This book starts slow and introduces a lot of characters Jessie meets along the way. It is a bit complicated to keep them all straight. I just about gave up on the story but I kept with it and it does get better. It was heartwarming to hear how she instilled her love for reading and books to so many children and others.

I have read multiple stories about librarians, whether they be on horseback or hidden in the underground, this was the first one using this true life experience. I found it most interesting.

Atria Books along with NetGalley provided this Galley edition for no requirement other than my offer to provide an unbiased review. This one comes in with 4 stars.

I am so glad I got to read an advanced copy of Miss Morgan's Book Brigade. It was delightful overall, celebrating a love for books and the importance of children's literature.

The story moved along at a nice pace and was easy to follow. I enjoyed getting to know Jessie and seeing the difference she made in the lives of the villagers by where she was stationed. I love how she used books to connect with everyone. I also liked Wendy's story and being along for the ride as she tried to find out more information about Jessie. I never knew about Jessie Carson, so it was interesting to learn about her and try to solve the mystery of where she disappeared to. I also learned about some other historical figures I hadn't heard of before.

There were harrowing moments, as those can't be avoided during a war, but there was a nice balance of hope during the sad parts.

I wish the title had been different, since the focus was mostly on Jessie and how she brought books into people's lives. Miss Morgan took on a leadership role, but Jessie really ran the library. I also felt like the ending was a bit anticlimactic after everything that happened, but this did not take away from my overall love for this novel.

I definitely recommend picking this one up in late April and then sharing your favorite children's books with someone, whether it's giving a book to a child you know or posting about the books on social media.

(Trigger warnings below)

Movie casting suggestions:
Jessie a.k.a. Kit: Brit Marling
Lewis: Maya Hawke
Marcelle: Jade Springer
Tom: Benjamin Walker
Wendy: Kaitlyn Dever
Roberto: David Castro

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TW: infant death (mentioned from past experiences), death and injury due to war

“Miss Morgan's Book Brigade” by Janet Skeslien Charles is based on the true story of Jessie Carson—the American librarian who changed the literary landscape of France. As readers journey through the pages, they are immersed in a narrative that celebrates the profound impact of books on shaping lives and fostering connections despite the horrific circumstances of WWI.

Charles has crafted a masterpiece rich in historical detail that not only pays homage to a forgotten hero but also serves as a testament to the enduring power of literature. What makes this novel truly shine is Charles's ability to evoke a range of emotions, from heartache to hope. It is a must-read for anyone who believes in the transformative magic of books and the remarkable individuals who champion them.

Thank you to Net Galley and the author for an advance copy. I throughly enjoyed Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles. #MissMorgansBookBrigade #NetGalley

This was a great chronicle of the experiences of Miss Morgan's Book Brigade's French location during WWI. So much good was done by librarians who helped create community, taught children to enjoy reading, and instilled a love for books in everyone they met. During the way, so much was dark and heavy, and books helped to focus people on something else, at least part of the time. I especially enjoyed this book because in High School, I worked at the City Library for a year and a half. I enjoyed it so much, and this just brought back memories of how powerful libraries can be in the lives of children and adults. Great stories, interesting characters, and challenges faced with the courage learned from characters in books. Fantastic read.

3.5 stars

A very readable fictionalized account of a real-life scenario - the story of American women, financially and logistically supported by philanthropist Anne Morgan, going to the French countryside at the end of World War I. The American Committee for devastated France established libraries, but it sounds like they did much more -- helping with evacuations, rebuilding shattered communities, coordinating medical care, and providing some emotional structure for the devastated French population.

The World War 1 chapters are interspersed with the story of the library staff member who researched and uncovered the tales in 1987. This is history that deserves to be told and appreciated. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is one of the reasons why I enjoy reading Historical Fiction! This was a very fascinating read! I've never heard of Jessie Carson until reading this book. Jessie Carson worked in the NYPL with a very demeaning boss. She decided to work with CARDs in France in 1918 after deciding that she needed a change, but did not expect that it will take her to France. The book entails the story very well with dual POV. I find it very gripping and very interesting. It definitely gives us a good look of how it was back then with sexism, lack of food and mostly gone shelters, and Germany invading France.

I rarely give book reviews a five star, but given how well written and how well developed the characters are. This book deserves it!

Thank you for a copy of this amazing book and I can't wait to have my kids read this!

Have you heard of Jessie Carson? I had never heard of her until I read Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade. Oh my! This fantastic historical fiction novel, based on the true story of Jessie Carson and the CARDs, is presented in a dual timeline style - WWI and 1987. I was hooked on page one and quickly devoured this interesting, inspirational and thoroughly riveting story. I love learning about the challenging roles women took on in WWI and WWII; how they fought and overcame the resistance they faced everywhere they turned. Jessie Carson is one of those strong women we’ve never heard of, women who changed lives and made enormous contributions to countries here and abroad.

Jessie Carson worked in the New York Public Library with a rather demanding and demeaning boss. She desperately needed a change but never did she expect to find herself working in France in 1918 with the American Committee for Devastated France (acronym in French is CARD). The American Committee, helmed by two strong women, philanthropist Ann Morgan and Anne Murray Dike, worked tirelessly to help the French people in the towns and villages devastated by the war. Aided by a cadre of mostly socialite volunteers from America, Canada and England, the CARD saved lives, fed families, created community through trust and dedication. Jessie and “Cookie” were the two salaried CARDs who felt apart from the other women. Working and living closely together, though. class separation fell by the wayside as they built lasting relationships that endured through the years. Life wasn’t easy living in a war zone. They were bombed out of their headquarters and town but were successful in evacuating the village. I shed a happy tear as they and the townfolks returned, rebuilt and rejoiced together.

Jessie’s real love was libraries, especially children’s libraries. She not only helped build libraries in worn-torn French towns, she trained women to become librarians, refurbished old ambulances as bookmobiles, went to Paris after the war to build a library like no one had seen before. Everywhere she went her mission was to create a library that welcomed children, as well as those from all walks of life who loved books, She was an incredible woman who, once she realized her own power, was unstoppable.

I like dual timeline stories and find them an easy way to tell a story that spans decades and sometimes centuries. I’ve come to accept that most, if not all, of these works of historical fiction will include a romance - mainly in the more current timeline - and this book was no exception. The romance is obvious from the beginning but I found the detailed moments of Jessie and Roberto’s romantic relationship unnecessary to telling this story.

This is one of the best researched books I’ve read. Janet Skeslien Charles’ Author’s Notes are a must read. The detailed list of suggested reading had me checking out books about Jessie and her cohorts - women I will never forget and will always be grateful to for loving books and libraries as much as I do today.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of Miss Morgan's Book Brigade in exchange for my honest review.

Another wonderful book from Janet Skeslien Charles. Jessie is witty, courageous and adorable. The story is fascinating, gripping, and hard to put down.

Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles is a dual timeline story set in France during World War I and in New York City during 1987. This is my second book by this author.

I will say at the outset that the title is misleading. While Anne Morgan, the daughter of financier J.P. Morgan, is one of the women who appears regularly, she is not the main character. While Miss Morgan founded the all female Comité Américain pour les Régions Dévastées de France, also given the moniker ‘CARD’. CARD was a group of women whose talents were diversified who helped the women and children of France who were in and around the war zone.

Jessie Carson is a children’s librarian for the New York Public Library. She leaves New York City to go and help France and the CARDs. Only 40 miles from the Red Zone, Jessie and her CARD friends provided transportation, food, healthcare, and other needs the community was left without. Jessie volunteered to help restore the devastated library building destroyed by German soldiers in Blerancourt, France.

Wendy Peterson is working at the New York Public Library scanning documents onto microfiche while she works on improving her writing skills. One day she is given a box of documents about CARD. Wendy becomes immersed in the CARDs stories but most especially Jessie's story. With the help of her friend she decides to delve deeper into finding out who was Jessie Carson.

The settings were so vivid and descriptive that you could see the roads with the potholes and the burnt and bombed buildings. You can picture the room
where the CARDs ate their meals and held small gatherings for the families left in this war zone.

I thoroughly enjoyed the stories in both timelines. I was easily pulled into the stories. Ms. Skeslien Charles’ characters are deep, emotional and interesting. You find yourself cheering them on. I think the best part of this book is that it is based on actual events and people. Don’t forget to read the author’s note at the end. I can’t wait to see what Ms. Skelslien Charles has in store for us next. Well done!

I would like to thank Ms. Skeslien Charles, Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles from Atria Books/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

The Short Version? Skip the book and read the author’s note, which is extremely interesting and well-written, and gives excellent thumbnail sketches of the very real lives of Jessie “Kit” Carson, Mary Breckenridge, Anne Morgan, Anne Murray Dike, and others—as well some good info on the American Committee for Devastated France. (In French, the organization is called Le Comité américain pour les régions dévastées, or CARD. As the author notes, members called themselves Cards……so you _know_ what Jessie Carson called herself…..)

So, yeah. That stuff gets 5 stars, but the overall rating is 3 stars because the book proper gets only 2 stars. That's because I found it to be so simplistic and saccharin sweet that at I one point I was wondering if I’d gotten hold of a piece of less than stellar juvenile fiction by mistake. Especially all that contrived stuff about the Wendy Peterson character. in 1987. [Insert eye roll here.]

Let’s just say that I don’t think I’ll rush right out and read anything else by Janet Skeslien Charles.

But good for her for bringing this particular historical story of a courageous and trailblazing librarian to the masses!

DESCRIPTION
The New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the “captivating, richly drawn” (Woman’s World) The Paris Library returns with a brilliant new novel based on the true story of Jessie Carson—the American librarian who changed the literary landscape of France.

1918: As the Great War rages, Jessie Carson takes a leave of absence from the New York Public Library to work for the American Committee for Devastated France. Founded by millionaire Anne Morgan, this group of international women help rebuild destroyed French communities just miles from the front. Upon arrival, Jessie strives to establish something that the French have never seen—children’s libraries. She turns ambulances into bookmobiles and trains the first French female librarians. Then she disappears.

1987: When NYPL librarian and aspiring writer Wendy Peterson stumbles across a passing reference to Jessie Carson in the archives, she becomes consumed with learning her fate. In her obsessive research, she discovers that she and the elusive librarian have more in common than their work at New York’s famed library, but she has no idea their paths will converge in surprising ways across time.

Based on the extraordinary little-known history of the women who received the Croix de Guerre medal for courage under fire, Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade is a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, the power of literature, and ultimately the courage it takes to make a change.

I really enjoyed this book.
It was a fascinating glimpse into WWI (the great war) that is less explored in fiction.
I am also a book lover, so it really held my interest.
Characters were well-developed, and it was easy to determine whose point of view we were hearing.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an Enjoyable work of historical fiction based on events and people I was unaware of until now. Interesting read.

I've been reading Janet since her debut, Moonlight in Odessa -- always a pleasure. This one, a natural follow-up to her Paris Library, is set in another place and time (another war). It is wonderfully researched and full of the same charm. I've given it shout-outs on social media, and will do so again when it releases next month. My readers are very enthusiastic! Thanks for the early read!

Absolutely fantastic! I loved the focus on WWI and the dual timeline with the novelist/library worker in 1987. The characters were developed so well, and the setting was described in perfect detail--I felt like I was right there with them. I had never heard of the CARDS before and was fascinated with the storyline of these heroic women.

I loved The Paris Library and was thrilled to get an advanced copy of Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade. This is a dual timeline story set in WW1 France and 1987 NYC. I enjoyed the book but a few things left me slightly wanting more. The main story is the part set in WW1 and it is very detailed and clearly well researched. The friendships of the group of young women are central but also meant that there were quite a few characters and I had some trouble keeping them straight. I would have enjoyed the modern timeline story more if it had more references to the period – there were a couple details but it felt non time specific to me. The main characters in each timeline are female librarians and I loved all the descriptions of their jobs and activities. The author is able to weave in quotations from favorites books and does it in a way that feels very natural and is delightful. This story is an ode to books, libraries, and history and an enjoyable novel for all of us who love those things. Thanks to Atria Books for an early copy to read through NetGalley and a hardcopy from the marketing team, I am leaving this review voluntarily as my honest opinion because I love books and authors. This book will release on April 30, 2024.

I was particularly looking forward to reading Miss Morgan's Book Brigade. And I was not disappointed. Set in 1918, it is the story of Jessie M. Carson, a children's librarian in the NYPL, who temporarily leaves to go to France in the midst of WWI and work for the all female Comité Américain pour les Régions Dévastées de France, a/k/a CARD. Idealistic Jessie wants to bring books, story hours and even bookmobiles to the children, whom she believes are hungry for the pleasure of stories. And she is not wrong. Along the way, Jessie much deal with her own feelings of inadequacy fueled the inner voice of her boss at the NYPL who delights in criticizing her. But she also becomes friends with some of the French woman in the area who have stories of their own, and with some of the soldiers stationed nearby.

In another, parallel story, set in 1987, aspiring writer Wendy Peterson is working at the NYPL scanning documents onto michofishe. When she is given a box of documents about CARD, she becomes immersed in the story of the women of CARD, especially Jessie's story. Like Jessie, Wendy has doubts about her ability to be a good writer and must contend with the criticism of her writing professor and the difficulty of just who Jessie Carson was.

I was pulled into both stories as soon as I began reading. I loved how Jessie often thinks about the books in the library in her head (consisting of all the books she has ever read) and there are ample quotes from many favorites providing comfort and inspiration. Best of all, the story is based on true events and people (Jessie Carson really did exist) making this an every more interesting book. There is back matter detailing who everyone was, including a daughter of J.P. Morgan. Skeslien Charles' research is so thorough, right down to the smallest details, that it makes this a really nuanced and compelling story.

How wonderful to read about WW1 from a woman’s perspective. Yet again Janet Skeslien Charles has shed light on little known heroines, this time the CARD’s. CARD’s were mostly American women who lived on the edge of the front line in Northern France, helping the villagers to rebuild both mentally and physically and to survive the horrors they had witnessed and were still experiencing.
Charles did a great job of putting us readers in the thick of the desolation that the bombs and fighting had created, and the Germans made worse when they retreated. It is always those who live in the path of war who suffer the most. What Charles writes about is the small moments of joy, kindness and humor that the locals and the Americans experience. She writes about the restorative value of the written word, to help people escape the ugliness and pure drudgery of their day to day existence. To help families heal together and to bring some companionship to those who have lost everything.
Heartwarming and educational. I love visiting the Morgan Library in NYC and look forward to heading there again soon to look for more information of Anne Morgan and her CARDs.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. I can’t wait to see what this author brings us next. Fingers crossed for the Frontier Nursing Service in Kentucky that she mentions briefly in this novel.

In 1918 during the Great War, Librarian, Jessie Carson left her job at the NYPL to volunteer with the American Committee for Devastated France. CARDS as the women were called was founded by millionaire, Anne Morgan (Financier J.P. Morgan's daughter). She signed up for a two year contract to set up children's libraries and restore the devastated library building destroyed by German soldiers in Blerancourt, France. Only 40 miles from the Red Zone, Jessie and her CARD friends provided transportation, food, healthcare, and other missing needs the community was left without. They also aided the community in evacuating when the enemy was moving passed allied forces and closer to the community.
Switching timelines to 1987, Wendy Peterson, a NYPL employee comes across a box of archives on the CARDs. She is intriqued with the little known about group of American women who crossed the ocean to help the devastated in France. Seeing that both her and Jessie Carson worked at the NYPL, she wants to find out more about these unsung heroes and write a book bringing their accomplishments to light. I liked the dual timelines and the individual stories.
I haven't read or known much about World War I and I was very interested in hearing the story an out the CARDs and how especially Jessie Carson brought literature to the families in these devastated areas. Creating bookmobiles out of unused ambulance and going town to town to do story hours and allow families access to books since much of their belongings were destroyed and what little money they had, paid for food. It brings to light the importance books have in times of despair. How literature can provide an escape and a light in the darkness.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this advanced readers copy in return for my honest review. Well done ,Janet Skeslein Charles, for your decade long research and work to bring this story and these women to the forefront.

This is a dual timeline novel.

1918: Jesse “Kit” Carson leaves the New York Public Library to work for CARD ( American Committee for Devastated France) which Anne Morgan helped found. Kit is in charge of helping to rebuild their library that was devastated by the Great War. They are located close to the enemy line. Kit wants to help build a bookmobile library for the children.

1987: Wendy Peterson works at the NYPL. She is an aspiring writer. While she is doing research, she finds information about Jesse Carson and the CARDS. She decided to write a story about the women of CARD.

Janet Skeslien Charles spent ten years researching to bring this wonderful story about the CARD women to life. The story evolved the two timelines together but I wanted more with the ending.I loved that the characters were based on true women. Of course bibliophiles will love the sprinkling of the books mentioned throughout the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the arc copy for my honest opinion.

A really wonderful read! One of those books I could not put down. The story is about Jessie "Kit" Carson, who works in the New York Public Library. She leaves the library to volunteer for American Committee for Devastated France (in French the initials spell out CARD), an organization funded by Ann Morgan (daughter of JP Morgan) to help communities devastated by the war (WW !). The women are from around the world and they are amazing in what they are able to accomplish for the people they serve. Jessie creates children's libraries, which did not exist in France at the time. Those libraries were a way to give everyone a respite from war. CARD also rebuilt homes and evacuated families from the ever present German army.

There is a second story line set in NYPL in 1987. Wendy Peterson is a librarian who stumbles across Jessie in the stacks. She jumps into researching Jessie to learn more about her. Jessie's story is told in alternating points of view: Jessie's and Wendy's, through what she learns.

Jessie had to fight rampant sexism, misogyny, German invasion, lack of food and shelter. Her work and the libraries literally saved lives. She is a truly amazing woman, and her story gave me goosebumps. Miss Morgan's Book Brigade is beautifully written, at times inspirational, at other times heartwrenching, but all the time a wonderful read.