The Lost Library
by Rebecca Stead (Author)
The New York Times bestselling authors of Bob, Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass, introduce readers to a little free library guarded by a cat and a boy who takes on the mystery it keeps.
When a mysterious little free library (guarded by a large orange cat) appears overnight in the small town of Martinville, eleven-year-old Evan plucks two weathered books from its shelves, never suspecting that his life is about to change. Evan and his best friend Rafe quickly discover a link between one of the old books and a long-ago event that none of the grown-ups want to talk about. The two boys start asking questions whose answers will transform not only their own futures, but the town itself.
Told in turn by a ghost librarian named Al, an aging (but beautiful) cat named Mortimer, and Evan himself, The Lost Library is a timeless story from award-winning authors Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass. It's about owning your truth, choosing the life you want, and the power of a good book (and, of course, the librarian who gave it to you).
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ALA/Booklist
Hand to fans of Kate DiCamillo's classic The Tale of Despereaux (2003) or Andrew Clements' The Losers Club (2017).
Kirkus
A page-turner with striking characters and a satisfying puzzle at its heart.
Publishers Weekly
Library records contain the keys to a town's secrets in this lightly fantastical literary mystery from the creators of Bob. On the last Monday of fifth grade, Evan McClelland takes two books from a little free library that has appeared seemingly overnight. The books' circulation cards signal that they're from the Martinville Library, which burned down years ago--and one card suggests that Evan's father once checked out the book over and over again. With best friend Rafe and a copy of How to Write a Mystery Novel that's linked to a famous author, Evan seeks to unravel his family's possible connection to the town's history while navigating his anxiety about the looming adjustment to middle school. Via distinct, unhurried voices, alternating chapters provide history and context from the perspectives of Evan, large orange feline Mortimer, and ghost Al, an assistant librarian at the Martinville Library who died in the fire. Bustling with well-rounded secondary characters and threaded with metafictional elements, Mass and Stead's collaboration is a humane ode to the courage needed to face life's changes as well as the power of libraries as centers of community. Cover art portrays Evan with pale skin. Ages 8-12. Agents: (for Stead) Faye Bender, Book Group; (for Mass) Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown. (Aug.)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Review quotes
When a makeshift Little Free Library appears on the town green, almost 20 years after the mysterious fire that burned down the town library, the people of Martinville are drawn together once more to not just solve the mystery of the fire but also to decide what it means for their own fates. Mass and Stead employ a rich cast of characters—including ghost librarians, graduating fifth-graders, mice, and a cat—to dive into the heart of Martinville. ... Full of heart, sly narration, and Stead's expected air of mystery, this is well suited for lovers of books and libraries and novels featuring ensemble casts. —Booklist
A boy who visits a little free library gets more than he bargained for when he becomes a sleuth caught up in the middle of his town's most enduring mystery.... A page-turner with striking characters and a satisfying puzzle at its heart. —Kirkus Reviews
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV028000 - Juvenile Fiction | Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories
Books and reading
Fantasy
Fantasy fiction
Novels
Little free libraries
