The Lost Library is a great book for middle schoolers! Very charming and engaging read. Some questions were left unanswered which felt a little bit like plot holes to me, but likely were intentional as part of the author leaving some of the mystery to the readers. I will definitely be reading more of Rebecca Stead in my endeavor to fill my children’s personal library!

The Lost Library is a great first mystery for middle-grade readers. I would recommend it for kids in 2nd-4th grades. The story starts out with a little free library (LFL) appearing overnight in a small town. No one in town knows how it got there. It seems to be watched over by an elderly cat who has a story of his own. A 5th grader named Evan gets more than just books when he borrows two titles from the LFL. He finds himself wrapped up in a mystery with supernatural elements. This was a fun book to listen to on audio. I think middle grade readers will really enjoy it!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, and NetGalley for a review copy of this audiobook.

I listened to the audiobook and I thought the story was nice. I appreciated multiple narrators and that the one, who voiced Evan's chapters, sounded "younger" than just a straight adult voice.

Audiobooks are not my strong suit as I get distracted easily but I am working to build this skill. I focus better when I listen at the gym but it is still a struggle.
All that to say that I think if I had read this book rather than listened to it, I would have enjoyed it more and rated it higher. That's a me thing and not a book/writer thing at all. I'll pick this up again and re-read it and see if I'm correct.

Overall, this is a pretty good middle grade mystery book.

I received a dARC (audiobook) from the publisher via Netgalley; this is my honest review.

This book was great! I love that the story centres around a little free library and the mystery of where it came from and what happened to the town library. I absolutely loved the ending, I even teared up a little bit.

Christopher Gebauer, Jennifer Blom, Rob Dircks all did a great job narrating this novel. I am not sure which of the three narrators voiced Mortimer but I loved the timbre of their voice. I loved that all three characters has distinct voices, it made it very easy to identify which character's POV we were hearing that chapter (in case you weren't paying attention at the beginning of the chapter when the character was introduced).

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy for review.

What a great read. This book reminds us of the importance of libraries and reading. It is told from multiple perspectives, one of which is a cat. I love animal narrators. They give us a unique perspective. I don't want to reveal much because it would ruin the surprise.

This is a must for any middle grade library.

I liked many things about this #mglit book! There's a #cat, a #littlefreelibrary & lots of talk about #books & #libraries Also #ghosts & did I mention a #cat?! #thelostlibrary by #rebeccastead & #wendymass read by #christophergebauer #jenniferblom & #robdircks thanks to #netgalley & #macmillanaudio #macmillanyounglisteners #myeyespreferaudiobooks🎧 #accessiblebooks

I find the more I read from Rebecca Stead, the more I enjoy her works. Evan is trying to solve a mystery. Where did the little free library come from? Why is his dad's name in all of the check out cards inside? Why does nobody talk about how the library burned down? And who is the mysterious author H.G. Higgins?

Meanwhile Al is a ghost, who for the last twenty years, has lived in the History House with two other ghost and an orange cat. She longs to be in a library again. Mortimer, the cat, is hiding a secret. Could everything be related?

The Lost Library was a chill, fun read. The mystery is light and the author's love of libraries and reading really comes through. 4/5 stars

This mystery story is told from the points of view of a librarian, a cat, and an ascending middle-grader. It includes ghosts and talking animals (only understandable to each other). Multigenerational relationships abound between friends, colleagues, neighbors, and family. I was so totally engaged that I didn't want to stop reading. The ending was wonderful. This book is perfect to share with tween readers in your life, of course, as well as book, library, and mystery lovers of all ages who enjoy a nonviolent, not scary, slightly magical tale. 4.35⭐

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio/Macmillan Young Listeners, for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review. Publication is expected August 29.

Just isn't working for me. Some of the initial perspectives just felt jarring in the inturruption to the story and felt unnecessary. I made it to 21% into the story before needing to dnf. It is just going too slow with nothing happening and the surprising elements aren't intruiging as intended.

Sweet book that reminded me a bit of Harriet the Spy meets The Hardy Boys. Simple little mystery to solve with books and a Little Free Library as the inspiration. I enjoyed this and finished it in less than a day.

A fun and engaging middle grade mystery centering books - loved it!

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the audiobook. I really wanted to get into it, but it just wasn’t for me.

The Lost Library is a sweet children's fiction that is about a mysterious fire, a little free library, a young ghost, and a cat! Told from alternating perspectives it is fun to read as the mystery unravels and all those different perspectives come together and unify the story. The Lost Library shows the importance of books and friendship. An excellent read.

It's a cozy mystery for children with a very light magical element and a lot of excellent character development. I particularly enjoyed how it slowly reveals little clues for the reader to piece things together before we get to the very satisfying ending. I also need more stories with Mortimer because that cat is precious.
The narration by Christopher Gebauer, Jennifer Blom, and Rob Dircks really brings the story to life with sharp, clear voices that really distinguish each character. I love an audiobook when you can tell which character is which just by the voice, tone, and inflection the narrator uses. I feel like this is doubly important in a children's book, so props to all attached for doing it.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners for the lovely listen!

This story was easily understood and would be a great starter mystery book for young readers. The clues would be very easy to spot for older readers.

When a Little free library appears overnight and is guarded by a cat the characters wonder how and who built it. This is a fun mystery for 8 and up. This story is told by different POV and is very well narrated. I enjoyed listening to the narrator and I think the audio version would be a fun choice to pick as a way to listen to this book

I received a free copy of this audio book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity.

The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass is narrated by Christopher Gebauer, Jennifer Blom, and Rob Dircks. The book is well written and the narration enhances the listening experience.

The book has three main characters, an orange cat named Mortimer, a fifth grade boy named Evan, and a ghost library assistant named Al.

A Little Free Library appears one morning in the town of Martinville. No one knows who built it and filled it. But the library leads to a mystery that Evan sets out to solve.

There are themes of family, friendship, and transitions for all the characters. Although it's a children's book, I enjoyed listening to it and recognized how much content there is for adults as well.

I will encourage my library to purchase the book as an addition to the children's collection.

The Lost Library is a middle grade mystery told from three POVs: Mortimer (the six toed grouch), Al (the assistant librarian), and Evan (the almost middle schooler). Throughout the story, Evan is trying to uncover the mystery of the town library fire with his best friend Rafe.

I loved the journey of the story. Each character uncovered their own truths and grow into more fulfilled versions of themselves. The characters were all very important for the conclusion of the story. I would recommend The Lost Library to anyone ages fifth grade and beyond.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a cute, quirky book! Very enjoyable.

The story is told from 3 different points of view and is exploring a town, their library and what exactly happened to the library. The audiobook had a different narrator for each point of view, which was very helpful and also entertaining.
This story is about letting go of the past and moving on to something, that while scary, might just be better.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an audiobook of this book, which will be published August 29, 2023.

This was such a fun listen!

I have never requested an audio book because I need to understand what is happening visually but this was so well written that I didnt need to.

I do think the content was very young (obviously) so it was hard for me to feel interested for a long time.

The characters were developed so well and i LOVED the premise. The idea that a library was burned down but that their are booked checked out recently had my soul leave my body for a little bit. I NEEDED to understand what happened.

Low stakes mystery but high stake fun!