Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade is based on the true story of Jessie Carson, a children’s librarian at the New York Public Library.  Jessie’s story unfolds in this dual timeline, dual voice novel as current day library employee, Wendy Peterson, works on preserving documents about the (primarily socialite) women who enlisted in the CARD program to aid French villages in rebuilding after WWI. The story is obviously well researched.  Charles brought to life the French villagers and the little-known women who volunteered for the CARD program.  I love that I learned something new from this book and that it inspired me to do more reading on the topic. Equally enjoyable were the many references to and quotes from literature. 

Jessie Carson was a librarian who shared books with the children of war-torn France at the end of WWI as part of the CARD (American Committee for Devastated France) project. Her story is told primarily from her point of view (via documents Wendy is preserving).  Wendy adds to Jessie’s story through her dedicated research and desire to reveal the CARD story.  I found Wendy to be slightly less developed and saw the character’s role as mainly presenting the CARD and Jessie Carson’s story. While both worked at a library and were quiet introverts, the similarities stop there. 

In Charles’ captivating and enlightening book, she shines a light on the power of reading and shared books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Miss Morgan’s book Brigade
By: Janet Skeslien Charles
Publisher: Atria
Pub Date 4/30/24
Jessie Kit Carson is a librarian at the NYC public library in 1918. She has just been recruited to join Ann Morgan and the CARDS in France during WWI. Ann being the daughter of JP Morgan is very wealthy and is paying Jessie to be there. It’s Jessie’s job to establish a library there when she arrives. Once she’s up and running she creates bookmobiles and adds story time for kids.
Wendy Peterson a writer who also works at the NYC public library but 70 years later. While scanning old records she finds an article about Jessie and the CARDS. She keeps digging for more information and ends up writing a book about them.
This book is a true story. After finishing the book I started reading about Jessie Carson. She and other librarians from New York Public Library took a leave of absence to help set up libraries again after the war.
Thanks to Janet Skelton Charles, Atria and NetGalley for the advance reader copy.

Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles is another phenomenal historical fiction piece.
Woah! I was so excited for another historical fiction from Janet Skeslien Charles.
This is such a fantastic book that got me hooked from the very beginning.
This is a fascinating and illuminating glimpse of World War I history.
Very well written that you get sucked into the story and just forget all your plans for the day because you just can't stop reading.
This story captured me, entertained me, and inspired me.
A story of resilience of the human spirit, the power of literature, and ultimately the courage it takes to make a change.

Thank You NetGalley and Atria Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Ugh, this book! All the feels! I'm on an emotional roller-coaster!

I loved Janet Skeslien Charles's The Paris Library, so I was so excited to hear about this book, and couldn't wait to get my hands on it!

Right from the beginning, it drew me in. I love dual timelines, especially when one of them is in the 1980s. Totally rad!

There's an American librarian, Jessie Carson (based on a real person!), who goes to the North of France during the Great War (WWI) to help with everything from books to chickens, and an archivist for the New York Public Library in the 1980s who discovers her and is dying to know what happened.

Even though this book is set during wartime, and terrible things are happening, it is so full of hope. I love how books are used as a healing balm for loss. There are, of course, heart-rending moments in this book, but also a lot of heartwarming moments.

Bonus points for mentioning my childhood favorite: Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery.

Thank you to Atria Books for proving me a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I love learning new historical facts in my fiction reads and I learned a lot from Miss Morgan's Book Brigade. Told in 2 time lines, Jessie Carson in 1918 and Wendy Peterson in 1987. Jessie is recruited to the CARD program to help French people during WWI, she had been a New York Public Librarian and she went to France to help rebuild libraries and bring books to people who lives had been devastated by the German occupation.

Most of the women who were part of the Card program came from wealthy families (the title character is the daughter of J.P Morgan) but there were a couple like Jessie whose expenses and salary were paid by Card. Along with the library, the women took care of medical needs, agricultural help and even helped evacuate the area when the Germans were coming back.

Wendy worked at the NYPL and was a budding writer. When she came across information about Card in the archives she was intrigued and thought it would make a great story. She began researching the people and organization along with Roberto, a fellow NYPL employee.

Don't miss the Author's notes at the end, its full of information about these women in real life. I really enjoyed this book and learning about these extraordinary women, I know the trend right now with Historical Fiction is to tell it in two timelines but I honestly would have preferred just the WWI timeline and it's focus on the Card women.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Miss Morgan's Book Brigade is about a group of women in World War 1. Specifically about Jessie "Kit" Carson, who left her job at the New York Library to move to France and start a library near the end of World War 1.
It also has a dual timeline following Wendy in the 80's, also a New York Public Library employee, who comes across some articles on Jessie, and uses her research to write a novel.
The writing was good. The story was good. Personal preference- this just wan't for me. It didn't have enough that grabbed me in and made me excited to keep reading. But I think this novel will be greatly appreciated by many.
I also think the dual timeline was unnecessary and the Wendy timeline didn't add much to the story.
What I did love: How much books were treasured, and the value placed on them. Books are a huge part of my life and really have the ability to be life changing so I appreciated and related to that.
I also loved the talk of some classic books (Especially Anne of Green Gables from this PEI gal).
I think overall this was an okay book, with no major critcisim. But it just wasn't necessarily for me. Although some of my top books are historical fiction, it's not my go-to. Would recommend to any historical fiction fans out there, that want strong female leads, WWI, and a love of books.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the arc. This title is released on April 30.
2.5 stars from me

Fans of The Paris Library will be thrilled by another installment of historical fiction from Janet Skeslien Charles. Set during the World War I, Miss Morgan's Book Brigade follows the work of the American Committee for Devastated France (CARD after the French title for the group). Jessie Carson was one of those who travelled to France. She was working at the New York Public Library under a very unpleasant boss and so the leave of absence brought a welcome respite from tensions at work. She arrived in France with grand ideas of restoring the library and bringing books to those who were hit the hardest. As she slowly got to know the families in the area, she won them over by offering children's story hour. Families were starved for books as most of theirs had been destroyed by invading forces and there was no money for such luxuries any longer. Jessie was instrumental in making over old ambulances to create bookmobile and she traveled the surrounding areas bring books and even more importantly hope and a sense of normalcy that so many were missing.

In a parallel storyline, Wendy Peterson works at the New York Public Librarian in 1987 scanning archived documents. She stumbles across stories about the CARDs and becomes intrigued to learn more. As an aspiring writer, she smells the making of a great story and sneakily reads while working. As she learns more about the CARDs and their courage and bravery, she finds models to follow in her own life.

The book is a well-researched project that brings to light a little-known effort in WWI. It was very inspiring to hear of how the heiress Anne Morgan used her wealth for such a noble cause. CARDs helped with more than one evacuation, provided support and through Jessie Carson, also provided access to books that offered a lifeline during one of the darkest times in French history.

Jessie went on to promote children's libraries within other French cities and trained other women to be librarians. It was an excellent look at the resourcefulness of women in WWI and the sacrifices they made as well. I appreciated that the author had extensive end notes with more information about the historical figures and information on people she had based other characters on.

Note: There were scenes in both story lines that I would consider R-rated. I feel the book would have been even better without those details. Because of this, I would recommend this title for adults.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of Miss Morgan's Book Brigade through NetGalley and a print copy through the publisher, Atria Books, for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

I love historical fiction and especially when an author tackles a subject that is not well known. This is what happens here. Miss Morgan is Anne Morgan who during WW1 with her friend, Dr. Anne Murray Dike are working in France 40 miles from the front to help the citizens rebuild. Along the way they are joined by some other wealthy debutantes to help in the effort and they hire Jessie Carson to help with a library. Of course there is a dual time line and if I was just rating Jessie's story it would be a 5 but Wendy's story is only a 3 for me.

Wendy works in the Remembrance Room of the NYPL when Roberto slips her a box of papers about Anne Morgan and the CARDS. She is an aspiring author and this could be her book. I just never connected with Wendy. I felt her background was kind of vague and even her relationship with Roberto felt superficial. While she was doing her research I never felt the eureka moments when she found more information to help her with her book.

But all the emotion missing from Wendy's story was in Jessie's. The sadness they all felt from losses of homes and loved ones, the celebration of love with a wedding and the joy in the children's faces as they heard the stories Jessie brought to them, the fear and terror of working in the hospital.

I would like to thank Atria and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy.

I found this book completely fascinating. I loved learning about this group of women who tried to help devastated rural France during and after World War I. I was shocked to learn about the Red Zone which exists to this day. As a book and library lover, I appreciated the focus on books and the importance of libraries. This was my first book by this author, and I will be sure to read her backlist. She made learning about this period of history very easy by fictionalizing the characters and their stories. My only criticism is that I would have liked to know what happened to the main character, Jessie "Kit" Carson, after she returned to the United States. I assume that the author's extensive research never revealed this. I'm glad that readers will be able to learn about and be inspired by the wonderful work the CARD organization did, I highly recommend this book and look forward to more from the author.

Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles is a thoughtful novel about the brave women of CARD, who went into devastated northern France from 1918-1924, providing humanitarian aid, medical care and children’s library services.
Charles is a superb storyteller and, through her wonderful descriptive prose, this story gains impact and importance, more than 100 years later.
Told in two timelines, the reader first meets Jessie Carson as she arrives in Blerancourt, France, in 1918, where she joins CARD as a children’s librarian. She works with the group’s founders, Anne Morgan (daughter of wealthy J.P. Morgan) and Dr. Ann Murray Dike. Life for the area’s residents is bleak—the front is less than 40 miles away, the land is barren, and their shelters consist of quarries, caves and partially demolished structures.
The other timeline begins in 1987, when a NY Public Library employee, Wendy, is tasked with preserving historic documents on microfilm. She is inspired to learn more about Jessie and her library activities in WWI France.
While the timelines alternate between then and now, there is more drama and detail in the early 1918 time. As a reader, I could appreciate the exciting, often terrifying, circumstances in the war-torn country. It is amazing how many notable women participated in this effort, putting their lives at risk. There are many notable names, like Mary Breckinridge, “Breckie” to her co-workers, who went on to found the Frontier Nursing Service in Kentucky.
Jessie’s character, as a first-person narrator, is more developed and interesting as the reader is treated to her inner musings and remembrances of quotes from famous novels, showing her imagination, a valuable quality in a children’s librarian. Wendy’s role, in the 1987 timeline, was important as it provided, for Jessie’s story, a bridge to the present as Wendy delved into Jessie’s life and CARD.
This is a well-researched novel which sheds light on subjects—books, libraries, the Great War—which are part of a fascinating chapter in women’s history. If you liked the author’s “The Paris Library,” I believe you also will find this an interesting a look at a different time period.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

I would give this book a million stars. I haven't read The Paris Library yet but have seen it being praised incessantly. Miss Morgan's Book Brigade takes place during the Great War and it's based on a true story. The American Committee for Devastaded France was a group of brave women who risked their lives to help others in need, not only by covering basic needs like food and education, but also hope through books when the world around them is falling apart. It's narrated through two POV's, Jessie "Kit" Carson, a New York Public Library librarian who is recruited during the war, and Wendy Peterson, also a NYPL librarian in the 80's who discovers them and is determined to tell their inspiring story that didn't make it to the history books.

I loved every second of this book. It's very inspiring and shows how helping others can makes us feel fulfilled.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles.

Based on true stories from World War I in France we follow one woman named Jessie Carson with a timeline of 1918 going to France to join a women's relief organization that helps the civilians of a smaller town that is war torn and struggling to just survive. Our other timeline is a library worker from the New York City Library named Wendy in the timeline of 1987 who has found information in the archives about Jessie Carson and the other women who worked so tirelessly in France.

There are so many wonderful things about this book. As always books about books are one of my favorite genres. This book is peppered with Book titles and quotes throughout that enhance the reading experience. All the characters are wonderful. The research by the author is impeccable and so interesting. I had never heard of any of these famous individuals, and how they worked so tirelessly not only for the people of France, but also succeeding in so many areas of our current way of life. I couldn't wait to see how this one ended. I learned so much and really loved the book. Miss Morgan's Book Brigade was a solid 5 star read for me. It will be released on April 30th. Happy reading!

This is a book for library lovers who enjoy historical fiction, literary references and the important roles women played in history.

Set in WWI, this book is an ode to libraries and strong women as it recounts the life of Jessie 'Kit' Carson, a New York City Public librarian who joined CARD (Comité Américain pour les Régions Dévastées de France - American Committee for Devastated France), an international group of women who were rebuilding rural France after WWI. Among her accomplishments, Kit brought bookmobiles to France but the impact she made was lost to history.

The story is told in two time frames - Kit in WWI and Wendy, a writer and library assistant in 1980's NYC who stumbles upon Kit's story and decides to dig into this former NYPL librarian's life.

What I loved:
• well-researched - lots of historical details about what this group of women accomplished and Kit's role in their success
• strong women and their historical impact!! I love how Historical Fiction like this (and that of Canadian author Genevieve Graham) bring the untold stories of women's roles in history to readers. It makes me wonder just how much history we're missing
• seeing Kit's strength grow and her verbal comebacks to those who opposed her were great!

What I didn't quite love:
• slowly paced story that had only minor conflict despite the dangerous WWI setting
• I didn't quite connect with the story or the characters as I had hoped
• the modern timeline felt extraneous even though it does tie in for a nice finish
• the dialogue drove this story and it often felt simplistic and far too rosy of an outlook for such a devastating time
• I had to remind myself that Kit was in her 40's because her demeanor, naivete and dialogue made her sound like a young woman in her 20's.

This was a heartwarming, lighter historical fiction read that connects past to present, shows a woman's journey to find her voice and her strength that illustrates the important role women played in WWI. Make sure you read the author's note about these real-life heroines of WWI.

Not all who are brave in the face of war are soldiers.

During the height of World War I, a wealthy American named Anne Morgan founded the American Committee for Devastated France (known as CARD, an acronym of the group’s name in French), gathering women from several countries to help rebuild French communities which were destroyed during the advances of war. Although many of those who joined her cause were volunteers from privileged backgrounds themselves, others were like Jessie Carson, a children’s librarian who took a leave of absence from her position at the New York Public Library to take a paid position with CARD. She arrived in Blérancourt, just 40 miles from the war front, to begin her duties, and joined Miss Morgan, her partner Dr. Anne Murray Dike, Kate Lewis (Philadelphia socialite turned chauffeuse), Mary “Breckie” Breckinridge (a nurse and Southern aristocrat), and Marie “Cookie” Jones (a fellow New Yorker and the resident cook). The CARDS each by necessity wore many hats, pitching in to do whatever needed doing at any given time, all united to bring the struggling French townspeople back from complete devastation. Jessie, soon nicknamed Kit, believed strongly in the restorative power of books, and worked tirelessly to bring them to the children and their families while working with the CARDS to provide support in all areas. Years later Wendy Peterson, another young woman working for the NYPL while pursuing her dream of becoming a published author, comes across files relating to Miss Morgan and the CARDS. As she reads the contents, she discovers this untold story of a group of amazing women and is determined to bring their achievements to light.
Based on the true story of Jessie Carson, a very real woman who not only brought her love of books to the struggling French families at the front but stayed even after the war was over, converting ambulances to book mobiles that visited 160 villages, training women to become librarians (a profession previously belonging solely to men), and creating libraries that were open to all. The CARDS too were real, several of the women receiving France’s Croix de Guerre for courage under fire. How is it that their story has remained relatively unknown until now? Told in the alternating voices of Jessie in the past and Wendy in the (relatively speaking) present, the reader is shown what living during war was like for this group of people, French and international volunteers alike, as they worked to make homes inhabitable, cleared fields to resume the planting of crops, dodged German attacks, coped with the flu epidemic and tried to overcome the physical and emotional scars of surviving in war. The reader also witnesses Wendy’s development from shy, insecure author-to-be to a woman determined to solve the mystery of what happened to Jessie and the other CARDS once the war was over. A fascinating glimpse into a chapter of history about which I knew very little, with a well-developed cast of characters for whom to root and a bit of mystery woven throughout, Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade is a highly enjoyable tale perfect for readers of authors like Martha Hall Kelly, Marie Benedict and Tatiana de Rosnay. Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me access to an early copy of this intriguing read, and to author Janet Skeslien Charles for bringing this group of brave, dedicated women the recognition they so richly deserve.

I have read a lot about WWI, both fiction and non-fiction and this was on a topic that I knew very little about. Based on a true story, Jessie Carson, a librarian at New York Public Library, goes to France to work for CARD. Located just miles from the war, she and other women work together to help rebuild French communities - she is especially focused on a children's library in a mobile van. It is told in alternating perspectives - in 1918 and 1987. The 1987 timeline is told from NYPL Librarian, Wendy Peterson. She starts learning about Jessie Carson and the CARDS - researching to write a book about them. The research done on this book was incredible. The story told was wonderful - heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once. I loved the dual timelines - i was never confused or unhappy reading from either perspective. A truly wonderful historical fiction book. 
Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Jesse "Kit" Carson, a librarian at the New York Public Library, finds herself enlisted by Ann Morgan, daughter of JP Morgan, to join the American Committee for Devastated France (CARD) during World War I. Tasked with establishing children's libraries in war-torn regions, Jesse and her fellow CARD members undertake various responsibilities, including aiding the wounded and facilitating evacuations. Despite her competence, Jesse grapples with discrimination due to the predominantly male landscape of librarianship at the time.

In a parallel narrative set in 1987, Wendy Peterson delves into research for a book on Jesse and the work of CARD, unraveling the untold stories and challenges faced by these unsung heroes.

This book could not have come up in my reading plans at a better time. I was literally in Paris as I was reading about the women who helped the French mothers and children during the First World War. As is most often the case when I read historical fiction, I come across something that I had no prior knowledge of. In the case of this book, it was a group called the CARDS (American Committee for Devastated France). Headed up by Miss Morgan (daughter of J. P. Morgan), the book focuses mainly on a young woman named Jessie Carson, who creates a roving library to get books into the hands of the children of the war, most of whom have lost their homes, schools, and all their possessions. While Jessie works tirelessly to not only read to the children, she grows close to the other women in their group, who all have a part to play in the assistance effort. While there is a fair amount of sorrow regarding the awful war conditions, the book also offers hope and a whole lot of caring for the people left behind from the fighting. Told in two timelines, I definitely gravitated more to Jessie's story, but I understand how the more current timeline was important to the overall storytelling. While I did appreciate the small romance section for Jessie, I found the one for Wendy to be not as believable, and didn't feel it added much to the plot. Lots of great characters in this one other than Jessie, my favorite of course had to be Marcelle, the little French girl who grows up to be a CARD.

An informative look at an aspect of WWI not much has been written about. Be sure to read the author's note, which expands on each of the women and what became of them after their service. This one is a win for historical fiction fans, or those who love books about books!

“Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade” by Janet Skeslien Charles is a historical fiction novel about the importance of books and stories. This story teaches about the CARDS a group of American female volunteers who worked in France during WW1. The book revolves around Jessie “Kit” Carson a librarian from New York whose mission is to bring books to the children of devastated France. We learn about her achievements as she grows personally, and as she interacts with the famous Anne Morgan (JPs daughter) and all the families whose lives have been ripped apart by war. This author did an incredible amount of research and I think this book will appeal to anyone who has a love of books and the importance they have played in our history.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

While researching what would become The Paris Library (Atria, 2022), Janet Skeslien Charles came across Jessie “Kit” Carson (1876-1959), a New York Public Library librarian, who has become the central figure in her latest historical novel, Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade. Recruited by Anne Morgan, J. P. Morgan’s daughter, to work for Le Comité américain pour les régions dévastées (CARD) in an area where nearly every family had lost a loved one to war and where retreating German soldiers had destroyed homes, fields, and orchards, Jessie Carson was one of the few paid workers in an organization comprised largely of wealthy volunteer women. Arriving with a trunk of books, Carson quickly found ways to check them out to adults and children alike and gradually expanded library services until she had revolutionized the French library system and the French cultural landscape. Charles uses a clearly marked dual timeline to tell Carson’s story, interspersing the early WWI and post-war portions focused on Carson with a 1987 timeline centered on Wendy Peterson, a young NYPL librarian and writing student, who stumbles across and researches Jessie “Kit” Carson and the CARDS.

Filled with interesting characters—CARD members and local French villagers young and old—the novel demonstrates the author’s ability to intermingle historic CARD volunteers and employees with fictional characters, bringing them together to tell an entertaining, informative, and moving story. Readers will be touched and amused. Two of my favorite characters are reclusive Sidonie Devereux, who had lost husband and baby, and wise-beyond-her-years teenage Marcelle Moreau, charged with looking after three rambunctious younger brothers while secretly borrowing books against her widowed mother’s wishes.

Janet Skeslien Charles’ Author’s Note answers many possible readers’ questions. She describes her research process, fills in a bit more history of CARD, provides brief biographies as well as photos of historic figures depicted in the book, explains the inspiration for some fictional characters, mentions some CARDS not included in the novel (including one immortalized in a Broadway play and later film) and more. Don’t skip the Author’s Note

Finally, a word of advice—reread the Prologue after completing the Epilogue. You will be glad you did.

My thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advance reader egalley of this highly recommended new historical novel. I will watch for the author’s next book.

Shared on GoodReads and Barnes & Noble.

I should preface this I am not a Historical Fiction girly! I loved the message of the book of how important books are and how they bring community and people together. As a teacher, especially a teacher of reading, that was very special to me. I personally have seen over the last year of my life how books have brought people together, and actually have brought me some of my best friends, later in life.