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brittster622's review against another edition
4.0
I do love me a good book about books and this one doesn’t disappoint. Our MC is like a Lorax for the books in library and these books are alive! He has pages that help him out which is precious. They are literal pages that can ink simple and short messages on themselves and do minor tasks.
This book gives me major Sorcery of Thorns vibes only without demons and for middle grade.
Great and fun bookish read!
This book gives me major Sorcery of Thorns vibes only without demons and for middle grade.
Great and fun bookish read!
lielos99's review against another edition
5.0
Such a fun read, especially since I was in a library.
I'm not sure if it's only a standalone, or a series, but I felt like there was so much more I wanted to know about the LB's and the Librarian. Even just a little more XD
I'm not sure if it's only a standalone, or a series, but I felt like there was so much more I wanted to know about the LB's and the Librarian. Even just a little more XD
brandypainter's review against another edition
5.0
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
Sarah Prineas writes amazing books and I love and own them all. There are more than one copy of most of them in my house because my kids loved them too and need their own copies. I often get nervous when I read a new book from an author whose books I adore because there is the niggling worry that this will be the one I don't like. I'm becoming more and more convinced that's just never going to happen with Sarah's books. Her latest The Lost Books: The Scroll of Kings had me riveted from page one and made me feel real, true, unadulterated love for a book. Something I haven't felt in quite a while.
Disclaimer: This is a review of an early copy sent to me by the author who I am friendly with.
That was what a librarian was, he realized, and he wanted to curse himself for being so slow to figure it out. A librarian was not just a cataloger, a sweeper, a duster, a collector of grass, an alphabetizer, a keeper of keys. A librarian was a protector. Of books.
Alex is a Librarian. He knows it deep in his heart. He has known it since the day he found his way into his father's library and began to read the Red Codex. As he read, the words marked him and he has never been the same. Alex's problem is convincing everyone else he is a Librarian. His father wanted him to be a soldier. The Librarian he apprenticed for did little to train him. When Alex finds that Librarian dead, Alex knows the book the man was reading at the time is responsible. Then Alex discovers a letter revealing the Royal Librarian died in similar circumstances. Alex travels to the Winter Palace pretending to be his dead master to take up the mantle of Royal Librarian and the mystery surrounding the deaths. Alex knows books are full of life. He knows they can be dangerous. The young queen, Kenneret, is not impressed with Alex but gives him a trial period to work in her library knowing she can easily get rid of him at the end of this time. She has more important things to deal with including her delinquent brother who has been kicked out of yet another school, her uncle who seems constantly disappointed in her, and the weight of ruling a nation of people on her young shoulders. When the dangers in the library and the dangers in the palace appear to be intertwined. Kenneret and Alex have to work together to solve the mystery that is threatening the books, their lives, and the fate of the Kingdom.
This book is so perfect for me it is rather hard to be objective about it. Alex is a snarky, rather arrogant, smart yet often oblivious boy. I mean. Check one on the list of things I love. Kennie is a prickly, pragmatic, determined and ambitious girl. So yeah. The two main characters of this book are my everything. There was no chance I wasn't going to love this. I wasn't also expecting to love Kennie's younger brother Charlie equally as much. He is a strong, soldier type, but a deep thinker who sees nuances Alex and Kennie miss in their more no-nonsense approach to everything. The three of them make a fantastic team once they manage to come together. The process of them dancing around each other to get there is fun too. So much snark.
The plot is well crafted and the action moves along at a brisk pace. I was not able to put this down or stop reading for even a minute until I was finished. The mystery of the books and what was happening with them was compelling as was the political intrigue part of the story. I was particularly impressed by how this part was there, but on exactly the level it needed to be for the intended MG audience. I'm not going to say much more to avoid spoilers, but this is definitely a page turner full of adventure, excellent dialogue, and plenty of action.
Of course, being me, I also appreciated the theme of the importance of books, reading, and the role librarians play. The fact that the books in this story are in danger while being a danger at the same time was quite brilliant.
I'm looking forward to book talking this one in the upcoming school year. It is one of those books that will be easy to spark kids' interest in.
Sarah Prineas writes amazing books and I love and own them all. There are more than one copy of most of them in my house because my kids loved them too and need their own copies. I often get nervous when I read a new book from an author whose books I adore because there is the niggling worry that this will be the one I don't like. I'm becoming more and more convinced that's just never going to happen with Sarah's books. Her latest The Lost Books: The Scroll of Kings had me riveted from page one and made me feel real, true, unadulterated love for a book. Something I haven't felt in quite a while.
Disclaimer: This is a review of an early copy sent to me by the author who I am friendly with.
That was what a librarian was, he realized, and he wanted to curse himself for being so slow to figure it out. A librarian was not just a cataloger, a sweeper, a duster, a collector of grass, an alphabetizer, a keeper of keys. A librarian was a protector. Of books.
Alex is a Librarian. He knows it deep in his heart. He has known it since the day he found his way into his father's library and began to read the Red Codex. As he read, the words marked him and he has never been the same. Alex's problem is convincing everyone else he is a Librarian. His father wanted him to be a soldier. The Librarian he apprenticed for did little to train him. When Alex finds that Librarian dead, Alex knows the book the man was reading at the time is responsible. Then Alex discovers a letter revealing the Royal Librarian died in similar circumstances. Alex travels to the Winter Palace pretending to be his dead master to take up the mantle of Royal Librarian and the mystery surrounding the deaths. Alex knows books are full of life. He knows they can be dangerous. The young queen, Kenneret, is not impressed with Alex but gives him a trial period to work in her library knowing she can easily get rid of him at the end of this time. She has more important things to deal with including her delinquent brother who has been kicked out of yet another school, her uncle who seems constantly disappointed in her, and the weight of ruling a nation of people on her young shoulders. When the dangers in the library and the dangers in the palace appear to be intertwined. Kenneret and Alex have to work together to solve the mystery that is threatening the books, their lives, and the fate of the Kingdom.
This book is so perfect for me it is rather hard to be objective about it. Alex is a snarky, rather arrogant, smart yet often oblivious boy. I mean. Check one on the list of things I love. Kennie is a prickly, pragmatic, determined and ambitious girl. So yeah. The two main characters of this book are my everything. There was no chance I wasn't going to love this. I wasn't also expecting to love Kennie's younger brother Charlie equally as much. He is a strong, soldier type, but a deep thinker who sees nuances Alex and Kennie miss in their more no-nonsense approach to everything. The three of them make a fantastic team once they manage to come together. The process of them dancing around each other to get there is fun too. So much snark.
The plot is well crafted and the action moves along at a brisk pace. I was not able to put this down or stop reading for even a minute until I was finished. The mystery of the books and what was happening with them was compelling as was the political intrigue part of the story. I was particularly impressed by how this part was there, but on exactly the level it needed to be for the intended MG audience. I'm not going to say much more to avoid spoilers, but this is definitely a page turner full of adventure, excellent dialogue, and plenty of action.
Of course, being me, I also appreciated the theme of the importance of books, reading, and the role librarians play. The fact that the books in this story are in danger while being a danger at the same time was quite brilliant.
I'm looking forward to book talking this one in the upcoming school year. It is one of those books that will be easy to spark kids' interest in.
tobyyy's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to the audiobook version of this (narrator: Graham Halstead) and it was phenomenal! The narrator brought the book to life with excellent voice acting. It was a fun story about books that are alive (or “alive” in some way at least). Very action-packed and it kept my attention, which many audiobooks do not (I’ve had much better luck with MG audiobooks compared to adult audiobooks in that respect). Such an absorbing tale with excellent world building and likable characters. And no love triangles or romance at all, actually!
hmbarnum1's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
The audiobook version of this (narrator: Graham Halstead) is phenomenal! The narrator brought the book to life with excellent voice acting. It is a fun story about books that are alive and it’s very entertaining.
ageorges's review against another edition
4.0
This book is the most fun I've had reading in a while.
blok_sera_szwajcarskiego's review against another edition
33%
wiecie co, to jest tak krótka książka, dlatego cały czas obiecuję sobie, że do niej wrócę
a minęło już tyle czasu i mi się nie chce XD
kiedyś zacznę od początku, ale na razie - bye bye
wiecie co, to jest tak krótka książka, dlatego cały czas obiecuję sobie, że do niej wrócę
a minęło już tyle czasu i mi się nie chce XD
kiedyś zacznę od początku, ale na razie - bye bye
as3's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
lavendermarch's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, this was a great book! It was exciting and funny and intriguing, and all of the characters (except the bad ones, obviously) were very well written. I picked up this book about a month ago, and I'm so glad I finally read it! It was really interesting and easy to read, and I will definitely be on the lookout for the next book. 4.5 stars! Oh, and I absolutely loved everything about the books, of course!