The Lost Library is a feel-good story for anyone but especially those who are lovers of libraries and mysteries. One of the main characters, who actually starts the story, is an orange cat, which is so charming and a sweet start to a sweet story, Mortimer, the cat, is guarding a little free library after Al, another main character, built it. Evan, the boy in the story, is trying to figure out what happened to the public library. He finally learns that it burned down but under suspicious circumstances. Needing to know more, Evan decides to investigate but he discovers more than he bargained for. Meanwhile Al is trying to find her place in the world and in the world of libraries. Can Mortimer, Evan, and Al work together to solve the mystery and build a new future? This book feels like a hug. It would be a great addition to any upper elementary, middle, or even high school library, classroom library, or public library. It would also be a sweet gift for any child that age or anyone who builds a new Little Free Library. Highly recommend!

I absolutely loved this book! I loved the mystery aspect and I loved the cozy vibes. I will definitely reread this. It’s a perfect library feels middle grade. Highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Young Listeners for the opportunity to listen to this book.

In Rebecca Stead's enchanting tale, "The Lost Library," readers go on a thrilling adventure through the pages of time and mystery when 12-year-old Fiona uncovers a hidden library behind her school's walls.

This was adorable, sweet, and cozy. I enjoyed every minute of it and am so glad I got the opportunity to listen to it. The audio was well done and really brought the characters to life.

I definitely recommend!

I expected to enjoy this as a librarian and fan of this author duo, but I struggled immensely through this story. That said, I believe it was my mistake because I failed to see this was an audiobook. Auditory processing is not a strength of mine, and in fact this was the only audiobook I’ve ever forced myself to finish, Good news is that this book is a Kentucky Bluegrass Award nominee which means I’ll read a physical copy of the book soon and promote it as part of the KBA program in my school library.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

A fantastic middle-grade mystery with an eager, inquisitive kid, a ghost assistant librarian, and a protective orange kitty cat.
I listened to the audiobook, and due to life issues, had to stop for a few weeks, but was able to pick it right back up again with ease. The three very different voices of the POVs being done by three separate readers was lovely, as it might be hard for younger readers to differentiate the shifts by tone alone. Plus, all three were delightful.
I would absolutely recommend this for young readers / middle-grade who like a bit of middle stakes mystery - not so low stakes that you lose interest but not so high stakes that it's stressful. The mystery *means something* to the main kid character, so he brings us as the readers along. Can't wait to hand this one to my younger patrons.

The narrator was good; read a bit slowly. The story was so-so. I enjoyed the characters and I enjoyed the twist towards the end. It would be a good poignant story for late elementary to early middle schoolers.

The Lost Library is a wonderfully engaging young reader adventure by Rebecca Stead & Wendy Mass. Released 29th Aug 2023 by Macmillan on their Feiwel & Friends imprint, it's 224 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, mass market paperback, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.

Libraries are so vital. Learning to read and finding refuge in the library seems to be a common denominator for virtually *all* lifelong readers. This is a warm and sweetly nostalgic story about books, living authentically, libraries, and growing up. It's told in alternating PoV between Mortimer, (a polydactyl genius cat), Al (a ghost), and Evan (a kid moving up to middle school from primary school and who isn't entirely ok with the situation yet).

Chapters are clearly marked in the headings, so there's no confusion about who's talking. There's a great deal of whimsy and gentle humor and the prose is so appealing and simply written that it'll be enjoyable by all ages. This would be a good one for a classroom circle (Lexile 640L) or bedtime read.

The audiobook has a run time of 4 hours and 15 minutes and is capably narrated by an ensemble cast. They do a good job of delineating their respective characters and the sound and production quality are high throughout the read.

Four stars for both the print story and the audiobook.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I think I could recommend this book to anyone! The narrator of the audiobook was also so soothing to listen to. A book about books for book lovers and all kinds of readers. With thanks to NetGalley for both the ebook and audiobook editions for review.

As always thank you to publishers and Netgalley for a free arc in exchange for an honest review.

The lost library is truly a warm hug of a book. This is the definition of a cozy mystery that you curl up with and finish in a day because it's just that good. Haunted, mysterious libraries that just pop up leaving numerous questions as to where it came from and what is going on, everything about this book is precious. Absolutely worth the read in every single way. If nothing else, read this one for Mortimer the cat. I promise you will not be disappointed. The production on the audiobook itself was absolutely incredible as well, to everyone involved I appreciate you.

This was a sweet story that I enjoyed! A mysterious Little.Free Library pops up overnight and changing the lives of many town residents. Check this out if you enjoy young reads, ghostie librarians, cats, and feel-good stories!

This short but impactful audiobook was a great listen with my children last fall. They love animal main characters and any book about books is a big win too. It took us a little bit to get a handle on who everyone was and how they related to one another, but the ending was so satisfying that that didn't matter

The Lost Library was an amazing story. It would make a great in-person read aloud book. I had trouble following this book audibly. I bought the book and read the hard copy. I absolutely loved this book! My Twitter book chat group loved it as well. Another participant in the chat switched from the audible book to the hard copy as well. The switch was well worth it. This book is too good to miss.

This is a charming middle grade fantasy, light mystery. My Rating 4.5.

The public library burned down years ago in the small town of Martinville. It surprises everyone when a mysterious little free library appears one morning. The small unit is apparently guarded by a large orange cat who watches all the goings on. Eleven-year-old Evan is quick to choose to books from the library and these trigger a mystery. The last check out of the books appears to be by a man who became a famous author but the date is important. The date is the day the library burned, an event that no one talks about.

Evan and his best friend, Rafe, start asking question as Evan is determined to solve the mystery of the fire. He isn’t happy about the facts that he uncovers and is insistent on pushing for answers.

The story is charmingly told by Mortimer, the cat, a ghostly librarian named AI, and Evan. It shares the importance of books and libraries, as well as the importance of being open minded to investigate and not jump to conclusions.

I totally enjoyed this quick, sweet story and would love to share it with my grandchildren. It has a good message and sweet characters. I recommend this to anyone who loves books and libraries.

Audio Notes: The three narrators, Christopher Gebauer, Jennifer Blom, and Rob Dircks, do a lovely job delivering the story with clarity and empathy. I am pleased I had the chance to listen to this through NetGalley.

Source: 6/29/2023 NetGalley.

This was such a cute little book and I enjoyed it so much!!! Thank you to the publisher for letting me have the privilege of owning this ARC!

Cute middle grade book. While there is a ghost character, it isn’t a spooky or weird ghost, but I know that some parents don’t love that idea. Evan and his family are my favorite characters. The little cat was cute too. I’d recommend my boys to read it if they wanted to.

Sweet middle grade read for readers of all ages who love books and the power of family and friendship. When a little free library pops up in their community, Evan and Rafe team up to discover where it came from. They discover more than that, as they learn some town history and how their families and teachers played a role in it.

This was great mystery/ ghost YR story. Evan and Rafe find a free library that just appiered. All the books are checked out from library that burned 20 years ago, Evan and Rafe try to solve mystery to find out how did library burned. Through investigation Evan find out her dad is involved , but she does not know how. This is great book for book lover as well as mystery reader. We also follow a ghost story that gives us a pieces of history of library..

This book was good! I liked the characters and the setting. The author writes good too!!
I hope to read more by this author in the future! Looking forward to it!

A little free library appears in the town square of Martinville overnight, guarded by a fluffy, mysterious orange tabby. Evan grabs a couple of books from inside and he and his friend Rafe discover a link between one of the old books and a long-ago event. It seems there was a library that burned down years ago, and these books once graced it's shelves. Evan and Rafe begin to investigate the fire to see if they can figure out who was responsible. There is also a mystery about a famous author that once took out one of the books that Evan has stashed under his bed. What experiences are Evan and Rafe in for as they continue to investigate?

This was a fun middle grade story about books, libraries, writing, little free libraries, mysteries, family and friendship. There are some ghosts in the building that used to house the library and lots of mice that the cat deals with. I loved the storyline about the cat, Mortimer. He is known around town and everyone has a name for him. He also doesn't kill the mice he catches, so they keep coming back, adding a bit of humor to the story. This story is told from the POVs of Mortimer the cat, Evan the human boy, and Al the ghost. At first, I thought Al was alive, but quickly realized that he was a ghost. The characters and the story were well written and plotted. I loved the concept and how it centered around a Little Free Library, as well as the charming exploration of how a love of reading can unite people. Overall, this was a cute story with a couple of mysteries. My only issue is that the clues were pretty obvious and I figured it out quickly, and I think young people will as well. The audiobook was well narrated by Christopher Gebauer, Jennifer Blom, and Rob Dircks. The each narrated one of the main characters giving them their own voice. I recommend this one in any format to those who love books about reading, libraries and mysteries.