Books for Boys
Book Club
FOR BOYS AGES 8 TO 11 AND THEIR ACCOMPANYING ADULT
EVERY third Thursday AT 6:30 PM in the community room, unless indicated differently in the schedule.
Come enjoy discussions of amazing tween novels, create a craft, and have a treat! All while enjoying the friendship of other boys and their accompanying adults.
Book club reading copies will be available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting. There is a limit of one copy per household.
SCHEDULE
September 14, 2023—Kick Off Event!* Help us pick the books we’ll read for the upcoming year!
October 19, 2023—Only if You Dare: 13 Stories of Darkness and Doom
November 9, 2023—The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter*
No book club in December
January 18, 2024—Guts and Glory: The American Revolution
February 8, 2024—Dragon Slippers*
March 21, 2024—The Wild Robot
April 18, 2024—Ban This Book
May 2, 2024—Hatchet*
*combined with the Mother Daughter Book Club
Reading List
September 14, 2023
Kick-Off Event!
We’ll have this event with the members of the Mother Daughter Book Club! Come in and …
Learn More!
October 19, 2023
Only if You Dare
by Josh Allen
You never know what’s out to get you. Though you might think you’re safe from monsters and menaces, everyday …
Read the full synopsis
November 9, 2023
The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter
by Aaron Reynolds
Rex Dexter is itching to have a dog. He was practically born to have one. His name is Rex, for crying out loud. It’s a dog’s …
Read the full synopsis
January 18, 2024
Guts & Glory:
The American Revolution
by Ben Thompson
From George Washington crossing the icy Delaware, to Molly Pitcher fearlessly firing her cannon, the people of the American Revolution were some …
Read the full synopsis
February 8, 2024
Dragon Slippers
by Jessica Day George
Poor Creel. She can’t believe her aunt wants to sacrifice her to the local dragon. It’s a ploy to lure a heroic knight so that he will fight the dragon, marry …
Read the full synopsis
March 21, 2024
The Wild Robot
by Peter Brown
When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got …
Read the full synopsis
April 18, 2024
Ban This Book
by Alan Gratz
It all started the day Amy Anne Ollinger tried to check out her favorite book in the whole world, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, from the …
Read the full synopsis
May 2, 2024
Hatchet
by Gary Paulsen
Brian is on his way to Canada to visit his estranged father when the pilot of his small prop plane suffers a heart attack. Brian is forced to …
Read the full synopsis
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September 14, 2023, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room
Kick-Off Event!
We’ll have this event with the members of the Mother Daughter Book Club!
Join us for our Fall Kick-off Book Party at the Better Book Café!
“Taste” a book and see if it’s to your liking! We will choose our books this year from the menu!
Bring your favorite book and let others “taste” it. Share what you love about it and why others should “eat” it for their book feast!
October 19, 2023, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room
Only if You Dare: 13 Stories of Darkness and Doom by Josh Allen
You never know what’s out to get you. Though you might think you’re safe from monsters and menaces, everyday objects can turn against you, too. A mysterious microwave. A threatening board game. A snowman that refuses to melt. Even your own heartbeat has its secrets. Thu-thump. Thu-thump. When you stop to listen, each beat sounds more menacing than the last.
Master storyteller Josh Allen brings thirteen nightmare scenarios to life in this page-turning collection that’s perfect for budding horror junkies. In his wondrous world, danger waits behind every doorway . . . even in the most ordinary places.
Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians
Emily rated it ★★★★ and said “Deliciously creepy! This is one I’d 100% give to a reluctant reader. It’s sure to spark interest!”
November 9, 2023, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room
The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter by Aaron Reynolds
Rex Dexter is itching to have a dog. He was practically born to have one. His name is Rex, for crying out loud. It’s a dog’s name. Any pooch is preferable, but a chocolate Labrador is the pinnacle. The best of the best. The dream of all dreams.
When Rex’s B-Day for Me-Day finally arrives, his parents surprise him with a box. A box with holes. A box with holes and adorable scratchy noises coming from inside. Could it be? Yes! It has to be! A . . . a . . .
Chicken?
Pet poultry?
How clucky.
One hour and fourteen minutes later, the chicken is dead (by a steamroller), Rex is cursed (by the Grim Reaper), and wild animals are haunting Rex’s room (hounding him for answers). Even his best friend Darvish is not going to believe this, and that kid believes everything.
Rex’s uninvited ghostly guests are a chatty, messy bunch. And they need Rex to solve their mysterious deadly departures from the Middling Falls Zoo before it happens again.
But how?
book 1 in The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter series
Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians
Cathy rated it ★★★★★ and said “What a snickering joy! Rex is an egocentric, opinionated, disrespectful, loud mouth who really deserves everything that comes to him, even if it’s the ghost of a charred rhino. When Rex is cursed by the Grim Reaper and starts being visited by the souls of recently departed mammals (except for the shark that really doesn’t count), he has to broaden his perspective and learn to take an interest in someone, or something besides himself, a change which will bring a small amount of relief to his exasperated parents, much put upon teacher, and manipulated school mates. This middle grade novel is sure to be a hit with rambunctious tweens and those who take an interest in them whatever the age!”
January 18, 2024, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room
Guts and Glory: The American Revolution by Ben Thompson
History comes alive like no textbook can in this epic account of the American Revolution that’s perfect for history buffs, reluctant readers, and fans of Hamilton!
Contains awesome illustrations, a fierce group of rebels who will never surrender, an empire with an army that has never known defeat, and a war that changed the world forever.
From George Washington crossing the icy Delaware, to Molly Pitcher fearlessly firing her cannon, the people of the American Revolution were some of the bravest and most inspiring of all time. Jump into a riot in the streets of Boston, join the Culper Spy Ring as they steal secrets in the dead of night, and watch the signing of the Declaration of Independence in this accessible guide to the birth of the United States.
History buff and popular blogger Ben Thompson’s extensive research and irresistible storytelling make history come alive in this fourth book in the unforgettable Guts & Glory series!
part of the Guts and Glory Series
February 8, 2024, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room
Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
Poor Creel. She can’t believe her aunt wants to sacrifice her to the local dragon. It’s a ploy to lure a heroic knight so that he will fight the dragon, marry Creel out of chivalrous obligation, and lift the entire family out of poverty. Creel isn’t worried. After all, nobody has seen a dragon in centuries.
But when the beast actually appears, Creel not only bargains with him for her life, she also ends up with a rare bit of treasure from his hoard, not gold or jewels, but a pair of simple blue slippers-or so she thinks. It’s not until later that Creel learns a shocking truth: She possesses not just any pair of shoes, but ones that could be used to save her kingdom, which is on the verge of war, or destroy it.
book 1 in the Dragon Slippers series
Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians
Lorna rated it ★★★★ and said “Good fun. Light, easy reading with warm humor. I was impressed with the plot also.”
Miranda rated it ★★★★.
Lark rated it ★★★★.
March 21, 2024, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
Can a robot survive in the wilderness?
When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is–but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island’s unwelcoming animal inhabitants.
As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home–until, one day, the robot’s mysterious past comes back to haunt her.
book 1 in The Wild Robot series
Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians
Lark rated it ★★★★ and said “While reading this I kept thinking of the one robot that cares for all the creatures and plants in Studio Ghibli’s Castle in the Sky film. It was a cute/fun read that I enjoyed more than I anticipated.”
William rated it ★★★★.
April 18, 2024, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room
Ban This Book by Alan Gratz
An inspiring tale of a fourth-grader who fights back when her favorite book is banned from the school library–by starting her own illegal locker library!
It all started the day Amy Anne Ollinger tried to check out her favorite book in the whole world, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, from the school library. That’s when Mrs. Jones, the librarian, told her the bad news: her favorite book was banned! All because a classmate’s mom thought the book wasn’t appropriate for kids to read.
Amy Anne decides to fight back by starting a secret banned books library out of her locker. Soon, she finds herself on the front line of an unexpected battle over book banning, censorship, and who has the right to decide what she and her fellow students can read.
Reminiscent of the classic novel Frindle by Andrew Clements for its inspiring message, Ban This Book is a love letter to the written word and its power to give kids a voice.
May 4, 2024, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Brian is on his way to Canada to visit his estranged father when the pilot of his small prop plane suffers a heart attack. Brian is forced to crash-land the plane in a lake–and finds himself stranded in the remote Canadian wilderness with only his clothing and the hatchet his mother gave him as a present before his departure.
Brian had been distraught over his parents’ impending divorce and the secret he carries about his mother, but now he is truly desolate and alone. Exhausted, terrified, and hungry, Brian struggles to find food and make a shelter for himself. He has no special knowledge of the woods, and he must find a new kind of awareness and patience as he meets each day’s challenges. Is the water safe to drink? Are the berries he finds poisonous?
Slowly, Brian learns to turn adversity to his advantage–an invading porcupine unexpectedly shows him how to make fire, a devastating tornado shows him how to retrieve supplies from the submerged airplane. Most of all, Brian leaves behind the self-pity he has felt about his predicament as he summons the courage to stay alive.
book 1 in the Brian’s Saga series
Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians
Miranda rated it ★★★★.
Emily rated it ★★★★.
Lorna rated it ★★★★.
Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians
Lorna rated it ★★★★★ and said “I liked the humor and the unique flavors of Key West.”
Patty rated it ★★★★.
May 5, 2024, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room
Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm
Life isn’t like the movies. But then again, 11-year-old Turtle is no Shirley Temple.
She’s smart and tough and has seen enough of the world not to expect a Hollywood ending. After all, it’s 1935 and jobs and money and sometimes even dreams are scarce. So when Turtle’s mama gets a job housekeeping for a lady who doesn’t like kids, Turtle says goodbye without a tear and heads off to Key West, Florida, to live with relatives she’s never met.
Florida’s like nothing Turtle’s ever seen before though. It’s hot and strange, full of ragtag boy cousins, family secrets, scams, and even buried pirate treasure! Before she knows what’s happened, Turtle finds herself coming out of the shell she’s spent her life building, and as she does, her world opens up in the most unexpected ways.
Regular Hours of Operation
- Monday: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
- Tuesday - Wednesday: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
- Thursday: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
- Friday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
- Saturday: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
- Sunday: CLOSED
Closures in 2023
- January 2 – New Year’s
- January 16 – Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
- February 20 – Presidents Day
- March 24 – Staff Development Day
- April 1 – Building Maintenance
- May 27-29 – Memorial Day
- June 19 – Juneteenth
- July 4 – Independence Day
- September 2-4 – Labor Day
- September 28 – Library Conference (LCEI)
- September 29-30 – Building Maintenance
- November 10-11 – Veterans Day
- November 22 – Closing at 5:00 pm
- November 23-25 – Thanksgiving
- December 23-26 – Christmas
- December 30-31, 2023 – New Year’s
- January 1, 2024 – New Year’s Day
Address
73 North Center
Rexburg, Idaho 83440
We are located on Center Street, just north of Main Street, by the Historic Rexburg Tabernacle.
Contact Us
(208) 356-3461
24 Hour Phone Renewal: (208) 356-6658
askmadisonlibrary@madisonlib.org