If you are like me and enjoy discovering obscure, yet true stories from the past, you will enjoy Miss Morgan's Book Brigade. The setting is WW1, the characters are real people and the storyline is compelling. Become acquainted with Anne Morgan, Anne Murray Dike, Jessie Carson and Mary Breckinridge. Learn about the brave women who stepped up to join the Cards and assist war torn France. A big focus of our heroine was the establishment of libraries accessible to children. Jessie Carson is credited with renovating the existing library climate in France.

Told in a dual timeline fashion, we also follow a young librarian in the NYPL in 1987. . The most interesting part of that storyline was the thrill of research. The librarian, Wendy, traces the Cards and puts the pieces together so meticulously it made me want to get inside that library and start looking things up!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC of Miss Morgan's Book Brigade.

Janet Skeslien Charles again shines a spotlight on librarians and the important place libraries hold in our lives, even in times of conflict and chaos in her new book Miss Morgan's Book Brigade. The Miss Morgan is Anne Morgan, wealthy daughter of J.P. Morgan and the book brigade is actually her effort to bring aid to the country side of France during WWI. Known as CARDS, most of the group were volunteer women from other wealthy families. They worked as first aid workers, drove supply trucks, and did just about any work needed. With plans to rebuild an area library, Anne gained a two year contract (paid) with the assistant children's librarian from the NYPL. Jessie (Kit) Carson came loaded with books and determination, only to find that the building could not be quickly repaired. Not one to be sidetracked, she began holding outdoor story hours, personally handing out books to locals who had suffered great physical and emotional loss. As the Germans again push into their territory, the CARDS help villagers seek safety. Flash forward to 1987 -- library worker Wendy Peterson is making copies via microfiche when the CARD papers catch her eye. Determined to learn more about the group she begins reading. Of utmost interest is Jessie Carson. So begins her quest to learn all she can and more so, to write their story.

The author provides important information following the novel about the real lives of Anne Morgan, Dr. Anne Murray Dike, several CARD workers, and most importantly Jessie Carson who went on to help France change its public libraries to places that welcomed all classes and interests, especially those of children. Having been a school librarian, any book that features libraries catches my eye. Reading one that was so well researched and taught me about an effort that I had never heard about was totally a win!

I especially enjoy reading historical fiction books that feature strong and intelligent women amd ones that teach me something that I hadn’t already known.

This was a compelling story with tenderly crafted characters and a brimming sense of hope even through the tragedy, horror, and despair of WWI. As with The Paris Librarian, the research is obviously meticulous. and Janet Skeslien Charles has done an admirable job bringing to life real-life hero women who would otherwise be consigned to fading or lost memory. And what's not to love when there are books and libraries involved :) I want to delve deeper into the resources listed at the back of the ARC because I'm not done with Jessie Carson and co. And I will definitely read the author's next book!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. Miss Morgan's Book Brigade is a heartwarming and enchanting read that celebrates the joy of literature and community. The story is delightfully charming, with well-drawn characters whose love for books brings them together in unexpected ways. The novel’s vibrant prose and engaging plot make it a true page-turner. Its celebration of the transformative power of reading and friendship is both uplifting and inspiring. A delightful and satisfying read for book lovers everywhere!

This was a dud for me and sadly, I did not finish. The writing was just OK and I didn't form a connection to the characters. The real history is fascinating and I'd rather read a non-fiction book on the subject. Oh well.

I received this advance read e-ARC from Netgalley. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

I must admit that I had never heard of the CARD organization started by Anne Morgan, daughter of J.P. Morgan. Once I started the novel, I didn't get fully drawn into and invested in the plot until about one third of the way in.

Alternating between 1918 and 1987 and told through the eyes of Jessie 'Kit' Carson, a librarian sent to Northern France during World War I and Wendy Peterson, a struggling writer working at the New York Public Library, this is an engrossing story of courage and stoicism in the face of the horrors of war.

Overall, I enjoyed the novel. I did notice that the characters that Kit interacted with seemed a little hollow and their interactions with each other seemed a little flat. But overall I enjoyed the novel and recommend.

Told in a split time line between 1918 and 1987, Miss Morgan's Book Brigade offers a glimpse into the brave women known as CARDs who were just miles from the battlefields in France and working tirelessly to help the French citizens to restore their devastated country, and the researcher in 1987 who discovers their stories and is working to shed light on these amazing women.

Based on the true story of Jessie Carson, an American librarian who played a critical role in the development of libraries in France, this novel was well researched and inspiring. I really enjoy the historical fiction stories that help me to learn about significant people and events I wasn't familiar with before. It kind of offers me a jumping off place to go learn more about these remarkable individuals and their lives. The information at the end of the novel was the perfect treat for me to learn more.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was both engaging and educational It, too, was a bit slow to get started, but then it took off. I loved this book. Anyone with an interest in history and/or libraries should read it, and would love it.

As soon as I saw that it was written by Janet Skeslien Charles, I immediately hit Request. Glad I got a copy! It was her book, The Paris Library, that got me into reading historical fiction, particularly about the WW2.

This new book of hers did not disappoint! It's as good, if not better, than the first. I like that I also got to read about a familiar character - Anne Morgan! The book is based on the true story of Jessie Carson, a former librarian at the New York Public Library, who was by Miss Morgan to set up a library in France during the Great War. In France, she joined the American Committee for Devastated France, also known as CARD.

Of course, this book tells about the power books have, especially in consoling and comforting people during their lowest moments, which in this case was the devastation of the war. Above all, this story tells us about the brave women of CARD. This group is not so widely known and I'm glad I got to read about them through the book for they deserve to be remembered.

This book is written in two time lines. While I like the historical part better, the second timeline, which was set in 1987, was also fun to read. The love story between the two library staff was cute, and the mention of the word "kilig," a Filipino word for that giddy-butterflies-in-the-stomach-romantic feeling, is an added bonus. It was a pleasant surprise!

This was ALMOST a great book! I loved the topic--the true story of Miss Morgan's Book Brigade and the strong women within it. There were parts of the book that were very engaging, drawing one in to the character and the story. However, at several points, parts of the story were abruptly ended. But rather than feeling "ended," they felt abandoned in the way they were written. They just stopped. At these points, the characters began to feel one-dimensional and not fully developed. I really wanted to learn more about the real life characters, and i really wanted to love this book. It didn't quite get there for me, unfortunately.

I didn't think the modern day portions of the novel were necessary--they didn't add anything to the book at all. They could easily have been omitted or removed without any great impact at all. Instead, they felt like a means of creating an ending.

For those interested in the time period, there will be interest in this amazing group of women's heroism in the middle of great danger and need. Read it to learn about what they did, but don't expect the novel to be the best ever. :)

Thank you so much for allowing me to read this book! I absolutely loved it and couldn't put it down! I love this time period in history! The story brought me straight into the realities ofwhat women in World War Two delt with. I absolutely loved all the characters and joining them in their journeys. This is truly a story of resistance and love the the horrible hardships faced in the lesser known "women's war" of World War Two! Thank you so much!

I was not familiar with Kit Carson before reading this book (although the name is so familiar for some reason!) I enjoyed how the story unfolded, the author did a wonderful job crafting an engaging story about the power of books and readers.

Based on the story of Jessie Carson and the CARDs who worked in France during WWI. Jessie aka Kit is a librarian and becomes determined to set up a children's library in France. Along the way, she makes deep connections and helps change lives. The other story here is Wendy, who works at the New York Public Library in 1987. When she stumbles upon archival documents about Jessie and the CARDs, she becomes determined to tell their story.

I loved this one! I can be picky about historical fiction, but this one drew me in. The characters were so great and I just wanted to see where it went throughout the whole book. I liked Wendy's story, but Jessie's story definitely stole the show for me. I do think the synopsis on the dust jacket/Goodreads/etc. makes it seem like it will be much more about the bookmobiles and training librarians, but that is really at the end. Most of it is her trying to create a library in Brelancourt. Regardless, I still loved it!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 STARS. HYBRID-FORMAT REVIEW. In 2023 sometime (it's all a blur), I remember being so excited to hear about Janet Skeslien Charles's forthcoming THE LIBRARIANS OF RUE DE PICARDIE. I absolutely adored THE PARIS LIBRARY, and from the sound of it, this next book would also include many of my favorite ingredients, namely books, libraries & librarians, and France & French language elements. Add to the mix strong and intelligent women characters who bust out glass ceilings to get things done, and SCORE! MAGNIFIQUE! MISS MORGAN'S BOOK BRIGADE (which is what the title ended up being on US copies) checks all my boxes with the bonus of the characters and actions being based on real people and the nearly unimaginable things they accomplished during WWI.

In my review of THE PARIS LIBRARY, I noted that the book was a reminder that there were many unsung heroes and heroines doing extraordinary things and making extraordinary sacrifices during World War II. The same holds true for MISS MORGAN'S BOOK BRIGADE, but it enlightened me to a completely unknown-to-me chapter of World War I. I learned so much about the roles served in France by women from all different countries during the war and about some French history I hadn't learned in my many years of French coursework. Several of the things I read about prompted me to learn more (including about CARD, JP Morgan's daughter Anne, and France's Zone Rouge), and I think that's always the mark of great historical fiction: make me want to learn more.

There is a wide cast of characters in MISS MORGAN'S BOOK BRIGADE, and each of the two timelines have more than one storyline happening. It's a lot, and given the length of the book, there just wasn't time to fully flesh out them all. I enjoyed the dual storylines and points-of-view and how parallels in the lives of Kit and Wendy, some eighty years apart, are revealed. The author does a terrific job of connecting their paths and wrapping up the loose ends, though I was left wanting a bit more about a couple of the main threads.

And HOLY COW. Kit's Readers' Advisory and books she handed out in 1918 are still some of the best, must-read titles of all time (and a nod to the author's librarian skilz). Included were so many beloved titles that I've read, recommended, or still have on my TBR. I really wish I had started writing a list of them as they popped up in the book. Maybe another reader has compiled one? Or perhaps, when I re-read/re-listen, I will make the list myself! (Because retired! And because I can't remember diddly squat. Please don't ask me to tell you any of them.)

I was certain I would like this book, and once I started reading it on NetGalley just before it published, the day it published, I not only bought it in hardcover (from BookPeople in Austin), but also as an audiobook, and those are the formats I primarily used. I'm very glad that I indulged in buying both because it allowed me to go back and forth between formats so I could keep reading -- but with my ears -- when I had other tasks to take care of while wearing my domestic goddess hat (that old chestnut).

I ended up finishing the book -- I thought -- with the audio version, but I wanted to double check something and picked up the hardcover copy to find it. And it's a good thing I did! The print version has an Author's Notes section that is twelve FASCINATING pages long; had I only had the audiobook, I would have missed it entirely. The author's thorough and thoughtful research is even more apparent after reading this section, and it also brought Charles's personality and passion to the page. She's my favorite Francophilian & bibliophilian (I might have created those words just now?) author, and I'm thrilled there's a third book planned in her library trilogy. *grabby hands*

ABOUT THE AUDIOBOOK: There were four narrators, and unfortunately, I don't know which was which! All of them had great pacing, and each character had a distinct voice. Naturally, I really enjoyed the characters who spoke with French accents, and in both the print and audio, I LOVED, LOVED the inclusion of French words and phrases (a nod to the author's French skilz). However, in the audiobook, it was disappointing to hear mispronunciations of French words by characters who were supposed to be fluent/well-schooled in French. And there were some peculiar and clunky English pronunciations scattered in the mix as well. So the audio left a bit to be desired, and the narration faux pas in addition to the omission of the Author's Notes section lead me to recommend reading with your eyes, not your ears, malheureusement.

Overall, reading MISS MORGAN'S BOOK BRIGADE was time very well-spent between the pages, and I anxiously await whatever's next from Janet Skeslien Charles. Her writing is pure gold.

I love when you stumble across a bit of history you didn't know! What a wonderful story. Historical fiction readers will love this book!


Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

I simply adored this novel! What a wonderful story. All lovers of historical fiction will love this book!

This book had such good storylines that incorporated history I was unaware of.

I loved The Paris Librarian and was looking forward to this one so much. For some reason, I struggled staying engaged in this story. I did finish it and would consider trying to read it again to see if my opinions changes as I feel like it was more me than the story.

Thank you to Atria Books for the copy of this book. All views are my own.

I enjoyed this historical novel. It’s set in 1918 and based on the true story of Jessie Carson. Jessie left her job at the New York Public Library to help in France. She wants to help the children and the communities by bringing books and start libraries. The stories of her and the others in her group are both entertaining and emotional. The women were very brave in their work. What the people there endured during the war is heartbreaking.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house, and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for review, based upon my honest opinion.

This was a lovely story based upon a true person and story. It is a dual timeline story, which I love. It is about Jessie Carter, in 1918, a librarian who was working at the New York Public Library when she was sent to France as a librarian to help establish a library and there is nothing more than Jessie loves than books. In the present, 1987, we read about Wendy Peterson, a writer who discovers documentation that refers to the story of Jessie and her worjk with CARD. Wendy is very interested and decides she wnats to write the story of Jessie. This book was lovely, another topic I had never read about before and so enjoyable.

This author's books are always so well written and researched..I look forward to more books by this author.