Libraries

Library Girl / Polly Horvath

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
Library Girl
By: Polly Horvath
Genre: Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 
Published: September 10, 2024
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson Books
Dates Read: November 20, 2024 - November 22, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Essie has secretly grown up in the public library, raised by the four librarians who found her among the children’s stacks as a newborn. With four mothers, who take turns staying with Essie, and miles of books to read, Essie has always been happy. But now that she’s older, Essie longs for a little more freedom, and maybe a friend her own age… When her moms let her leave the library by herself, Essie’s world opens wider.

On her second trip to the mall, Essie meets G.E., a boy who looks so much like her, they may be twins! The story starts to unfold in Essie’s mind – she was raised by four moms in the library, maybe her twin, G.E., was raised by four dads in the department store. Maybe now that they’ve found each other, they can be one big family! But, as Essie gets to know G.E. better, she learns that the real world doesn’t play out like in her stories.

This was an adorable Middle Grade novel about a little girl who was raised in a library – as someone who grew up wishing she could just live in her hometown library, this book called to me. Of course, now as a librarian, my thoughts have changed on this, but I still found this to be cute.

Some parts of the storyline were quite unrealistic, but the story never claimed to be based on real life or anything. I think I found the hardest part being how Essie ended up in the library in the first place. But, I also look at this from a young child reading and can see with their imagination, this being very possible/explainable.

Overall, this is cute and an enjoyable read to any booklover who wishes they could have lived in a library (or bookstore cafe). 

*Thank you Margaret Ferguson Books and Edelweiss+ for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library / Michiko Aoyama

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library
By: Michiko Aoyama, Alison Watts (Translator)
Genre: Fiction, Japanese Literature
Number of Pages: 304
Published: September 5, 2023 (1st Published November 9, 2020)
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Dates Read: October 4, 2023 - October 6, 2023
Format: ARC / eBook

Everyone who walks through the doors of the small community library in Japan, has a desire to somehow change their lives. From a sales attendant who feels stuck in her job, to a struggling working mother who longs for the career she lost, to an artist who feels like no one will ever care about his drawings – they all get led to Sayuri Komachi, the reference librarian who loves needle felting. After having a conversation with them, Sayuri Komachi gives them a book list, all with a surprising book at the end, and a bonus gift. What they don’t realize is how much of a life changing conversation that would be.

I’m going to be honest, I kind of went into this a little blind. I saw it was for fans of The Midnight Library and Before the Coffee Gets Cold and registered it’s about a library. I’m a librarian and I’m always interested in books about either libraries or books so I asked for an ARC on NetGalley without really looking too much into it. Because of this, I didn’t realize how the set up would be for the story going into it. The first story’s voice threw me off just a little bit because of how young she was. I didn’t know if I wanted to read a whole story with that voice – but obviously it changes with each chapter.

This novel is such an ode to libraries and librarians and how they can help transform people’s growth, no matter what stage in life they are in. This novel is so  heartwarming and touching that I feel like everyone would be able to connect to it on some level. I’ve said this before in my reviews, but Japanese literature just has a way of capturing the human experience in a way that never disappoints.

I’ll be highly recommending this novel to so many people. I can’t give this enough wonderful praise.

*Thank you Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review