Join other girls and their mothers or other caring adults for lively discussions, activities, and fun. Girls ages 8 to 16 are encouraged to join. This program is free. Please come in to the library to pick up a copy of the current book.
Reading Schedule
September 8, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Berry
A fast-paced, impossible-to-put-down adventure awaits as the young orphan Peter and his mates are dispatched to an island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They set sail aboard the Never Land, a ship carrying a precious and mysterious trunk in its cargo hold but the journey quickly becomes fraught with excitement and danger. Discover richly developed characters in the sweet but sophisticated Molly, the scary but familiar Black Stache, and the fearless Peter. Treacherous battles with pirates, foreboding thunderstorms at sea, and evocative writing immerse the reader in a story that slowly and finally reveals the secrets and mysteries of the beloved Peter Pan.
October 13, 2010, at 7:00 p.m.
The Witches by Roald Dahl
A young boy and his Norwegian grandmother, who is an expert on witches, together foil a witches' plot to destroy the world's children by turning them into mice.
November 10, 2010, at 7:00 p.m.
Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples
Intertwined portraits of courage and hope in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
No discussion in December
January 12, 2011, at 7:00 p.m.
Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath
Eleven-year-old Primrose, living in a small fishing village in British Columbia, recounts her experiences and all that she learns about human nature and the unprecitability of life in the months after her parents are lost at sea.
February 9, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
While attending a strict academy for potential princesses with the other girls from her mountain village, fourteen-year-old Miri discovers unexpected talents and connections to her homeland.
March 9, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
The life of a ten-year-old boy in rural Virginia expands when he becomes friends with a newcomer who subsequently meets an untimely death trying to reach their hideaway, Terabithia, during a storm.
April 6, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance.
May 11, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
The Jacket by Andrew Clements
When Phil looks for his younger brother to give him his lunch money, he discovers Jimmy's one-of-a-king jacket being worn by some black kid Phil has never seen before. When Phil makes an accusation and tempers flare, both boys wind up in the principal's office.
Join this group every last Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. to discuss the book of the month. Everyone is welcome!
2010-2011 Schedule
September 29, 2010
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird is the 2010 Pleasant Grove City Library's City-Wide Read selection! This masterpiece portrait of the American South has been translated into ten languages. A Pulitzer prize novel and Academy Award-winning film that takes readers to the roots of human behavior-innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos.
October 27, 2010
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
As a small girl, Nell was abandoned on a ship headed for Australia, with only a few clothes and a fairy tale book in her possession. Raised by the dockmaster and his wife, she journeys to England when she is twenty-one where she hopes to find out something about her true identity. The pieces of the puzzle are assembled following her death, after her granddaughter Cassandra discovers the forgotten garden of the book's title.
November 17, 2010
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
In Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962, there are lines that are not crossed. With the civil rights movement exploding all around them, three women start a movement of their own, forever changing a town and the way women--black and white, mothers and daughters--view one another.
No discussion in December
January 26, 2011
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
The best-selling author of Blink identifies the qualities of successful people, posing theories about the cultural, family, and idiosyncratic factors that shape high achievers, in a resource that covers such topics as the secrets of software billionaires, why certain cultures are associated with better academic performance, and why the Beatles earned their fame.
February 23, 2011
Eve Green by Susan Fletcher
After her young mother's sudden death eight-year-old Eve is sent to live with her grandparents in rural Wales. In this unfamiliar world, she is told stories about her relatives but is forbidden to ask about her father, an Irish thief who abandoned her mother. When an older girl in town disappears, Eve is drawn into the longstanding secrets and suspicions of her town. A rare page turner, Eve Green is a dramatic story about a grievous error of judgment.
March 30, 2011
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer's disease. Fiercely independent, Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live in the moment, even as her sense of self is being stripped away. In turns heartbreaking, inspiring and terrifying, Still Alice captures in remarkable detail what's it's like to literally lose your mind.
April 27, 2011
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
What does war look like through the eyes of a child soldier? How does one become a killer? How does one stop? It is rare to fin a first-person account from someone who endured this hell and survived. Ishmael Beah, now 26 years old, tells a powerfully gripping story.
May 25, 2011
Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama
It is Tokyo in 1939. On the Street of a Thousand Blossoms, two orphaned brothers dream of a future firmly rooted in tradition. The older boy, Hiroshi, shows early signs of promise at the national obsession of sumo wrestling, while Kenji is fascinated by the art of Noh theater masks. But as the ripples of war spread to their quiet neighborhood, the brothers must put their dreams on hold—and forge their own paths in a new Japan. Meanwhile, the two young daughters of a renowned sumo master find their lives increasingly intertwined with the fortunes of their father’s star pupil, Hiroshi.
The R.E.A.D. (Reading for Education and Discussion) Book Review Group at the Pleasant Grove City Library is a fun way to get introduced to new books and meet new people. From September to May, the group meets on the second Thursday morning of every month at 10:00 a.m. Come join us. No registration is required.
September 2, 2010: Mockingbird by Charles Shields. Reviewed by Tammra Salisbury.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the beloved American classic and Pulitzer prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This has been chosen for the City-Wide Read. The library hopes that everyone will enjoy reading it. Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee is a biography which gives insight into the life of the elusive author. Her life was as rich as her fiction. Her story takes the reader from her girlhood days as a rebellious tomboy to her days at the University of Alabama and then to her early years as a struggling writer in New York City. Her novel, which continues to be loved by each new generation, will also be discussed.
October 7, 2010: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Reviewed by Yara Wilson.
Published in 1818, this book is the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist, who learns how to create life and in the process creates a being in the likeness of a man that is larger than average and more powerful. This book is considered to be one of the earliest examples of science fiction. It is the most celebrated horror novel in literary history and was written by a teenage girl. Shelley takes readers on a journey that shows the frailty of our lives and the motives which drive us to achieve despite our human emotions. She also explores the effects of neglect and loneliness on human behavior. A perfect book for the month of October!
November 4, 2010: Jane's Favorites
Jane will be sharing a book she loves with the group this month.
December 2, 2010: 84 Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff. Presented by Tammra Salisbury.
Something new and different for this month! The group will be enjoying the gift of a fun morning together which will include a delightful movie without the stress of preparation for anyone. First, books that have been made into movies will be discussed and then the group will watch the movie 84 Charing Cross Road in the little theater at the library. This movie is a unique comedy/drama that is based on a true story. It stars Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft. It tells of the author's correspondence with an English bookseller and the friendship they enjoy through letters for 20 years. Book lovers will enjoy the this as well as those good friends who understand the depth, trust and love that can come from an unexpected relationship. Feel free to bring a friend. There will also be great treats for the movie. If you'd like, you may bring some of your favorite Christmas candy to share.
January 6, 2011: Selections from Mark Twain. Presented by Etta McQuade.
Mark Twain was a highly intelligent and incredibly witty man. His keen observations of the world and the often satirical commentaries he made about our existence are humorous and delightful. Etta will share thoughts about his life and excerpts from his more than 30 published books.
February 3, 2011: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. Reviewed by Diane Marsh.
This is a sweet and simple love story as well as a historical novel that tells of the experience of the Japanese interment in America during World War II. It is set in Seattle and the story beings in 1986 with the discovery of relics stored in the basement of the Panama Hotel by American citizens of Japanese heritage. These treasures lead Henry Lee, a Chinese American whose best childhood friend was Japanese, to reminisce about that time in flashbacks to the 1940s.
March 3, 2011: Driven by Larry H. Miller and Doug Robinson. Reviewed by Eloise Fugal.
When he was sixteen years old, Larry Miller came home one summer night to find all his possessions sitting in three bags on the porch of his darkened house. The door was locked. From those troubled and humble beginnings rose a man whose influence has touched the lives of many in Utah as well as myriads of people worldwide. Seven months before Miller passed away, he began working with Doug Robinson on this biography. Written in first person, the book talks about the many facets of Larry's life and legacy and speaks candidly about the people and experiences that influenced him. It doesn't just tell Larry Miller's story, it shares lessons, painful as well as joyful, which he learned from his experiences.
April 7, 2011: Howard's Favorites. Presented by Howard Carpenter.
Howard will be reviewing one of his favorite books this month.
May 5, 2011: The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig. Reviewed by Joyce Fife.
This book is a loving lament to the lost way of life of the homesteading prairie farmers and their children who attended a one-room schoolhouse. It is set in rural eastern Montana in the early 1900s and it beautifully addresses that time and place. It is the story of a motherless family of three boys and their widower father. Hiring a housekeeper brings not only cleanliness and harmony to their home, but also a new school teacher - her brother - to the community. The teacher's love of learning and his theatrical style inspire the children in a way they have never known before. The endearing family and beautiful prose make this a very charming look into America's past.