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A review by lattelibrarian
A Girl, a Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon by Karen Romano Young
5.0
I got this from the library because one of my friends and coworkers has a thing about raccoons. And I have a thing about libraries, so what a pleasant surprise this book ended up being! This incredible fantastic book borders the line between realism and fantasy, as the librarians must face more budget cuts, programming struggles, and the possibility of their building being torn down, as Pearl, the librarian’s daughter, discovers that the raccoons in the basement can actually read and write, and that The Midnight Moon, the raccoon-written nightly newspaper her mother told her about as stories before bed is actually…real?
This was a beautiful bridge between fiction and truth, reality and fantasy, of narrative and journalism. As you begin the book, there’s one immediate mystery beyond the beheaded statue–and that is of who is writing the sidebars that occur nearly once per chapter? Who is Mr. Nichols, really? And what will Pearl’s mom and mother’s boyfriend/library director going to do if they lose their jobs?
As a librarian, I was enamored with this book. Absolutely enamored. I’ll likely buy this just so I can reread it over and over, it was that good. Beyond even just the struggles that this library has, this book offers a poignant and beautiful view on many other important issues. Such as the main struggle of the book: library versus low-income housing. Is one better than the other? Can one create a sense of community better than another? Can a community benefit better with one or the other? And what about those rooting on either side? Clearly, as readers of this book we’re on the side of the librarians–but the architects and construction site workers are just doing their jobs. What about them, whose income depends on city projects such as these?
And even more so, what do we do with the homeless community who so often frequent the library because it’s a warm place with free bathrooms, places to sit, and free entertainment? At first I was a little apprehensive of Mr. Nichols, because homeless characters in literature, if they aren’t the main character–aren’t always treated with care. But everyone in the book loved Mr. Nichols, save of course, for the main antagonist. And what would happen to him if the library is torn down? Who is he behind the homeless person stereotype? And why is it absolutely imperative that we care?
And then we have issues of immigration, as Pearl’s rival and then best friend, Francine, has come to America and is living with her grandmother who lives above the main antagonist. They live in a small, small apartment with some facilities that only kinda sorta work–but it’s the best they can do.
And then even the main antagonist’s worries–though they be for the wrong reasons–are understandable. He wants the street his shop and the library is on to be better, to have a sense of community, for a “respectable” folk to visit. Of course, his sense of what “respectable” is depends primarily on class and race–but Pearl certainly argues that knowledge is power and to have knowledge is to be respectable.
Overall, this book just tackles so many things–even animal cruelty, when addressing voyeurism and traps and releasing! This book is simply incredible, and it blew my mind.
I loved all the characters, the drama, the way that the conflict and resolution were built in various manners through Pearl’s storytelling, omissions of truth, and relationships built around her school, administration, and community. It’s something you certainly don’t want to miss out on.
This was a beautiful bridge between fiction and truth, reality and fantasy, of narrative and journalism. As you begin the book, there’s one immediate mystery beyond the beheaded statue–and that is of who is writing the sidebars that occur nearly once per chapter? Who is Mr. Nichols, really? And what will Pearl’s mom and mother’s boyfriend/library director going to do if they lose their jobs?
As a librarian, I was enamored with this book. Absolutely enamored. I’ll likely buy this just so I can reread it over and over, it was that good. Beyond even just the struggles that this library has, this book offers a poignant and beautiful view on many other important issues. Such as the main struggle of the book: library versus low-income housing. Is one better than the other? Can one create a sense of community better than another? Can a community benefit better with one or the other? And what about those rooting on either side? Clearly, as readers of this book we’re on the side of the librarians–but the architects and construction site workers are just doing their jobs. What about them, whose income depends on city projects such as these?
And even more so, what do we do with the homeless community who so often frequent the library because it’s a warm place with free bathrooms, places to sit, and free entertainment? At first I was a little apprehensive of Mr. Nichols, because homeless characters in literature, if they aren’t the main character–aren’t always treated with care. But everyone in the book loved Mr. Nichols, save of course, for the main antagonist. And what would happen to him if the library is torn down? Who is he behind the homeless person stereotype? And why is it absolutely imperative that we care?
And then we have issues of immigration, as Pearl’s rival and then best friend, Francine, has come to America and is living with her grandmother who lives above the main antagonist. They live in a small, small apartment with some facilities that only kinda sorta work–but it’s the best they can do.
And then even the main antagonist’s worries–though they be for the wrong reasons–are understandable. He wants the street his shop and the library is on to be better, to have a sense of community, for a “respectable” folk to visit. Of course, his sense of what “respectable” is depends primarily on class and race–but Pearl certainly argues that knowledge is power and to have knowledge is to be respectable.
Overall, this book just tackles so many things–even animal cruelty, when addressing voyeurism and traps and releasing! This book is simply incredible, and it blew my mind.
I loved all the characters, the drama, the way that the conflict and resolution were built in various manners through Pearl’s storytelling, omissions of truth, and relationships built around her school, administration, and community. It’s something you certainly don’t want to miss out on.