This was an adorable middle grade novel about the power of friendship and community.

Since a devastating fire in 1999, the town of Martinville has been without a library until one day when the residents wake up to a mysterious little free library being protected by a large cat. Fifth grader Evan eagerly takes two books, not realizing one of them was checked out by a well-known mystery author. But how is the author related to the town and does he know more about the fire that destroyed the library?

This was a fun read with cute characters and the narration was perfect.

THE LOST LIBRARY by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass is a new story written for late elementary age students in grades three through five. In fact, a major character is 5th-grader Evan who "loved making free time and then spending it however he wanted." Another narrator is Mortimer, the orange cat who is struggling with changes to his library and missing his sister, Petunia. A "ghost" librarian named Al also narrates some chapters. Young readers will enjoy the mystery element involving old library books, a polaroid picture, and library fire that occurred decades ago. Both Rebecca Stead (Goodbye Stranger) and Wendy Mass (A Mango-Shaped Space is a personal favorite) are so very talented at writing for middle grade students that it was fun to see another collaboration from them. The audiobook – narrated by Christopher Gebauer, Jennifer Blom, and Rob Dircks - is very well done, too, and will hold listeners' interest. The voices convey the varied characters and their personality traits quite well.

And, if you are curious and want to learn more about creating a Little Free Library, check out these rather whimsical versions made from all kinds of recycled materials:
https://littlefreelibrary.org/little-free-libraries-shoestring-budget/

As a Little Free Library steward, I found so much connection to the first part of the story. I believe in the accessibility of books to neighborhoods and the power of imagination through reading! This book has a delightful cast of characters- a cat, some mice, a young boy, a few ghosts, and a library! We adventure through their different perspectives as the boy attempts to solve a town mystery inspired by a book he found in the LFL! Perfect for mystery fans, avid readers, kids or adults looking to be inspired to read, cat lovers, and so many more!

I enjoyed the audiobook version having a cast of readers to give each perspective more depth.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and authors Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Lost Library was a captivating middle-grade mystery. Characters were realistic and fun. The premise was just enough mystery with just enough surprise--I'd recommend it to middle-grade readers, but also to adults or teens looking for a fun read.

It was a good little read. It was very fun & fast paced kept my interest the whole time! The kids even enjoyed this story! Very fun

The Lost Library is a new all-time favorite! The story is told through the perspectives of a cat, a ghost librarian and 11 yo Evan as they solve the mystery of the lost library, that no one seems to want to talk about. This book was an absolute joy! I cannot say enough great things about it.

The writing was quick, witty and captivating. The story was mysterious and poignant. There were so many moments as I was listening to the audiobook that I had to stop and rewind, so that I could pull out a notebook and write down a quote. It was such a beautiful and fun read. I cried, but I also snort-laughed.

I have nothing negative to say about this one. The audiobook in particular was highly enjoyable. I think that everyone, adult and child alike, will find something to love about this book! Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to listen to this one by some amazing MG authors.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so fun and sweet. This really was a reminder and testament to the power of books for everyone. I loved the talk of a good reader and how anyone who enjoys books is a good reader. I loved this book and think it will be great for kids.

We listened to the audiobook version of this book, which was very well narrated. Evan and Rafe uncover secrets from the past in order to learn what happened to the town’s library. The truth will surprise you! We enjoyed this story and the mystery surrounding the lost library.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book prior to publication.

A Free Little Library, a large orange cat, and a librarian ghost make for a delightful mystery. Stead and Mass are perfect for children's fiction. The narration was engaging and I appreciated having multiple narrators.

This was such a cute middle grade story! I enjoyed the friendships, mystery, and having one of the narrators be a cat named Mortimer. The book is short and moves along at a nice pace and tells a complete story without leaving any loose ends.

There are several points of view, Mortimer is the guardian of the library, Al is an assistant librarian who decides to finally bring back a library to the town, and Evan is about to graduate middle school when he stumbles upon a mystery twenty years old. I thought the three characters worked well together and made the story interesting and fun.

I definitely recommend this fantasy and I hope to see more from Stead soon!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Macmillan Young Listeners and NetGalley for the copy.

Thank you Net Galley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was absolutely adorable and I willl recommend this not only to my daughter but anyone who is looking for a wholesome little read.

The Lost Library is a middle grade book by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass is currently scheduled for release on August 29 2023. The audiobook is narrated by Christopher Gebauer, Jennifer Blom, and Rob Dircks. When a mysterious little free library (guarded by a large orange cat) appears overnight in the small town of Martinville, eleven-year-old Evan plucks two weathered books from its shelves, never suspecting that his life is about to change. Evan and his best friend Rafe quickly discover a link between one of the old books and a long-ago event that none of the grown-ups want to talk about. The two boys start asking questions whose answers will transform not only their own futures, but the town itself. Told in turn by a ghost librarian named Al, an aging (but beautiful) cat named Mortimer, and Evan himself, The Lost Library is 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).

The Lost Library is a delightful listen, and I really appreciated that the three narrators of the story each literally had their own voice. It made the story come alive, and made it easier to remember who we are with if we need to pause in the middle of a chapter and come back later. I also enjoyed how interwoven the different parts of the story were, and how everything came together. The mystery of the library fire was very well done, but was not the only mystery in the book. While some of the mysteries I suspected the answers to before they were revealed, I thought everything was very engaging and that readers of all ages could connect with one or more of the characters in the story.

The Lost Library is a well rounded and engaging read that I suspect will become a fast favorite for many.

A little free library pops up in town and Evan snags a couple of old books which leads to all kinds of questions. Did a famous author once live in their town? Who started a fire that nobody will talk about? As they keep digging, secrets come to light and Evan and his friend, Rafe, change the future for themselves and the town. This is a fantastic middle school book narrated by a ghost and featuring a large orange cat. There is some magic and some mystery and a message about the power of a good book.

I will be recommending this to my middle grade students who come in my bookstore!

I was a little thrown at first, because our first chapter is narrated by... a cat. Several mice also feature prominently. But hey, this is a kids' book. Thankfully, the chapters do alternate with other narrators - human ones - and I caught on quickly.

One of our main characters is a boy named Evan, who is about to graduate from elementary school. He and his best friend are nervous, but excited, both about summer vacation and about going to middle school. The boys find a little free library in their town, and take out some books. The town does not have a real library, so this one is causing a stir.

This leads the boys to question some things about the town's history, though. It turns out there was a real library, but it burned down twenty years ago. Why didn't the town rebuild it? How did the fire start, and was it on purpose?

Our other narrators are the cat, Mortimer, who used to hang out in the old library to keep the mice away; and Al, the former assistant librarian who may or may not have died in the fire. (If a cat can be a narrator, so can a ghost!)

As the story alternates perspectives, it also alternates between the present - when the boys are trying to solve the mystery of the old library - and the past, thanks to the memories of both Mortimer and Al, who worked in said library. These last two characters also still live in the town now, though, and interact with Evan, his best friend, his dad, etc.

This was a cute story, with some obvious magical/whimsical elements. There is some waxing philosophical about the power of books, which an avid reader may enjoy. But putting the pieces together of what happened twenty years ago is what really keeps the story moving. I can't say the ending is entirely surprising, to an adult who's read a few mysteries before, but there are some poignant goodbyes and reunions within.

Whatever you think you know about this book going in, chances are, you are wrong.
Whatever you think you know after reading for awhile, chances are, you are wrong, until, all of the sudden, you are right and you take a deep breath and go OHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

I think if figured stuff out early simply because I am adult and I look at things MUCH differently than middle-schoolers do, but that absolutely DID NOT TAKE AWAY from the joy and mystery and love that is this amazing little book. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of this [well, not every moment. There was a couple niggly things for me, which is why this is 4 stars, but I cannot mention them because SPOILERS, which we ALL KNOW are totally UGH] and it was just such a well-told story.

Typically, I am not a fan of multiple narrators, but it really worked here [and other authors should take note of just how great Mortimer the Cat is here - if you need a cat narrator, THIS is the template you should be using for your own story] and I found I wasn't annoyed by them like I sometimes am [I LOVE it when a trope I am so tired of actually works the way it is supposed to and makes the reading even more enjoyable], which is winner, winner for me.

This is such a great book and I can see so many kids just eating this mystery and story up. I have loved Rebecca Stead since I stumbled on her amazing story "When You Reach Me" and this collab with Wendy Mass just made it icing on the cake. Well done.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rebecca Stead, Wendy Mass, Jennifer Blom - Narrator, Christopher Gebauer - Narrator, Rob Dircks - Narrator, and Macmillan Audio/Macmillan Young Audio for providing this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC of this adorable ghost story!

This was so fun and cute! I read it with my kids (10 and 7) and they both really liked it. It had so many aspects that would’ve made me pick it up - a library, ghosts, cat, and mystery. The mystery was at just the right level for middle graders - it felt obvious as an adult but I checked in with my kids a few times and neither seemed to see any twists coming. The end was especially good.

A book about a Little Library? Yeah!! And if you are a cat lover, there is cause for a double yahoo!
I was familiar with Wendy Mass and knew my kids had enjoyed previous books written by her so I took my chance with this one. Geared at upper elementary or middle grades, this offers something for everyone: pet companions, mystery, and friendships.

Martinville has been without a library due to a fire (the origin of which was never discovered). When Even discovers a Little Library (with a cat perched on top), his curiosity draws him to check it out. He finds two books of interest and is very surprised to find out that his own father had checked out one of them. As he reads both of these books, he becomes drawn into the mysteries of the library fire. His dad was acting very odd about the book Evan had found and being a bit dodgy about the days he had spent at the Martinville Library.

Even and his best friend Rafe, are determined to find out what really happened so many years ago but it's hard to solve a mystery that no one in town will talk about. Part of the mystery of this book has to do with the people who are taking care of Mortimer. I love the tenacity of Evan and Rafe, the loyalty of the cat, Mortimer, to his Little Library duties, and the bit of mystery as Martinville's past events come slowly into focus. There is also a little side story starring Mortimer which offers the reader a lesson about kindness and friendship in the animal world.

[Parental Note: An other-worldly element pertaining to ghosts factors into the story. Nothing sinister but worth mentioning so parents aren't blindsided if they choose to steer clear of those types of books. It may offer an opportunity to talk with kids about what they think happens after people die.]

Disclaimer: I received a free digital audio version of The Lost Library for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received and the opinions expressed are my own.

This was so cute! I loved Evan so much. The little free library was so cute. I loved the ghosts. The story was awesome, i loved the mystery. I loved the narration. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

A cozy middle grade mystery about Evan who discovers a mysterious free little library and the rabbit hole this discovery leads him down. This town used to have its own library, but it burned down years ago and now Evan is on the case to figure out how since the case was never solved back at the time.
This was a delightful listen with wonderful narration by Christopher Gebauer, Jennifer Blom, and Rob Dircks. Mortimer the library cat has to be one of the best animal POVs that I have read in the a while. The story was well balanced between Evan’s search for answers in the present and Al’s memories of the old library leading up to the fire. I also found Al’s character arc over the course of the story to be extremely heartwarming, as losing your way after a disaster can be extremely difficult and going along with her as she finds her way back gave the story its heart. Overall, this was a sweet mystery with a touch of magical realism perfect for the middle grade reader.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for early access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Evan and his best friend Rafe are fifth-graders who are soon to graduate from their little Martinville elementary school. One day, they notice a Little Free Library that appears out of nowhere, guarded by a neighborhood cat.

Evan is the first to borrow books from the library, only to discover a mystery that he's determined to solve. What happened on the day the Martinville Library burned down back when his own father was still a boy, and how did the fire actually start?

As Evan and Rafe begin to investigate, they seem to uncover more questions than answers. But with the help of a couple of ghosts, the neighborhood cat, and of course, a librarian, they soon reveal the answers they're looking for!

This was a great middle-grade story filled with talking mice, a grumpy cat, life-changing librarians, and so much more!

Thank you to Rebecca Stead, Wendy Mass, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.