The Lost Library

June 1, 2023
Grades 4-7 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. As the little library grows, our protagonist, Evan, works to uncover what happened to the original library, and Mortimer (the cat) seeks out his own revelations. 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. Though certain gaps in the plot (some quite tantalizing) might leave readers feeling unsatisfied, fans of atmospheric tales with nonhuman narrators will be pleased. Hand to fans of Kate DiCamillo's classic The Tale of Despereaux (2003) or Andrew Clements' The Losers Club (2017).

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 26, 2023
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.

July 1, 2023
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. Ever since a tragic fire destroyed the Martinville Library, the town has been left without a place to borrow books. That is, until a little free library suddenly pops up, guarded by a fluffy orange cat named Mortimer. Fifth grader Evan McClelland selects two books from its shelves. Inside them he finds puzzling clues that lead him to chase down the real story behind the library fire. The book is told from multiple perspectives, including those of Evan, Mortimer, and ghost librarian Al, who perished in the blaze and is responsible for the upkeep of the little free library. Evan's tenacious and curious character is relatable. His relationship with likable best friend Rafe, a brave, kind boy with overprotective parents, is easily one of the most endearing parts of the story. The puzzle over the library fire, a secret involving Evan's family, a popular writer's connection to Martinville, and the supernatural elements are presented in ways that are just right for middle-grade readers. The pacing is strong, and the twists and turns are satisfying even if perceptive readers may catch hints of the ultimate truth along the way. Physical descriptions of the human characters are largely absent. A page-turner with striking characters and a satisfying puzzle at its heart. (Mystery. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2023
Stead and Mass (Bob, rev. 7/18) pen an entertaining lightly fantastical and supernatural love letter to books, librarians, and little free libraries. Perspective rotates among a cat named Mortimer, rising sixth grader Evan, and a reclusive librarian known as Al. When Al erects a little free library, filled with former library books, it changes the trajectories of the protagonists' lives and brings to light secrets and mysteries about their small town. Evan takes home a book that he realizes was checked out by his father when he was a teen in 1999 -- and returned on the very day of the catastrophic fire that destroyed the town library. While he investigates, readers are also receiving details from Al's first-person narration, which is somewhat unreliable. Mortimer the cat, who had lived with his sister in the town library as a kitten, now guards the present-day little free library structure and is at first plagued, then assisted, by friendly mice who help solve the story's mysteries. There are enough twists to hold puzzle-loving readers' attention, along with great emotional authenticity throughout. Stead and Moss dedicate their book to "the librarians of the past, present, and future," and many readers will come away feeling inspired. Elissa Gershowitz

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2024
Stead and Mass (Bob, rev. 7/18) pen an entertaining lightly fantastical and supernatural love letter to books, librarians, and little free libraries. Perspective rotates among a cat named Mortimer, rising sixth grader Evan, and a reclusive librarian known as Al. When Al erects a little free library, filled with former library books, it changes the trajectories of the protagonists' lives and brings to light secrets and mysteries about their small town. Evan takes home a book that he realizes was checked out by his father when he was a teen in 1999 -- and returned on the very day of the catastrophic fire that destroyed the town library. While he investigates, readers are also receiving details from Al's first-person narration, which is somewhat unreliable. Mortimer the cat, who had lived with his sister in the town library as a kitten, now guards the present-day little free library structure and is at first plagued, then assisted, by friendly mice who help solve the story's mysteries. There are enough twists to hold puzzle-loving readers' attention, along with great emotional authenticity throughout. Stead and Moss dedicate their book to "the librarians of the past, present, and future," and many readers will come away feeling inspired.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)