The Library of Ever

Starred review from January 15, 2019
A bored preteen discovers that there's more to library work than developing a world-class "SHUSH" or shooting through librarian-sized pneumatic tubes.Indeed, hardly has 11-year-old Lenora stepped through the mysterious portal that connects her public library to a much, much larger one then she is invited to take the librarian's oath ("Do you swear to venture forth bravely and find the answer to any question, no matter the challenge?"). She's given a Fourth Assistant Apprentice Librarian badge and whirled off on a series of assignments that take her from the year 8000 to correct a leap-year misconception to a near stranding on a massive globe as she searches for the place with the world's longest name. And as if such realistically typical reference work isn't hard enough on its own, along the way she is repeatedly attacked by bowler-wearing villains (some of them robots) collectively known as the Forces of Darkness and dedicated to the suppression of intellectual freedom. Fortunately, being the resourceful sort who gets a thrill of pleasure from realizing that she is lost, Lenora is well up to most challenges--and for the rest she gets solid support from a multispecies supporting cast led by her supervisor, Chief Answerer Malachi. Lenora presents white; Malachi is a 10-foot-tall, dark-skinned woman.Not the first tale to be set in a universal library but unusually clever in the details and commendably accurate in its own way. (Fantasy. 9-11)

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March 1, 2019

Gr 3-6-Eleven-year-old Lenora is desperately bored. Her wealthy parents have flippantly dismissed Lenora's aspirations to obtain a job at the planetarium, the museum, or the zoo. Worse, she is forced to accompany her inattentive nanny on errands by limousine. Luckily, the nanny needs to stop at the library, and is indeed inattentive. Within the first 10 pages, Lenora discovers a mysterious stone arch in a wall of the library through which she crosses into the realm of a much larger, fantastical library that agrees to give her a job. Dubbed a Fourth Assistant Apprentice Librarian, Lenora fearlessly embarks on a series of short, magical adventures in order to answer patrons' reference questions and provide other customer service. Lenora must also contend with the Forces of Darkness, unsavory individuals in bowler hats dedicated to the causes of censorship, control, and the ignorance of the masses. Breezily episodic and fast-paced, the action here begins right away. Deus ex machina moments abound, but seem fitting to the solemnly whimsical plot. Lenora is dedicated to her new career at any cost, and never once questions any of the fantasy elements she encounters or the responsibilities she is given. Quirkily self-referential in tone, the writing attempts to create inside jokes with the reader, e.g., the hypersensitivity of beluga whales and their unique mastery of English. VERDICT Purchase for larger libraries, for passionate library fans, or to spark early conversations about intellectual freedom.-Sara White, Seminole County Public Library, Casselberry, FL

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2019
Grades 3-6 In this delightful first novel, Alexander introduces Lenora, a legendary librarian who is a true warrior against the forces of lies and darkness. What begins as a day of absolute boredom for the girl turns into an extraordinary one when Lenora happens upon a portal into a magical library with, well, everything. Though only 11, she takes up a job there as an assistant and soon learns all sorts of things while helping patrons, discovering, to her dismay, that there are people out there who will fight with all they have to prevent others from gaining knowledge. Poignant in today's political discourse, the story delivers hard truths that can be verily summed up to knowledge is power. Lenora's adventure is a whirlwind of characters and events in time and space, and our resourceful heroine navigates it all while keeping her promises and sticking to her principles. This book is for every person who has ever believed that libraries are magic and anyone who has spent enough time in one knows that libraries aren't just for books.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)