Nice upper elementary to middle school mystery book. I liked the narrator. 4 stars. I know many of my 5th graders who would like this book.

Didn't realize this was a children's story, but I very much loved it's characters. I shared it with my children, and they enjoyed the story as well. It includes one of my favorite aspects of childhood, which is realizing your parents had a life before they were parents.

Audiobook ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Happy Monday! It’s Middle Grade Monday, yay, and We (Aspen and I) are so excited to share this new middle grade book with you!

I was able to listen to this ALC on @netgalley thanks to them and @macmillan.audio in partnership with Feiwel & Friends. My opinions are my own, as always.

AUDIOBOOK: The Lost Library
AUTHORS: Rebecca Stead & Wendy Mass @rebstead
NARRATORS: Christopher Gebauer, Jennifer Blom & Rob Dircks
LENGTH: 4 hrs 15 min at 1X speed
PUBLISHED: August 29, 2023

First off let me mention the narration is so good I would definitely recommend that version for you, your family or just your kids, these three narrators bring the story to life and add so much personality to Mortimer, the cat, as well as the ghostly librarian, and the boys!

This book is told from 3 points of view; Mortimer the cat, a little boy named Evan & a ghost called AL.

When a Little Free Library suddenly appears down the street, Evan decides to investigate with his friend, Rafe. Next thing you know he has opened a door to a mystery that happened long before he was born.

Who built the LFL is nothing when compared to who burned down the public library years ago. . . But what if they're connected?

This book reminded me of my childhood, filled with hours of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys books I used to read and reread.

Reading this book as an adult, the final twists seem pretty clear relatively early on. These secrets are well seeded in the first half of the plot. But that's okay. This is not really a mystery. Not beyond the surface elements. This is a story about kids at a point of transition, about examining the larger world for the first time, fearing the future but recognizing it's inevitability. Its about trauma and the things that break us. And the things that make us whole again. It is populated by compelling, complex characters who are believable. It's a charming, quick read that holds up to repeats.

Lovely book! This was a pleasant reminder on the importance of libraries nowadays. I’m a librarian and I have gotten to see the shift from traditional libraries to modern day libraries which is very prevalent in the school library environment now for sure. It is a central hub for the whole school. You don’t have to read silently in the library anymore, or that’s not what libraries are fully about anymore.

A charming mystery featuring a free little library, and multi POVs including that of a cat name Mortimer, what more could you want?!

This is a lovely middle grade book, that would have hit all my sleuthing buttons a child with even a little sprinkling of cozy spooky, so no scary elements (that was always a deal breaker for me as a young reader).

Highly recommend for the kiddos who like mysteries and books.

***Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review.

I listened to this with 2 children, and we were all equally invested in the story line. I guessed two major plot twists, but the kids didn't. They cheered at the big reveals. We loved how the authors wrapped up the story, and both kids sighed when it was over. Narrators did a great job. It was, overall, a win for us.

Thanks to NetGalley, I got an Advanced Listening Copy of this audiobook, and I’m so glad. I have since raved about it to my family and I definitely want to buy a copy for my library. I loved going into it not knowing much about it— I just knew I was captivated by the delightful cover and the tagline saying it was about a boy, a cat, a little free library, and a ghostly librarian. I loved it— intriguing mystery, endearing characters, and definitely a dash of the unexpected. Also it made me tear up at the end— more out of tenderness than sadness— and I don’t cry often in books.

The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass is a heartwarming and mysterious tale centered around a little free library guarded by a large orange cat and a boy named Evan.

As Evan selects two weathered books from this magical library, he unknowingly sets in motion a chain of events that connect the past to the present in their small town. With his best friend Rafe, Evan goes on a journey of discovery, digging up long-buried secrets that the adults in this small town would rather forget.

Narrated from the perspectives of a ghost librarian, an aging yet beautiful cat, and Evan himself, the story weaves together themes of self-discovery, the power of books, and the impact of truth. It's a timeless and beautifully written narrative that reminds us of the magic that exists in books and the librarians who share them. The many narrators used in this audiobook made it so captivating and easy to listen to.

If you love stories that celebrate the joy of reading, friendship, and uncovering hidden mysteries, The Lost Library is a delightful choice that will capture your heart.

I loved this heartwarming middle grade story. The Lost Library slowly reveals a long kept town secret about the former library through three perspectives. Evan, a 5th grader, becomes obsessed with finding the truth when he notices old library books in the Free Little Library. We also hear from
Al, a ghost librarian and Mortimer the cat who protects the Little Library. I love the way the different story lines tied together. I definitely recommend this book to any reader who is a fan or mystery with a splash of fantasy.

Great fun! I love Rebecca Stead. Good narrators for this, wonderful characters. I appreciated different narrators for the different story lines. It really captured my attention and didn't let it go! A lovely adventure. I hated to have this great book come to an end.

For kids (and hey!... adults like me) who LOVE books. And libraries. And Little Free Library boxes. And for anyone who loves reading books ABOUT books. (>>> This is one of those really good ones.)

I love the whole story of The Lost Library. It's fun, small-town adventure. Eleven-year-old Evan finds himself involved in unpacking the smoky mystery behind why the town library burned to the ground twenty years prior. If you can imagine that this poor boy (and all the other kids in town) are growing up WITHOUT A LIBRARY. Ugh. Wouldn't that be the worst for us book-lovers?

So when a Little Free Library box appears on Evan's route to school, it's definitely something to go check out. As in, "check out" a couple of the books and take them home. But it turns out to be more than he bargained for, when it is those very books that start his mind whirring... and it kicks him into motion to search for more clues about the old library that used to exist, and why it is no more.

Oh yeah, there's an orange cat with mice friends -- and some cozy library ghosts for company who get to read for eternity. (I'm not kidding. They also drink tea and eat cheese. Yes, I'm talking about the library ghosts.)

Wanna join the fun? I think you should!

I will read anything by Rebecca Stead and was curious to give an audiobook a try. I listened to this on a road trip with my family and we all enjoyed listening and discussing what we thought caused the fire at the library.

After reading "The List of Things That Will Not Change" by this author and the synopsis of the story, I was so excited to listen to this audiobook. I was not disappointed.

This is a great mystery for middle-grade students. As a librarian, I love the inclusion of the library as a setting and the use of a Little Free Library as a plot device. This book is unique because the storytelling is alternating perspectives among the human child we follow (Evan), a cat (Mortimer), and a ghost librarian (Al). The audiobook has three different narrators for these characters. That makes it so much easier to keep track.

I could see this book being used for a class readaloud with great opportunities for discussion on foreshadowing, characterization, and the slow payoff of a revelation in a mystery book. This book hit so many important notes for my readers: animal fans, paranormal fans, and mystery fans!

*Audiobook*

Evan, an 11 year old boy in the small town of Martinville, notices a mysterious little library that seemingly popped up out of nowhere. It is always guarded by a cat and strangely smells of applesauce, so Evan thinks there is much more to this little library than what meets the eye. Evan and his friend Rafe start digging around and discover that it is likely connected to a library that burned to the ground many years ago. No one knows how the library caught fire, but Evan soon realizes that his father is connected. He must solve what happened to find out the truth and clear his father’s name.

This is a middle grade novel that is on the younger side. I enjoyed the audiobook. There were several narrators because chapters are told from various point of views, so it was easy to keep track of each characters’ perspectives. I think there were too many narrators, though. The story is told by Evan, Mortimer (the cat), and a ghost named Al. I didn’t feel all of those perspectives were necessary, and I think it could be a bit confusing for young readers, especially in the beginning. I would have preferred more Evan and less Mortimer/ The plot is paced well, though, and I liked the mix of mystery and fantasy. It’s a great introduction for young readers to different genres, and I think reluctant readers would enjoy this. Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Rebecca Stead for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A sweet and enjoyable read, the narrator was quite lovely! I always absolutely love any book I can get my hands on about libraries, and this one didn't disappoint.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for this ARC.

I did not get a chance to listen before it was archived.

I’m giving stars bc: cat, ghost librarian, and cute cover.

Such a feel-good little mystery for library lovers. I will definitely be recommending this one at my library. It's a perfect heartwarming story by two amazing authors.

OK, full disclosure here: I am the steward for two little free libraries, so LFLs already have my heart. But I think I would have loved this story anyway. It has a mystery, with clues found in books, and a ghost librarian! The story is told in three voices - the cat who guards the LFL, Evan (who is one of the first to find the mysterious LFL that shows up overnight), and said ghost librarian. This may be a lot of perspectives to keep track of for young readers, but strong readers will have no problem. It would make for a super class read-aloud for Grades 3-6. Extremely well written.

Thanks to NetGalley, authors Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass, and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook.

This was just the cutest book. The narration was very good and the mystery was interesting. The ghosts were a fun addition. The cat was my favorite part of the book. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.