family member knows what a difficult time it can be, especially for young children. I really appreciated this compassionate book for its acknowledgment that family loss, and the grief that follows, affects people in a variety of ways. This book also does a great job recognizing that sometimes friends step in to offer comfort and a solid support system when it is too hard for the family. I think the book also addresses the fact that losses don't happen in a vacuum: people still have to work and provide for their families, children are dealing with friendships and school, and the world doesn't pause while the healing happens. Bones, trying to process the loss of a younger brother, finds some solace in her atypical hobby of collecting animal skulls, bones, and dried leaves. Disgusted by her hobbies, Edie, an unkind girl at school, gives h...

Stories in the Park Pirate & Penguin Written by Mike Allegra Illustrated by Jenn Harney Salem, MA: Page Street Kids, 2023. Picture Book.  What happens when a pirate, hoping for a parrot, stumbles upon a bird of a duller plumage? Pirate doesn't know that Penguin is a penguin. But any bird can sit on a shoulder and squawk 'shiver me timbers' ... right? Laugh along with Pirate and Penguin in this high seas tale of mistaken identity and find out whether they'll find friendship before somebody walks the plank. --Publisher Stories in the Park Dinosaurs Don't Have Bedtimes Written by Timothy Knapman Illustrated by Nikki Dyson Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2016. Picture Book. A little boy tries to persuade his mother that dinosaurs don't have bedtimes. --Editor Canopy Capers and Summer Story Time Roy Digs Dirt By David Shannon New York: The Blue Sky Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2020. Picture Book. Roy is a West Highland terrier who loves to dig in the d...

When Tomorrow Burns By Tae Keller New York, NY : Random House Books for Young Readers, 2026. Fiction, 265 pages. When faced with changes around, between, and within themselves, three seventh graders in Seattle revisit a mysterious book they discovered years earlier that seems to foretell the future. Vi tries to reclaim a sense of identity after realizing she has been the subject of her mother's social media account for most of her life. Arthur is confused about his feelings towards Nomi and grapples with how other boys his age treat girls. And Nomi worries about keeping her scholarship to her private school—each step in her plan is necessary for her future wellbeing. She believes solving the mystery of this book of prophecies will prevent calamity. Newbery winner Keller has created unusually relatable twelve-year-old protagonists who are beginning to see what privilege, power, and autonomy look like in a complicated world. She balances their miscommunications and shortcomings with ...

Elephant and Piggie star in an excellent easy reader series that you have probably read. It's so popular, in fact, that it's now getting its own TV adaptation. But once your child has read through the series, it can be hard to know where to turn next. Do you want something easy to read but entertaining enough to keep your kids engaged? A strong and humorous friendship tale? Try one of these books out today! Let's Have a Sleepover!   By Salina Yoon New York : Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2026. Easy Reader. Kat and Mouse have different ideas about what would make for a good sleepover. Kat wants to dance while Mouse wants to read. Will they be able to agree on an idea? For Elephant and Piggie fans who appreciate the simple drawings on a plain white background, this book is a great choice. Dog Gets a Pet By Jeff Mack New York, New York : Simon Spotlight, 2024. Easy Reader. Pony has a surprise for his friend dog—a pet rock. Dog would have rather had an amazing animal—like a...