The 113th Assistant Librarian by Stuart Wilson

I don't normally talk about books here that I have not read but I need to share some details this event with the author.

One of our major chain bookstores here in Sydney - Kinokuniya - hosted an event with Stuart Wilson last weekend. It was one of those chat style interview formats where the author is asked all sorts of good questions. This one was terrific perhaps because the interviewer is a fellow writer and also I think he might be a friend of Stuart Wilson. The interviewer was Jeremy Lachlan (more about him at the end of this post). In their chat they talked about book covers, adult gate keepers, the journey to having your book published, book banning, the importance of libraries, and how to add touches of humour or comedy to your story. It was also good to hear them say they don't feel children's writers are in competition with one another.

Publisher blurb: Oliver Wormwood is sure his new job in the library will be boring. Until he learns that books hold great power – and danger. By the end of his first day, Oliver has witnessed a death, been frozen by a book, met a perplexing number of cats, and fought off a horde of terrifying creatures. With only a mysterious girl called Agatha to show him the ropes, Oliver needs to learn fast . . . if he wants to live longer than the 112 assistant librarians before him.

Read Chapter One. 

Things I discovered about Stuart Wilson:

• His favourite childhood book - The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander and also Spooks by Joseph Delaney and all of the Asterix and Tintin titles. He also mentioned master story teller Paul Jennings.
• He calls his newest book (it is his third) a 'cosy fantasy'.  I need to research this idea further.
• The main character in his story is aged 13 - I wonder if this links with the choice of 113th assistant.
• He wanted his main character to be a bookish boy.
• He lives in Melbourne.
• He does read other middle grade books and he is not afraid to read while he writes.

As I said I am now keen to read The 113th Assistant Librarian - hope it is as good as it sounded during this event. Here is an interview with Joy Lawn and Paperbark Words. 

This is an exciting original fantasy written by a person who loves words, books and ideas. It has the usual middle grade themes of testing yourself, coping with high family expectations, and finding unexpected friendships, but it is also interlaced with some thought- provoking ideas about the nature and power of books, and the need for free access to knowledge. The publishers have done it justice with a great cover and a hardback giftable edition. Storylinks Mia Macrossan

Jeremy Lachlan was born in Griffith, New South Wales, Australia. A former bookseller, he completed his honours degree in creative writing at the University of Canberra in 2004, and now calls Sydney home. His debut novel, Jane Doe and the Cradle of All Worlds, has been published in over 15 countries around the world, translated into nine languages, and was the 2019 Australian Book Industry Award winner for Book of the Year for Older Children. Its second part, Jane Doe and the Key of All Souls, was shortlisted for the same award in 2021.