The 113th Assistant Librarian by Stuart Wilson

"My name is Hieronymus Finch-Thackeray, and I think you are splendidly suited 

to become the 113th assistant librarian. What say you?"

You might like to begin here with my previous post about The 113th Assistant Librarian - which I wrote after hearing the author Stuart Wilson and before I read his book almost in one sitting!

"My dear boy, books are powerful ... They are more than simple bound pages. Books may record the past, predict the future, or hold the darkest of secrets. At their best they are societal equalisers. At their worst ... well! Words can teach the truth as easily as they can spin a lie. And that's not even considering that which lurks between the lines. The knife of interpretation is paper-thin, yet it cuts through minds with the slightest of pressure. Underestimate books at your peril."

Oliver Wormwood has found his calling. He will now work at the library but on his very first day the librarian dies. There is no one else who can run the library so Oliver must step into the role and learn how the run the library and keep the borrowers happy and keep himself safe from the very dangerous books and he must do this very quickly or he too might end up dead!

I have said this before but I marvel at the imagination of some writers. There are so many fabulous moments in The 113th Assistant Librarian - inventive plot twists that made me gasp and smile. 

This book has it all:

• It is a page turner
• It has some laugh out loud funny moments (wait till you encounter the hideous bookworms and that pesky firedrake owner)
• It has a hero you will love along with his two friends Agatha and Ember and a series of cats some of whom are very helpful
• It is set in a library - surely that is enough to tell you it will be interesting 
• There are parts of this story that will resonate with all librarians - such as due date stamps, the power of bookmarks and the need for shelving and classification systems. This made me laugh "He'd been working in the library so long that his idea of a deadly weapon usually comprised a preface, an afterword, and a bunch of pages in between."
• The titles of the various books are hilarious and so inventive - I wanted to create a list of them
• There are moments of great drama and danger
• And this book contains the most amazingly rich vocabulary

Oliver Wormwood is a splendid character. I love his emotional intelligence, his natural ability to understand and embrace how libraries work, his desire to keep the library organised and tidy, and surprisingly, his attention to his own cleanliness.

"He paused to wash the mud off his shirt in the Spellwater Fountain ..."

"He even got into a rhythm when it came to washing his clothes and bedding. Finding a spot in the otherwise overgrown garden that was lucky enough to receive sunlight for a few hours a day, he tied some string from one tree to another to form a washing line ... he did not like to have dirty clothes strewn all over the floor."

Vocabulary: demeanour, impartiality, codex, gauntlet, coffer (small chest), bandolier, imperative, cantankerous, decagonal, dodecagonal, glommed, trepidation, clerestory (a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level), synchrony, chapodiphobia (fear of octopuses), poultice, exsanguinate, illustrious, ruminate, surreptitiously, filching, kettle helm, text block, Inncunabula, parley and parlay.

I do like the character names.  His sisters are called Heloise, Isolde, Willow, Elsbeth and Octavia. The town where Oliver lives is called Blackmoor-upon-Wyvern. A wyvern is a small dragon so this is most certainly a place filled with magic. If you plan to introduce this book to your students I suggest sharing some of the character descriptions:

"An old man dressed in a long magenta cloak stepped forward. He peered at Oliver over a pair of tiny reading glasses perched on the edge of his long nose."

"(he) came face to face with a tall woman with shoulder-length straight brown hair wearing a cloak of midnight blue. The bronze bracelets poking through her tattered cuffs signaled her power ... "

"An old man stood before Oliver. He had a slight hunch and grey wiry eyebrows so long they might have been about to take flight. ... He was dressed in a threadbare knee-length jacket and breeches and he had holes in his shoes. ... His skin was so pale it could have been made from porcelain."

"Dressed in a sodden cloak of midnight blue, the slim man was average height, with a narrow face and pointy nose. He had a long tuft of black hair growing from his chin that he had knotted into a braid. ... He had light brown eyes that were almost amber, an attribute that was hard to ignore because the man maintained eye contact for a fraction longer than was customary."

"The man was wearing a lurid green cravat which gave the effect of a frog perched on his collarbone."

There will be a second adventure for Oliver by Stuart Wilson- and it is sure to be just as good as this first one.  Listen to an audio sample from the first installment here. In this insightful interview Joy Lawn talks to Stuart Wilson about his book. 

I recommend The 113th Assistant Librarian for readers aged 10+.  It could also be a terrific class or family read aloud. There is an interesting political layer to this story that you could explore with older readers around the idea of censorship and corruption of the populace through knowledge. The 'Member for Upper-Lower Tumbledown Barrows tells Oliver to remove all books about yellow or golden apples - you need to read the book to find out why. I also loved the description on page 183 where Oliver's friend London Llewelyn describes his 'occupational and health' training as an apprentice lamplighter.

This story is such fun for anyone who knows even a little bit about how libraries are supposed to work. ... 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. Story Links

I think the CBCA 2025 judges must be having a very hard time this year deciding on their Younger Readers notables, short list and winners. Here are two others I also loved.

The Midwatch

The scene in chapter 18 of The 113th Assistant Librarian made me think of this wonderful picture book which is sure to be in most Australian school libraries:

Stuart Wilson says: I wanted to set a story in a library because they are such unique places. Anyone, old or young, can walk straight in, spend hours reading or watching or listening – without spending any money. And there are staff on hand to help you, should you need them – magical places indeed!

Other books set in libraries:

The Lost Library

Leeva at Last

Escape from Mr Lemoncello's Library

The Mysterious Librarian

Companion books:

Vincent and the grandest hotel on Earth

The Book of Wondrous Possibilities

The Hatmakers (this story also explores Guilds)

The Pickpocket and the Gargoyle by Lindsay Eager

There are a host of very different characters in this splendid book. The setting feels like an ancient European city such as Paris or Rome and the unfinished cathedral, which has several gargoyles on the roof, is so well described I felt as though I was roaming right through the city and standing on the cathedral while I 'lived' through the whole year covered by this story. The descriptions of the sights, sounds and smells are so vivid. The derelict cathedral is at the centre of the story. It was built one hundred years ago in Odierne and is apply named Cathedral Sans Nom. A huge gargoyle observes the life of the city. He is not alone on the top of this building, but the other gargoyles are on the opposite side facing east and they shun him. Our alternate chapter narrator is the gargoyle facing west. One evening a young woman holding a tiny baby, climbs up to the roof of the ruined building in an attempt to escape the police. When she is finally cornered, she jumps into the river clutching her tiny baby. Eight years have now passed by the gargoyle still feels so much pain. His job is to protect but he failed to protect the mother and child. But what can he do. He is a gargoyle. He cannot move and he cannot talk, except to the pigeons who try to roost in his open mouth. He is powerless and deeply sad. 

Then we meet Duck. Duck is rescued as a tiny baby girl from the Saluire, the river that runs through the city. She is taken in by a gang of pickpockets and petty criminals all of whom are really children themselves. The gang call themselves Crowns. Duck does not know this yet but it is not a coincidence that the gang have moved into Odierne. The gang leader Gnat (this is the most perfect name for him) organises for Duck to work for Griselde as a baker's apprentice. His scheme is to have Duck steal bread and money to pass onto the Crowns each Saturday at the market. But Duck has a destiny. It is clear from the beginning she has a talent for baking and for creating delicious flavor combinations especially with her favourite herb - rosemary.

As I said at the beginning of this post, each of the characters in this book is so well drawn. Baker Griselde is a huge woman with enormous patience and good sense. Her journeyman Petrus is a thin suspicious figure who is always watching Duck. In the gang Ash, is both Duck's rescuer and her one true friend. Gnat, leader of the Crowns, revels in the power he wields over this group of young orphans but Duck has learnt to watch his face closely and from time to time she sees tiny hints of his true character and yearning to know about his own past and possible family. As for Duck, it is a joy to watch her transformation from a timid, almost silent child, into a young girl who learns to read, to bake and who gains enough confidence to question Gnat especially now he seems to be conspiring with the dangerous rival gang the Red Swords. 

Publisher blurb: Fished from the river as an infant and raised by a roving band of street urchins who call themselves the Crowns, eight-year-old Duck keeps her head down and her mouth shut. It’s a rollicking life, always thieving, always on the run – until the ragtag Crowns infiltrate an abandoned cathedral in the city of Odierne and decide to put down roots. It’s all part of the bold new plan hatched by the Crowns’ fearless leader, Gnat, to ensure the Crowns always have a steady supply of food and money. But no sooner is Duck apprenticed to the kindly local baker than her allegiances start to blur. Who is she really: a Crown or an apprentice baker? And who does she want to be? Meanwhile, high above the streets of Odierne, on the roof of the unfinished cathedral, an old and ugly gargoyle grows weary of waiting to fulfil his own destiny to watch and protect. Told in alternating viewpoints, this exquisite novel evokes a timeless tale of love, self-discovery, and what it means to be rescued.

I have had this book on my to read pile for many months. I picked it up a couple of times but the opening prelude to the story didn't quite grab me. This book has 448 pages and so I did keep pushing it to the bottom of the pile until this week. I did take the whole week to read this book but near the end I devoured the final chapters because they were so gripping. I was desperately hoping Duck would finally find her true place in the world even though Gnat had so horribly used and betrayed her.  After reading this book (or perhaps listening to an audio version if one is made) you will want to head off to your own local bakery so you can also devour some delicious breads in as many different forms and flavours as you can find. I recommend this book for keen readers who have good reading stamina aged 10+.

Here is an excellent review by Margot Hillel for Reading Time:

This is a book about loyalty and choices, particularly having one’s loyalty tested when required to choose sides. It is also about belonging and community; about what makes a home and what constitutes a family. It is a multi-layered book that will benefit from discussion in a class but is also a rich, individual reading experience.

"The craft of the baker is described in mouth-watering detail, and the reader gains some insight into how medieval guilds might have operated. ... Those interested in historical fiction (with a touch of magical realism) will enjoy this one." Reading Time Margaret McKay-Lowndes March, 2023.

Companion books:

The Threads of Magic

A Very Unusual Pursuit

The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat

Exploits on the high seas and complex characters combine in a tale full of both excitement and heart. An engrossing adventure with the feeling of a whole world to be explored. Kirkus Star Review

Sai (full name Sodsai Arawan) is a girl living in a highly stratified society. She is on the bottom rung. Her father is a petty criminal and they live in squalid conditions. Sai, though, has worked hard and found herself a good job with the esteemed map maker. She has managed to find some clothes suitable for an apprentice and each day she travels into the city to work with Paiyoon. She has a firm goal to better herself and to do this she needs the all important status symbol of a lineal or chain. The more of these a citizen displays the higher their social standing. Sai is twelve. Lineals are given to children when they turn thirteen. They show your heritage.

The Kingdom of Mangkon is huge but the Queen wants more. She sets a challenge to the navy to sail to all corners of the globe to claim new lands in her name. 

Of course, these ships will need a map maker and Paiyoon is famous, but he is old now and unwell and his hands keep shaking. He does secure a place on a ship, but he will need Sai to travel with him to assist with the map making. Sai is very skilled with copying documents and maps. She is thrilled she can go on the voyage. Partly because this is a way to get away from her father and partly because there is a reward at the end of the voyage, and this will mean she can obtain a lineal and a better future.

On board the ship there is the crew of course, and one of them is very suspicious of Sai, but there is also the Captain who is the Queen's great niece, Mr Lark a naturalist, Dr Pinching the ship surgeon, Miss Rian Prasomsap - a former soldier, and Bo a stowaway with an interesting back story. The real dilemma for you as a reader comes when you try to work out who to trust. I was suspicious but also very wrong with my predictions. 

The voyage is long and filled with danger but the really interesting part of this book comes when we discover why the Queen wants to know about these distant lands and what she might do there. She has already almost destroyed some of the places they visit on the voyage and that is why I have added the label colonization to this post. 

"I had expected Falhin to be a green vibrant place like Pitaya Island but it couldn't have been more different. From what I could see, Fahlin was made of mud. The streets near the habour were slick and greasy, and the water was stained brown." Keep reading pages 180-181 to hear what Paiyoon thinks about the Queen and her desire to claim new territory.

Horn Book expand this idea: Class structure, imperial greed, and environmental ravages underpin the narrative arc of this fantastical adventure story, resonating with our own contemporary issues. At the same time, Soontornvat’s Thai-inspired culture and geography provide a vivid backdrop. With emphasis on an intricate plot and quick, accessible prose, Soontornvat provides plenty of excitement while bringing questions of expansionism and de-colonization to young readers.

Publisher blurb: As assistant to Mangkon’s most celebrated mapmaker, twelve-year-old Sai plays the part of a well-bred young lady with a glittering future. In reality, her father is a conman—and in a kingdom where the status of one’s ancestors dictates their social position, the truth could ruin her. Sai seizes the chance to join an expedition to chart the southern seas, but she isn’t the only one aboard with secrets. When Sai learns that the ship might be heading for the fabled Sunderlands—a land of dragons, dangers, and riches beyond imagining—she must weigh the cost of her dreams. Vivid, suspenseful, and thought-provoking, this tale of identity and integrity is as beautiful and intricate as the maps of old.

Watch the trailer from Candlewick. 

Reading it, it doesn’t feel like any other book out there. It grips you from the first page. You believe in these characters, in their wants and dreams and fears. You never doubt for a second their motivations, even when they surprise you with their choices. This may even be the kind of book that kids that usually eschew fantasy would actually like quite a lot. Though fantastical elements exist, there’s a strange reality to them. Consider this the kind of book that kids and their adult gatekeepers will love equally. In other words? Rare rare treasure. Betsy Bird SLJ

I have had this book on my list for a while. It was published in 2023. I saw the hardcover on sale in a bookstore but hesitated to buy it which was silly but anyway I now own the paperback.

Awards for The Last Mapmaker:

• 2023 Newbery Honor Book
• New York Times Best Children’s Book of the Year 
• New York Public Library Best Book of the Year
• Kirkus Best Book of the Year
• Walter Dean Myers Honor Book for Young Readers
• Texas Bluebonnet Master List Selection 
• A Junior Library Guild Selection 
• A Common Sense Media Selection 
• Audiofile Best Audiobook of the Year
• Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year
• YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults
• ALSC Notable Children’s Book 2023

I previously talked about this book (five stars) by Christina Soontornvat.

A Wish in the Dark

Companion books:

Bartlett and the Ice Voyage

The Girl, the Cat and the Navigator

The Pearl in the Ice

Race to the end of the world

The Mapmakers' Race

Ranger's Apprentice Book One The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan audio book

"In an ideal world I wouldn't put him at risk like this. But this isn't an ideal world. Everyone's going to have to play his part in this campaign, even boys like Will."

Begin here listening to an audio sample from page 3 (The Prologue) up to page 6 . I often tell students to read the prologue twice - as they begin the book and then again at the end as a way to make sense of Morgarath and his desire for revenge. In this section we hear of the Kalkara and later Will meets them:

"a horrific figure crouched, screaming hatred and fury, plucking uselessly at the mortal wound in it's chest that had finally bought it down. Over two and half metres tall, with shaggy, matted, scale-like hair covering its entire body, the Kalkara had long, talon-clad arms that reached to beneath its knees. ... But what they noticed most was the face - savage and ape-like, with huge, yellowed canine teeth and red, glowing eyes filled with hatred and the blind desire to kill."

I have spent a few weeks listening to this gripping story read by William Zappa. I highly recommend this as a good way to discover these characters especially young Will the apprentice and Halt his master. I first read this book in 2004 but there were many parts I had forgotten. You can read more of the plot here and here.  Ranger's Apprentice is now a series of 12 books. And John Flanagan has other series for you to explore too.

One of the very best events in our school library happened in 2005 when John Flanagan visited our school.  One of our students, at the time, was blind. John bought along his long bow and he allowed this boy to hold, handle and explore this medieval weapon. It was a very special moment for all of us.

Ottilie Colter and the Narroway Hunt by Rhiannon Williams

"Of course it's only boys. That's the way things go, isn't it? Girls aren't allowed to do anything. Rich girls sit, poor girls clean, and girls with nothing at all hide in the dark. ... Maybe now you're here ... You could change things, Ottilie."

Young boys are being kidnapped from the Swamp Hollows "a series of caves and tunnels on the edge of Brakkerswamp." Ottilie, aged twelve nearly thirteen, wakes up one morning and discovers her eleven year old beloved brother Gully is missing. Ottilie is frantic. She is very aware young boys regularly disappear from their tiny settlement. 

"They pick lonely, hungry boys, the really reckless ones. They bring them here, tell them they were selected specially for the job. They offer them a family, food, three stations full of brothers, and girls to wait on them."

Ottilie sets off to find and rescue her brother but of course things are not that simple. Her brother and many other 'innocent' young boys have been taken to fight the most hideous of monsters. Ottilie has disguised herself as a boy and so she is caught up in the boy's training program. Ottilie will need to face a series of deadly and unpredictable monsters all the while fearful of discovery. Girls are not permitted to become a fledge. What will happen if she is caught?

These monsters are truly impressive and dangerous. I marvel at the imagination of Rhiannon Williams to create such creatures. They also have amazing names - scorver, jivvies, barrogaul and yicker.

"The thing to remember, always, is that a dredretch is an unnatural beast. They are a plague upon humanity and serve no purpose in the living world. We are not their food source; they do not attack us out of necessity. It is merely their primary instinct to attempt to tear us apart starting with the heart - a dredretch will always go for the heart."

Ottilie Colter and the Narroway Hunt was a total surprise. I am not sure I would have selected this one from the cover although taking a close look, the huge white cat does look a little like the Falkor, the luck dragon from The Neverending Story which is a long time favourite fantasy book of mine. He is actually a wingerslink named Maestro.  Also I had not heard of Rhiannon Williams which makes sense because this is her debut novel. The things that did appeal were curiosity about the Ampersand Prize (mentioned on the cover) and the word Narroway. 

I am so glad to have discovered this book and even though I rarely rate books I give this a resounding ten out of ten. Ottilie can stand tall with other strong girls such as Keladry (Tamora Pierce), Isabel (Laurie Halse Anderson) and Calpurnia (Jacqueline Kelly).

Now back to the Ampersand Prize (making Writers authors). This award was established in 2011 by Hardi Grant Egmont. “The Ampersand Prize aims to find brilliant debut novels by writers of young adult and middle-grade fiction.”  This book is certainly BRILLIANT.

Right from the first few pages I was hooked. Rhiannon Williams understands the power of word placement.  Take a look at this passage:

"Fine kippygrass, greener than green beans, tickled her elbows and her feet sunk a little into the mushy soil."

Kippygrass?  The first indication that we are entering a fantasy world - one beautifully created, possibly dangerous and yet intriguing.

It is interesting the way some books receive so much publicity while others just appear and perhaps wait to be discovered.  This book will be in some Australian Primary school libraries because luckily it was included with a recent parcel from Australian Standing Orders (Scholastic). I do hope heaps of Middle Grade fantasy fans find Ottilie Colter. Also the publisher will hopefully send this book across the globe so it can reach an even bigger audience. Book Two in this series will be published in 2019. I hope to read more about this complex world, to meet Bill again  - he appears early in the story, to discover the truth about the 'innocents' and of course celebrate the girl power of Ottilie. Read  Kids Book Review they also loved. Here is a set of teachers notes from Pegi Williams.

I would follow Ottilie Colter and the Narroway Hunt with the following books:

• Protector of the Small series beginning with First Test by Tamora Pierce
• A Very Unusual Pursuit by Catherine Jinks (and sequels)
• The Lost Children by Carolyn Cohagan
• Wings of Fire series by Tui T Sutherland
• The Rogues series beginning with Accidental Heroes by Lian Tanner

Filled with gruesome monsters, fantastical beasts and life or death challenges, its uniqueness is thrilling. Kids are going to love the mysteries and intrigue, and they will be HUGE fans of the action and adventure that never ever stops.

The characters, too, are strong, real and relatable. They are characters with sass, inner strength, courage and strong ideals. They are characters every reader is going to want to be. Kids Book Review

A single shard by Linda Sue Park

Why do I love to read children's books?  A single shard is why.  This book left me breathless. It is a wonderful story and it is wonderful storytelling.  Every time you think "oh I know how this will turn out" Linda Sue Park adds another twist taking you in an unexpected direction.  Tree-Ear is such a wise young boy and his relationships are so well drawn in this story of the special pottery fashioned in Korea and of one ten year old boy who longs to learn how to make such wonderful creations.

"Min was just beginning a new pot. Min threw a mass of clay the size of a cabbage onto the centre of the wheel. He picked it up and threw it again, threw it several times.  After one last throw he sat down and stared at the clay for a moment.   Using his foot to spin the base of the wheel, he placed dampened hands on the sluggardly lump, and for the hundredth time Tree-Ear watched the miracle."

While I was in America I thought I might read some Newbery winners.  I stumbled upon this one in a bookshop at Grand Central Station. A single shard won the Newbery medal in 2002.  You can read the whole story plot here and view a moving trailer. Here are some questions for teachers to use.

I was totally absorbed reading this book and I did not want it to end.  If you only read one book recommended by this blog make it A single Shard.

Here is an extract from A single shard :

"Over the past month or so Tree-ear had filled his idle time by moulding clay.  He kept a small ball in his waist pouch and experimented with it whenever he had the chance.  After some time a shape began to form out of the clay; it was almost as it the clay was speaking to him, telling him what it wished to become. A monkey ... Smaller than the palm of Tree-ear's hand, the monkey say with its hands clasped before its round belly, looking content and well-fed."

In a moving exchange Tree-ear gives the little monkey to his one true friend Crane Man before he sets off on a journey to deliver some of Min's unique pottery to the capital.

The scenes near the end of this book will leave you gasping. Here are some different cover designs:

If you enjoy this book (and I am sure you will) you might also look for The firework maker's daughter, and Where the Mountain meets the moon.