Provo Library Children's Book Blog

  Magnitude   By Jennifer A. Nielsen  New York: Scholastic Press, 2026. Fiction. 293 pages.  Cora is a girl who lives in San Francisco in 1906. She is constantly fighting poverty and trying to support her mother and brothers while her father is away trying to make money for her family. And then one morning while Cora is heading to the docks to meet the ships (and see if her father has returned), there is an earthquake. A big one. One that creates a giant crack in the road that Cora and another girl, Zhi, fall into. Thus begins Cora’s struggle to survive the earthquake (and the accompanying fires that caused even more devastation than the original earthquake) and find her family.  This is a fast-paced story with loads of dangers and adventure. Cora is the type of character that will run headlong into danger if she thinks it will save those she loves. Plus, it is fascinating to read all about the crazy ideas that some of the city’s leaders had about creating more ...

When it comes to early illustrated chapter books, the  Dragon Masters  series by Tracey West checks a lot of boxes. These stories are fast-paced and action-oriented but accessible to newly independent readers. The world-building is magical and the quests are exciting. If your J Intermediate-level reader has already devoured the thirty books in this super popular series, here are a few recommendations to broaden their horizons (at least until #31 comes out!). Llama Quest: Danger in the Dragons' Den Written by Megan Reyes  Illustrated by Kay Davault New York : Random House, 2025. Intermediate. 106 pages. Dak lives on his family's llama farm, which means his life is full of llama poop and empty of adventure. Then Dak meets the mysterious girl who lives with the monks next door and a talking llama named Lucy who is the keeper of the Ravenwood stones. These magical, protective stones have been scattered across the kingdom by a sneaky thief. Together Team Llama Quest has t...

  Busted  By Dan Gemeinhart New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2025. Fiction. 344 Pages. Twelve-year old Oscar Aberdeen has spent his entire life living in the Sunny Days retirement home with his grandfather. He was raised among the residents of Sunny Days and as a result Oscar is a "miniature old man" - he loves Frank Sinatra, plays a mean game of bridge, and has attended dozens of funerals. When a new owner takes over Sunny Days and raises the rent, Oscar and his grandfather are faced with eviction. Desperate for cash, Oscar accepts an offer he can't refuse from Jimmy DeLuca, a 104-year-old rumored ex-mobster. In exchange for helping Jimmy "bust out" of the home to complete a wild bucket list, Jimmy promises to share a hidden stash of riches. During the break out, Natasha, the daughter of the retirement home manager, joins Oscar and Jimmy on their madcap road trip. Their adventure involves stolen cars, illegal poker games, and even a visit to a federal prison. ...

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  Guys Read book club  will meet January 22 and our  Girls Read book club  will meet January 27. You can register now, using the library's online calendar! Guys Read is reading: My Side of the Mountain By Jean Craighead George New York: Dutton, 1988. Fiction. 177 pgs. After becoming increasingly unhappy in his family's overcrowded apartment in the city, 12-year-old Sam runs away to live in the Catskill Mountains. Suddenly alone, Sam must fend for himself in his search for independence. Alone, he struggles to survive and provide himself with food, shelter, and clothing. As he becomes increasingly isolated, Sam discovers that ultimately he needs human companionship more than he imagined. This survival tale won the Newbery Honor in 1960 and has remained popular with young readers. Girls Read is reading: The Girl Who Dra...

  Sole Survivor  Written By Norman Ollestad and Brendan Kiely  New York: Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2025. 255 pages.  This is a juvenile biography/memoire about the plane crash that Norman Ollestad survived when he was a sixth grader. The book starts off with Norman wining a skiing competition and heading home to play in a hockey game only to head onto an airplane with his dad, his dad’s girlfriend (Sandra), and the pilot so he could go and claim his trophy for the skiing competition. Only, the plane crashed and the pilot and Norman’s dad were killed. Then when Sandra falls and dies as well, Norman is left as the sole survivor from the plane crash in the San Gabriel Mountains during a snowstorm.  Fans of Hatchet or other adventure novels will love reading how Norman survived this ordeal. And they will be even more impressed with the fact that this is a true story and the person who survived and is still alive today. This book goes over all of...

 Looking for a perfect cozy mystery to read snuggled under a warm blanket? Whether you love a clever whodunit, a high-stakes heist, or a chilling mystery, these five novels are guaranteed to keep you turning pages. The Big Bad Wolf Murder By P.G. Bell New York: Feiwel & Friends, 2026. Fiction. 210 Pgs. Twelve-year-old Ruby Calvino, is about to win her first Tooth & Claw championship in front of thousands of fans when her opponent, the legendary wolf Alarick, suddenly drops dead. When the murder weapon- a bottle of poison- is found in Ruby's bag, she is framed for the crime. Forced to go on the run, she teams up with Fillan, a timid young wolf also implicated in the plot. Together, they must dodge a dogged detective and dangerous wolf assassin to find the real killer before it's too late.   I love a good fairytale retelling and this story is packed with clever nods to Little Red Riding Hood, with entertaining characters like a gangster granny, an athletic Ruby and ...

  The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls By Judith Rossell New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2025. Fiction. 306 pages. Maggie Fishbone knows her future prospects are not great.  She is being forced to leave the orphanage where she has lived for most of her life after she violently pushed a boy into the harbor. It didn't matter that the boy deserved to be pushed into the harbor, her bad behavior is unforgiveable and now she is being sent to the Midwatch Institute for Orphans. The wayward institute is known for being extremely strict and executing harsh punishments for bad behavior. She has resigned herself to life at the institute, but she wasn't prepared for the unconventional education she would receive.  Imagine her surprise when she learns that the institute's forbidding exterior is a cover. The Midwatch Institute is actually a secret training ground for young, female crimefighters.  All of the young girls are watched over and guided by Miss Adelia Mandely...

Are you a reader who enjoys fast-paced plots set in another world with characters who are inspiring? If you are, you will want to check out one of these adventure books and then sit back, read, and let your imagination go wild.  Wander Lost By Laura Martin New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2024. Fiction. 363 pages. Rhett and Nash are twin brothers who have been raised with one strict rule, they are never to play board games. One day their mother disappears and not long after that they meet up with their grandfather who reveals a life changing secret, they are "Bounders". Bounders are people who can enter the world of board games, but they play the game understanding that there are real consequences. The twins discover that their mother was captured in a game with a wicked character known as a, "Wander Lost." Now the two brothers must break their mom's rule and play their way through a chaotic and dangerous game in order to save her.  If you enjoy reading books...

One Wrong Step By Jennifer A. Nielsen New York: Scholastic, 2025. Fiction. 324 pages. It's 1939 and 14-year-old Atlas Wade is about to accompany his father on their most dangerous expedition yet. In the years since his mother died, Atlas and his father, both British, have climbed many of the most famous peaks in the world, it's what they do to avoid talking about their grief. No one has yet reached the top of Mount Everest, but Atlas is hoping he will be part of the first party, but his hopes are dashed when his father insists he remain at Advanced Base Camp with a Sherpa named Chodak and Maddie, the daughter of another explorer. When an avalanche cuts off communication with the expedition team, Atlas decides to stage a rescue, bringing Maddie and Chodak, who is injured, along with him. Things go from bad to worse as they fight for survival and fear there may be Nazis with them on the mountain. Jennifer A. Nielsen is an expert of blending historical fiction with gripping action...

  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...

Written almost 40 years ago, many have read the thrilling story of   Hatchet , where Brian Robeson survived in the wild after a plane crash left him stranded. While most readers haven't had to survive in the wild like Brian, many find inspiration in his perseverance and ingenuity while working through his own emotional distress. If you or your child love survival stories, here are ones like Hatchet  that you are sure to find intriguing.  The Canyon's Edge By Dusti Bowling New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2020. Fiction. 307 pages. Exactly a year after her mother was killed in a restaurant shooting, Nora's dad takes her out for her birthday far away from society to go repelling into a slot canyon. However, an unexpected flash flood steals Nora's father away, leaving her alone to fend for herself. These incidents trigger her anxiety and PTSD from losing her mother. She needs to rely on the survival skills her parents have taught her over the years, as well as, copin...

  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...

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 Ruby Code By Jessica Khoury New York: Scholastic Press, 2023. Fiction. 293 pages. Ash spends most of his time in a virtual reality games, and one day a stranger gifts him a copy of an old fantasy game called The Glass Realm. Inside of the game, Ash meets Ruby, a NPC (non-player character) who is supposed to assist real players, but Ash notices something unique about Ruby. As they continue deeper into the game, they realize that Ruby's abilities are greater than anyone could have imagined. This book is perfect for any video game fans, as well as fans of sci-fi and epic adventures. With themes similar to Ready Player One and Free Guy , this is fun book that highlights parallels and ideas between virtual reality and actual reality. Told in alternating chapters from both Ash and Ruby's point of view, this book presents a unique perspective and is highly entertaining.

  Sona and the Golden Beasts  By Rajani LaRocca  New York: Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2024. Fiction. 385 pages.  Sona lives in a magical land called Devia with her father and brothers. In this land the Malech are the ruling class that conquered Devia, and the Malech don’t want any of the Devan ways to survive —the Malech rulers just want to mine all the jewels from the land to take back to their home country. When Sona discovers a wolf pup that she believes is related to one of the five sacred beasts of Devia, Sona must leave on an adventure to try to save the wolf pup, a loved one, and her country.  This is a story full of magic, adventure, self-discovery, and figuring out who to trust and how to decide what is right in the face of all that is hard. Kids who love good adventures with magic and friendship and animal camaraderie thrown in will love this novel.

Arrrrrrre you a fan of pirates? We are! Pirates are some of the funniest, silliest, and sometimes most fearsome characters. These picture books feature pirates with hilarious, heartfelt, and memorable moments. The Grumpy Pirate Written by Croinne Demas and Artemis Roehrig Illustrated by Ashlyn Anstee New York: Orchard Books, 2020. Picture Book. Pirates tend to be jolly, albeit sometimes scary, people, so "Grumpy Gus" doesn't exactly fit in with his crew. He complains about every single little thing, and the other pirates are sick of it. The Pirate Queen decides to give Grumpy Gus a gift...an equally grumpy parrot. Gus begins to realize that if he wants the pirate to have a better attitude, he needs to have one as well. Cliff the Failed Troll: (Warning: There Be Pirates in This Book!) Written by Barbara Davis-Pyles Illustrated by Justin Hillgrove Seattle: Little Bigfoot, an imprint of Sasquatch books, 2020. Picture Book. Cliff is not a very good troll, and after he fails i...

Plain Jane and the Mermaid By Vera Brosgol New York: First Second, 2024. Comics. 368 pages. Jane Brown is used to people not giving her the time of day. In her small fishing village, the townspeople make fun of her plain appearance, her freckles, and her weight. Even her own parents taunt her for her appearance and rarely give her the time of day. After her parents' sudden death, Jane faces eviction from her family home unless she can marry and then inherit her dowry. She proposes marriage to the beautiful, but shallow fisherman Peter, who is promptly kidnapped by a mermaid. Desperate to save Peter, Jane journeys to the bottom of the ocean where she encounters dangers and trials around every turn. Rescued from death (again and again) by a delightfully cranky seal, Jane is determined to continue on in her quest to save Peter even when her own future seems uncertain. This reimaging of 'The Little Mermaid' is a delightfully tongue-in-cheek graphic novel for upper middle grade ...

The Lumbering Giants of Windy Pines By Mo Netz New York: Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2024. Fiction. 199 pages. Eleven-year-old Jerry and her mother are still grieving the loss of Jerry's father and the upheaval it has caused in their everyday lives. Now, they travel from small town motel to small town motel, as Jerry's mother picks up work as a housekeeper and so Jerry has ground floor access for her wheelchair. But, there is something mysterious going on in the woods surrounding their latest motel stop, The Slumbering Giant. Not only are there blinking lights among the trees, there is also a history of disappearances and a radio channel that sporadically turns on with confusing messages. So, when Jerry's mom doesn't come home one night, Jerry knows something is wrong. She's determined to set off into the forest she's been strongly warned against entering. Upon entering the woods, she's joined by her pocket-sized imaginary dragon, P...

Zombie Season By Justin Weinberg New York: Scholastic Press, 2023. Fiction. 228 pages. It's summer, which is zombie season in California.  Things are getting intense and people are being told to flee but three kids in town have their own agendas and evacuating isn't on the list. After Joule's dad goes missing the year prior, her mom is determined to move far away, but Joule can't stop looking for her dad. Regina is determined to get to the bottom of the mysterious zombie tech that her parents are creating and in the process finds herself face to face with a zombie unlike any she's ever encountered.  And Oliver wants to help fight the zombies, not just run away, but the grown-ups in his life are making that very difficult. Can they all work together to stay alive? Zombie Season is the first action packed book in the series and features zombies that are legitimately scary, which is not always the norm for juvenile fiction books about zombies.  While zombies in this bo...

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."...