"For the first time in its history, the town of Saint-Anatole had a librarian. ... They had been advertising for the post for the last thirty years, but no one had ever shown any interest, because the library was not much bigger than a broom cupboard, and the few old books it had were covered in mouse droppings."
Here is a book to warm the heart of any librarian! Actually it will warm the heart of any book lover. Miss Charlotte is a very special woman and thank goodness she has arrived in this small French town. She is given the job as librarian and she tackles the task of restoring the town library with determination, courage and a genuine love of books and readers.
The mayor does not care at all about the library. All he wants is fat pastrami sandwiches. Miss Charlotte heads off to the library and she starts to read the books. She discovers, very quickly, that the stock is old and boring. She writes to the mayor but he won't give her any money so Miss Charlotte takes matters into her own hands.
Miss Charlotte buys heaps of splendid books, she finds a new premises above the town hall and fills it with comfortable cushions and quiet corners where readers can sit undisturbed. Then she heads over to the beautifully named Ampersand School. She sits in the playground and reads a book. The children are delighted. They flock to the library but one opinionated little boy does need some persuading. He asks for a a dirty book with bare bottoms. The book Miss Charlotte presents to Martin the next day is utterly perfect and it is sure to make you smile. You will also love the descriptions of this wonderful library which is now filled with garden chairs, beach umbrellas, torches and candles:
"Miss Charlotte had not arranged books by subject or in alphabetical order, like librarians always do. She had arranged them by colour: all the red books in one place, all the green in another."
Leo, who lives in Saint-Anatole, meets Miss Charlotte on her first day in the library. She comes into his family pet shop asking for spider food. He is certain she is the teacher his camp buddy Marie talked about last summer. I do need to explain at this point that The Mysterious Librarian is the second book in this series by Canadian author Dominique Demers. You can see the three titles below.
Leo writes to Marie asking her about Miss Charlotte but she does not answer his letters. When his three letters come back "address unknown" Leo is so sad and upset. He explains his problem to Miss Charlotte. She tells him to keep trying. There will be a way to find Marie.
The other delightful plot device in this book comes when Miss Charlotte becomes so absorbed in a story she goes into a trance. The only way to revive her, Leo discovers, is to keep reading the book she is holding. This works every time until Leo discovers her reading Beauty and the Beast. Miss Charlotte has a 'massive crush on the beast'. Leo knows Marie can help and luckily he has found her and she is not living too far away but time is short.
You can read the first 12 pages on the publisher web site. The mysterious Librarian was originally published in French. I am so happy that Alma decided to translate it (translation by Sander Berg) and the addition of illustrations by Tony Ross top off a perfect package. Here is a review if you need more story details. I read this interview with Dominique Demers and I was excited to learn one of her favourite books is Secret Letters from 0-10 - a book I adore! She also mentions A solitary Blue by Cynthia Voigt.
"She imagined fabulous books, books that make you laugh, cry, shiver and dance. Books that take you to far-flung corners of the earth. Books that tickle your brain, touch your hear and lift your spirit."
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