Illustrated by Vali Mintzi 5 stars A beautiful story of hope and light in dark times and the power of books. When war reaches their home in Damascus, cousins Nour and Amir band together to create a secret library. Together with their friends and neighbors, they collect books from abandoned homes and bombed buildings to…
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Original Concept by Hiro Arikawa Translated by Kinami Watabe 4 stars Fantastic. When I first started this series, I wasn’t sure if I’d like it because I’m not much for reading romance. But I absolutely love the Library Forces and their fight against censorship. I’m really enjoying getting to learn more about the characters and…
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Original Concept by Hiro Arikawa Translated by Kinami Watabe 4 stars An action-packed story of fighting against censorship. As a public librarian, I love this volume’s focus on privacy protections and equal protections being applied to all. A great second volume. The action really picks up as Iku continues her training with the Library Forces….
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by James LaRue 3 stars A quick read that works well as an introduction to the topics of censorship, book challenges and bans, and intellectual freedom. As a public librarian, I appreciate LaRue’s accounts of fighting censorship and his examples of how challenges can arise, how to deal with them, and why giving in to…
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Original Concept by Hiro Arikawa Translated by Kinami Watabe 4 stars Sad that this manga’s content is still so relevant today, but glad the real world has its own defense forces that fight for the freedom to read for all. Iku Kasahara dreams of joining the Library Defense Force, a military group run by local…
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Illustrated by John Rocco 5 stars A sweet story about the magic of libraries and the joy of sharing books. Piper loves her books. She takes them everywhere she goes. But she does not like to share them. As her collection grows, so do the problems with carrying them all around with her. Until one…
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Illustrated by Priscilla Burris 5 stars Lucy lives a normal life. She hangs out with her best friends, Heidi and Bruce, goes to school, and puts up with rude classmates. But something strange is going on. Every time Lucy hiccups, odd things start happening. Are her hiccups the cause or is it all just a…
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4 stars An adorable story about a young medium coming into her powers and the fight to save a neighborhood. When Adèle starts seeing ghosts, she doesn’t know what to think. Until her family reveals they come from a long line of mediums. Her grandmother advises her not to interact with the ghosts, but they…
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5 stars Action, adventure, fantasy, and humor collide in this middle grade novel perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket looking for some magic and fairies. Told by a begrudging narrator, the story follows Shade, a book-loving sprite, who, after an unfortunate incident with some fireworks, must search for a new home and in the process,…
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3 stars A little bit cottagecore. A little bit romance. Plenty of magic. When introverted librarian Kiela is forced to flee the Great Library of Alyssium due to violent political upheaval, she sets out with Caz, a sentient spider plant, and a few crates of spellbooks to travel to her childhood home on an outer…
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