Love it! Super fun middle grade read, that has reading and families at it's heart. Short chapters perfect for reluctant readers. Multiple POV which I tend to like.

This has to be one of my favorite middle grade books ever. This book will be an absolutely amazing addition to any little bookworm's library. It's such a perfectly balanced middle grade novel. The characters are complex but so easy to relate to. The world is beautifully rich and vibrant. The writing is both lyrical, beautiful, and easy to understand without being patronizing. There were so many quotable lines that had me wishing I had this book as a child. The plot and underlying mystery is layered while being simple enough to follow along to and the lead up to each reveal is intriguing enough that even *I* didn’t want to stop reading. It was a fantastic read I loved it so much.

Thank you to the authors, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This charming middle grade is a mystery and a cat and a ghost story and is about a library - four of my favorite things!

Evan and Rafe are graduating from elementary school and are in that stage of childhood where everything seems possible, and parents are figuring out how much freedom to give them. They discover a new free library stand outside the town's historical museum, and inside it, all the books were returned to the town library - on the same day it burned down. Evan's dad has shouldered the blame for the fire for decades. Evan and Rafe must investigate this mystery.

Great story that weaves in found families and the importance of a library as a community asset, as well as the above mentioned Cats! and Ghosts! and Mystery Writers! and Tuna Fish Sandwiches! and Mice!

** “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).” **

Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass offer a delightful love letter to books and libraries in “The Lost Library,” a story kids of all ages will love.

When a little library mysteriously appears outside the History House in Martinville, Evan McClelland decides to grab a couple of books from the collection, including one about how to write a mystery book.

Inspired by it, he decides to try to figure out how the town’s library burned down in 1999, and does the book’s last person to check it out — H.G. Higgins, a famous author — have anything to do with it.

As he follows the clues, he’s helped by his best friend Rafe, an enigmatic former assistant librarian named Al, and a six-toed orange cat named Mortimer. Will Evan be able to solve the decades old mystery and the secrets it holds?

Stead and Mass create a lovely story filled with fun and adorable characters. They also include some great themes, like the impact of books and libraries; the fact that books shape us; being willing to search for the truth (“All of life is a mystery, in a way. And that makes every single one of us a detective”); and the importance of taking our place in the world.

“The Lost Library” is due out Aug. 29.

Five stars out of five.

Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan, provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

If you need a feel good story, devoid the trauma and crisis in the news, this one will fill the bill. If you love books, libraries, local history and mystery, this book checks those blocks, too. And then there are the prim and proper ghosts, a kindly cat, and a lot of chatty, opinionated mice. Two future 5th graders, who use research and clues to solve the mystery of the fire which destroyed the old library, complete the scene. At 224 pages, LOST LIBRARY is a rewarding book for readers who are intimidated by the 300+ page book.
Thank you to Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Netgalley for the digital arc

This was a fun, heartfelt middle grade book. I cannot resist a book that’s about libraries and books and I thought the authors did a great job capturing the essence and importance of what a library means to readers and their community. I love that this book focuses on the mystery of how the library fire started and kept you guessing through the different points of views.

And what amazing narrators they are! I absolutely love that this book is told through the eyes of a former library cat, a ghost librarian, and the main character, Evan. There was this charm to the narrative voices that really set the tone for the book and made it so enjoyable. I loved piecing together the truth about the fire through their perspectives.

I also appreciate that everything comes together. That so many different elements introduced earlier in the book were important to unlocking the truth about what caused the fire to start. Even though this is middle grade, the authors did a great job making everything work together for a satisfying ending.

Super cute and fun, this book is for readers of all ages who love books and libraries and, of course, cats.

Thank you Macmillan Children's for sharing an earc with me. I thoroughly enjoyed this story! I mean...it has a cat, a little free library, mystery, ghosts...it was purrrfect! It also broke my heart at the end, but in a good way! I highly recommend this cute little ghost mystery.

Love, love, love this book and cannot wait to share it with my kiddo! There are library ghosts, a young detective with a mystery to solve, and a little free library!

I love that this book is all about books and libraries, and how everyone experiences a book, a story, a library in a way that is special and unique. One of my favorite aspects of the story is when Al (Assistant Librarian) is reminiscing about The Boy who hung back, who wouldn't join book club, who wouldn't speak, and how she realized that even though he communicated differently, he was still experiencing books, and his responses were just as important as the responses of the kids who came to book club and spoke profusely about their love of a book.

This was a good, pure hearted book for kids!

I received an #arc from #netgalley . All enthusiastic opinions are my own!

This multiple perspective mystery allows readers to know more than any of the characters, providing a way for them to figure out some of the clues faster. While many parts are not quite believable to adults, young mystery enthusiasts and cat lovers will not care. Give this one to library lovers who also enjoy quirky mysteries. Recommended for grades 4 & up.

This was not for me. It seemed like a fun and whimsical premise but the writing was a little disjointed.

What a sweet book! I absolutely loved the unique POV characters and their individual stories, which all came together beautifully in the end.

The Lost Library is what I would consider a cozy middle-grade mystery. Narrated by Mortimer the cat, Evan the boy, and Al the ghost, each character each character overcomes their own struggles as they solve the mystery of why the library in their town burned down 20 years ago. And solving that mystery might uncover more of the truth than they ever expected.

I've never read a book quite like this. It spoke to my introverted, tender-hearted, book-loving soul and had so many empowering truths that even young readers will appreciate.

One of my favorite quotes: "Being a Great Reader has nothing to do with reading great sophisticated books, or reading great long books, or even with reading a great many books. Being a Great Reader means feeling something about books." (Note: these words are still subject to change)

I highly recommend this book to middle-grade kids and kids at heart everywhere, especially those who are a little more shy and unsure of themselves. This book is definitely for them. 💜

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

This book was all sorts of magical and I can definitely see my younger readers at the library LOVING this book. I will definitely be recommending this one for purchase ASAP.

"Being a Great Reader means feeling something about books." Rebecca Stead does it again by weaving a love of books and libraries into a cozy mystery full of mystery authors, ghosts, and local history. The Lost Library tells a story of a tragic accident that happened 20+ years ago by alternating the perspectives of a current child, a six-toed cat, and three ghosts with short chapters. This would be a great read aloud in any library, classroom, or home for any child.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

I love Wendy Mass and I love Rebecca Stead and when they get together, it is nothing short of magical. I adored this novel. It explored grief, and coming-of-age all while solving a decades old mystery. I've already purchased this title for my library and I cannot wait to get it in!

A wonderful mystery involved cats, mice, libraries, and fires. As an adult and librarian, I loved this book, which is like a little love letter to libraries and their power to transform lives and communities. Yet, a local mystery (with a surprise twist at the end) gives structure to this story and keeps us reading to find out if our young sleuth can solve the mystery!

Rebecca Stead is one of the best writers around. Her books are so well written and interesting. Wendy Mass is great too. This is an autobuy for all libraries.

I really loved this book. The changing perspectives were confusing at first, but once I understood how the world worked, I was hooked. It is a mystery, and an engaging one at that, but more so a story of how friendships and communities form. It's also a wonderful love letter to libraries and librarians. A sweet and lovely tale.

The Lost Library, a middle grade novel co-authored by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass (Feiwel & Friends, August 2023) is a magical mystery that celebrates the power of books. Evan loves books, so he eagerly takes two from the new “Little Free Library” that was built in front of the town’s history museum. The books lead him on a quest to find out what happened to the town library, which burned down many years ago. Answering his questions gives him a new perspective on his own family.

I say this book is magical because there are “ghosts” present, but also because of the unrealistic feel to the story, which seems to be set in the present day. The narration alternates between the cat Mortimer’s perspective (3rd person), Evan’s perspective (3rd person), and the perspective of the former assistant librarian Al (1st person). I’m not a fan of various perspectives shifting from 1st to 3rd person, but it is fun to see all three perspectives throughout the story. Al, who tries to be invisible, was the assistant librarian in the building on the day it burned down, and she feels haunted by this past. With the cat’s help, the mystery is solved. Al no longer needs to worry, Mortimer finds peace, and Evan’s life if changed.

As an adult, I felt that the fantasy elements were unsatisfactory. It almost felt ridiculous in the way the mystery is solved, and I noticed a few issues that distracted me from the story. (For example, the cat is still alive 23 years later?) But I know I am not the main audience, I’m an adult!

The Lost Library was written for lower Middle Grade audiences, and they are sure to like the animal stories, the mystery, and the ghostly aspect. It is a short and sweet book just right for anyone who loves reading books themselves. From my perspective, the book nicely showed the symbolic power of books: books save, help one through difficult times, unite community, and, ultimately, frame one’s life.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance review copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Lost Library follows a group of characters from a town where the library burned down in the past. These characters include a boy about to finish 5th grade, an assistant librarian, and even a cat. A little free library appears in this town and Evan tries to solve the mystery of the burned down library.

I loved this book! It was so cute and wholesome. I love books about loving books and libraries. It also showed a lot of good relationships between people like father and son and librarian and patron. The “twists” were pretty predictable but it is a middle grade book so I think for the target audience it’s great.

I highly recommend this book! Thanks so much to netgalley and Macmillan childrens publishing group for the arc in exchange for an honest opinion!

This was a quick read, with an engaging mystery, concerning the sudden appearance of a “little free library” on the Martinville town green. The “little free library” is filled with books that were returned to the public library on the day it burnt down 20 years ago. I admit that, inasmuch that I was caught up reading this story, I was very frustrated with the town of Martinville: In 20 years, why hadn’t anyone rebuilt the town’s public library?