What a wonderful story that Frank L. Cole has shared with the world. I enjoyed journeying with Juni and Co as they seared for this mysterious "last library" in a society that has worked to erase such places altogether. Balancing her desire to find the library with her care and affection for her ailing grandfather made the journey all the more important. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the chance to preview this story!

super spannendes kinderbuch, richtig interessant. totaler page-turner. richtig gut gemacht. kann man nur empfehlen

A futuristic world where books have been burned. Join this motley crew as they find clues to unlocking a secret long lost.

Fun notes of family love and loyalty. Deals with medical and financial challenges in a magical world. Overall a fun and interesting mystery book.

Loved the audiobook reader. They had a perfect voice for a young reader book.

This was probably one of my favorite middle grade books of 2024, and it kept me engaged throughout. I truly liked the FMC and the narrator. I thought it was a very unique story, too, that made us think!

I loved this book! I was immediately immersed in the world, and the narrator did a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life.

The story was exciting, but it does drop you into a world with little explanation. The narrator was easy to understand but some of the voices felt a little forced.
The idea of a world without paper is frightening as is a world that is fully censored by a tech company. This wonderful story takes us on an adventure to find the last library a repository of books, unheard of in a world where all information is distributed by a single company through digital devices that download information directly to the brain. While there are some holes in the story the second half is fast paced and exciting.
Most middle grade readers will appreciate this story but miss some of the subtle critique of our digital dependance.

As a librarian I of course loved how the last library is represented in the story. A treasure! Rich, and priceless but I loved how the mixed media value of a book was portrayed: digital versus print. The characters were fun and there was tons of adventure, suspense and laughs for kids to enjoy. Thank you NetGalley!

I'm always up for a love note to libraries and books. I can really see middle grade kids enjoying this story and it has some interesting technology vs paper as information sources ideas in it.

Juni has grit. Even in the dystopian world she lives in, she finds a way to buck the system, and thanks to her grandfather, is one of the few of her peers who can actually read rather than just having a book "uplinked" for her. I love her grandfather and how he raised her to live outside of societal norms so that when everything starts to happen to open her eyes to the world around her, she is able to move forward in confidence to find the truth.

This seems to be the first book in a series. I don't see news about book 2 yet, but the ending of this one leads to a second. And because this seems to be a series opener, there are many questions about how the world came to be this way that are left unanswered. I hope we get some clarity moving forward in the series about the past.

That being said, this was a fast paced and interesting dystopian novel that I think has some good things even for a middle grade book club to discuss about the power of books and knowledge.

Thanks to Blackstone Audio for the gifted title. All opinions are my own.

i really enjoy the legend of the last library even though it was more for a younger audience I would recommend this book to ages 8 to 13 years olds

This is a fun and exciting dystopian fantasy! I thoroughly enjoyed middle school. It made me laugh, and I felt invested in the story and characters. I really loved this book and look forward to reading more of his books. The search for the last library was a really fun plot, and made it so I didn’t want to put this book down. Imagine a world without paper books?! What a sad world that would be. But it sure made for an inventive and page-turning story.
The characters go on a journey not only for the library but also for self-improvement, which is great for any kid to learn.
I think readers of all ages would enjoy this story.
Thank you to Netgalley for the digital Arc to preview.

I cannot imagine living in a world without books. Juni and her friends must find the hidden last library and share it with the world before Novexus claims and destroys it. Words have power and in written form have the power to change lives.

Libraries, dystopian, a quest and what stories mean in the grand scheme of things. This is a beautifully written story even as you realize the dystopian aspects of the story but written in a very accessible way! This one is middle grade but I think YA and adults will like this story too.


Narrated by Bailey Carr who does an excellent job at bringing the emotions!


4 stars

I received this audiobook from the publisher Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks and NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

I received a copy of this audiobook from netGalley for a honest review.

What would it be like to live in a world where trees had been eliminated? That's what has happened over a hundred years age in this book where a disease ate all the trees and paper- so no books. Junie finds out her parents were looking for the last library and she is now on the hunt. A great, suspenseful story! I will look for more by this author.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It just missed the publication date to be considered for my state's most recent read aloud list but I've nominated it for next year. I found this book to be engaging, it pulled me in right from the start and I finished quickly because I kept wanting to know what ws going to happen next. I certainly hope this one will turn into a series.

I feel like this is a case of "it's not you, it's me." I'm giving everything I read 3 stars recently, because they're not gripping me, but they're not bad. I kind of found it hard to understand a future where people couldn't read and were discouraged from doing so but it was also a really high tech place. It just seems like those both can't be true, you know?

The story was fine for a middle grade and there were parts that piqued my interest, like her parents and their quest for the library. But as a whole, I felt disengaged.

The Legend of the Last Library is an incredibly imaginative and gripping middle grade story. While this book is a middle grade, it would be appropriate for young adults as well.

The story follows a young female character who goes on a journey to discover historical truth, her family’s past, and who she’s destined to be. The pacing is tight, making this a propulsive read even the adults in the family will be eager to return to.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story with my almost eight year old daughter who is an advanced reader for her age. She absolutely loved this story, as did I. The narrator did a wonderful job. As I was listening with my daughter, we listened at 1x speed, but it could easily be sped up for audiobook readers who are used to quickening their listening pace.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for this advanced audiobook copy. We will be reading future stories from this author.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to listen to in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

***AUDIO BOOK VERSION***
The Legend of the Last Library is a dystopian middle grade book for anyone who loves books and libraries.
We follow Juni, who lives with her grandfather in a rented apartment. When she's not at school, she takes part in an activity called plifting - the scavenging of paper from anywhere they can find it in. Paper is scarce since a disease called Blight killed off the trees, and now paper isn't just scarce but costs a fortune if you can get your hands on it. Juni needs as much money as she can make to pay for her grandfather's health care as he's all she has left in the world after her parents died.
Juni comes across a book hidden in her grandfather's closet, and upon reading it, she discovers clues to the possibility of a last library that is hidden and filled with books. If so, this is the last library on earth and is over 100 years old! As Juni and her friends (including a new friend) try to connect the dots, they fall within the crosshairs of someone else who is also looking for the same thing.
This Was fast paced and pulse pounding, especially when the robot dogs appeared, and I flew through this book desperate to know if the library existed and what would happen next.

What a fascinating topic! Here is a nightmarish story centered around paper as a disappearing and extremely sought after commodity.
I would recommend this book for middle school students as the subject matter might be a bit frightening for the younger elementary students.
The characters were so well-developed, and I especially liked the relationship between the main character, Juni, and her grandfather. Although it was quite a dive into the darkness of what life might possibly be without books in our lives, it was balanced with much-needed humor throughout its pages as a respite. Well done!

Interesting (and timely) dystopian story, if a bit uneven in parts. The characters could have been deeper, but I enjoyed the ideas presented and it was captivating. Could be a good starting point to discuss freedom of information, the media, misinformation, banned books, etc.. for older students.

Thank you NetGalley for a free audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.