Library Girl

By: Jamie Steinberg

Polly Horvath is a talented young adult author so it’s no surprise that her latest release Library Girl is another sweet middle-grade read. What starts as a way to protect an abandoned baby takes on, no pun intended, a life of its own. It requires a lot to maintain this monumental secret and readers will love the lengths that these librarians go to as mama bears.

When four librarians find a baby abandoned in their stacks, they decide rather than turn it over to the authorities that they will take turns raising the little one within the library’s walls. Yes, you read that correctly. Taisha, Jeanne-Marie, Doris and Lucinda alternate days looking after the baby, even sleeping there, just to protect the newborn. ELEVEN YEARS (all caps necessary) pass and baby Essie has grown up. She loves to read (of course) but has been quite sheltered from the world as she’s never been outside of the library walls. Looking to give their preteen, now named Essie, a bit of freedom, she finds herself at the local mall. When she stumbles upon a boy her age, G.E., that seemingly looks like her twin, she gets into her mind that he is her long lost sibling. Adding to the plausibility is that G.E. claims to have been raised by four dads who work at the department store. So, with a story so similar to hers, Essie is determined to introduce her moms to the dads and become one big family. Those standing in Essie’s way though are Mr. Fellows, the head of the library, and newly hired and rule enforcer Head Librarian Ms. Matterhorn. Ms. Matterhorn is determined to figure out what the librarians have to hide and why this little girl spends so much time at the library.

This book is filled with love as page after page you cherish sweet Essie and her need for human connection outside of her parents. You adore her wonderment and the innocence to her, along with the clear love her moms have for her and she for them. You want to be at The Chocolate Shop sitting next to her enjoying a phosphate. You can picture yourself alongside of her exploring the mall and learning about the joys of bubble bath. Plus, each mom has a unique personality and such a caring nature that you are grateful Essie has so many wonderful role models. However, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t point out a few bones of contention. Essie has lived in the library for eleven years. How could she have never gotten sick even once all this time and required a visit to a doctor? Essie’s only sources of entertainment are from books and her time with her mothers. Could you not have gotten the kid an iPad or a TV so she could watch movies, go on YouTube and use the internet to do home schooling? Plus, without spoiling anything, G.E. fails to get seriously punished for doing something so heinous that would have required him to deeply and sincerely apologize to the wronged party and grounded him for the foreseeable future.

Library Girl may be an implausible premise, but loving Essie is easy, and you will want to protect her at all costs. Plus, the ending is satisfying. If you are a fan of books, adventures and have a fondness for keeping secrets, this read is for you.