LIBRARY GIRL, by Polly Horvath, Margaret Ferguson Books, Sept. 10, 2024, Hardcover, $18.99 (ages 9-12)
A girl learns that the real world is not as perfect as the stories she’s grown up with in Library Girl, a middle-grade novel by Polly Horvath.
Essie has grown up in the public library, raised in secret by the four librarians who found her abandoned as a baby in the children’s department. With four mothers and miles of books to read, Essie has always been very happy living there.
But now that she is eleven, Essie longs for a little more freedom . . . and maybe a friend her own age. She seems to get her wish when her moms let her go by herself to the mall. On her second trip there, she meets G.E., a mysterious boy who looks so much like her she can’t help but think they may be twins. Maybe he was raised by four dads in the appliance section of the department store. Maybe his story is intertwined with hers, and their happy ending is as one big family. But as she gets to know G.E. better, she learns that nothing is as simple as it seems in her stories — not even her own past. —Synopsis provided by Margaret Ferguson Books
First things first: If you are a reader, or your kid is a reader, then you/they will immediately be drawn to Library Girl, both for its cover and title. And the content inside lives up to the cover.
Library Girl is a whimsical story that teeters on the edge of possible.
At the center of the book is Essie, a girl who is very much a product of her rearing — four moms and a library full of books have opened multiple worlds of possibilities. But the world beyond the library is as unexpected as one found in a new book, and Essie learns she must be the protagonist in her own life. Essie is bright and curious and a joy to get to know.
The plot of Library Girl is unexpected, especially a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. Author Polly Horvath’s writing is warm and inviting. And her own love of books sings throughout. This gentle adventure is a lovely story about what makes a family and discovering where you fit in that family and the world at large.
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