Friday, March 1, 2024

The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass

 



Reviewed by Jeanne

When Al takes the last few remaining library books out of the store and puts them in a little free library, Mortimer is crushed.  There goes the last bit of his home, the place where he and his sister lived before disaster struck.  Alas, his cries are not understood—Al simply thinks the fluffy orange cat is hungry.  Besides, she is trying to take care of her friends—well, her supervisor who was the head librarian and one of the library patrons, but she’s very fond of both of them—and she misses the library.  That’s why she puts out the  library books, feeling that the books need to be read.

The little free library has an immediate effect on sixth grader Evan.  He is absolutely thrilled to find books, and takes two of them home.  He soon realizes that these are library books, but he’s never heard of a library in Martinville.  What could have happened, and why does no one want to talk about it?  Evan decides to open his own investigation into the matter.

This is a juvenile book, but as far as I’m concerned, a good story is a good story.  And I found this to be a particularly charming one. There are multiple viewpoints in the story, which enriched the tale.  I was charmed by it, and by the little surprises the author provided.  I did figure some things out somewhat quickly but that didn’t impair my enjoyment a bit. Mostly I liked the character interactions, people who care about one another, and what we will do for those we love.

I also was delighted by the description of the Wednesday Book Club, because it sounded very much like our adult Nevermore Book Club.  Members read whatever book they like and then tell the club about it. 

This may not be a book for every adult, but this adult ended up buying her own copy to keep.

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