The Library of Ever by Zeno Alexander

“Do you swear to venture forth bravely and find the answer to any question, 

no matter the challenge?”

If you mashed together Alice in Wonderland and The Phantom Tollbooth you might come close to the plot of this book - such a wild ride. You will turn the pages so quickly as you read this book desperate to see if Lenora can survive all the mayhem.  

The only extra things I would have liked were a library map and perhaps a Dewey decimal chart showing all the library departments where Lenora was sent by the Chief Librarian Malachi. Lenora goes to the calendar room, the map room and the unknown room which actually has information about tardigrades, all the while she is being chased by the enemy who brings darkness. Along the way her status rises and she is awarded new badges. Lenora has to be very mindful of the library motto:

Knowledge is Light

Bookseller blurb: With her parents off traveling the globe, Lenora is bored, bored, bored until she discovers a secret doorway into the ultimate library. Maze like and reality-bending, the library contains all the universe's wisdom. Every book ever written, and every fact ever known, can be found within its walls. And Lenora becomes its newly appointed Fourth Assistant Apprentice Librarian. She rockets to the stars, travels to a future filled with robots, and faces down a dark nothingness that wants to destroy all knowledge. To save the library, Lenora will have to test her limits and uncover secrets hidden among its shelves.

In the chaos of this story there is also commentary on censorship, the role of libraries as providers of free information, the importance of curiosity, and of course the value of libraries as organised repositories of books, maps, charts, ephemera and so much more. Materials from everywhere and every time period.

"The Forces of Darkness wish to control people, and it is every knowledge that prevents them from doing so. ... They can only rule where there is ignorance, they can only create fear where the truth has been hidden, they can only gain power when the light has been snuffed out. Librarians are their greatest enemy, and we have fought them throughout time, and always will fight them as long as that light burns anywhere, no matter how weakly."

I may not have kept reading this book actually because it all became a little too silly for me but then I took a detour last night and glanced at the Kirkus review. Such is the power of their work that the star they gave The Library of Ever spurred me on to stick with this story although I am not so sure I need to read the sequel. I did enjoy Lenora's common sense, determination, perseverance, and her amazing general knowledge. She certainly adapted well to the roles of Assistant Apprentice Librarian and later Assistant Librarian. 

There are moments in this story that made me smile:

"The tardigrade snarled. 'As far as we tardigrades are concerned, Pluto is and always will be a planet. end of discussion. ...Lenora saw no reason to argue. She had always thought that Pluto seemed like a perfectly fine planet, whatever the adults might tell her. She took out her notebook. Pluto is, always will be, a planet. This she underlined firmly."

"I would like to know,' she said, 'how to find Wales.' 'You've found them,' said the whale. 'We are in fact, beluga whales.' 'Oh,' said Lenora. 'I mean Wales, the place, not whales, the mammal. 'Hmph' replied the whale ... And I suppose you think that just because I am a whale, a mammal, that I automatically know the location of Wales, the place?"

Not the first tale to be set in a universal library but unusually clever in the details and commendably accurate in its own way. Kirkus Star review

At its heart, The Library of Ever is a love letter to librarians and an ode to the importance of access to knowledge and information for everyone. The Winged Pen

Here is a fun interview with the author and the web page for Zeno Alexander. I picked up my copy of The Library of Ever at a recent charity book sale for $2. This book was published in 2019 but it is still available as is the sequel:

Bookseller blurb: Lenora returns to the magical Library—which holds every book ever known on its shelves. But she discovers the Library is under new management, its incredible rooms and corridors turned sinister and oppressive. Lenora quickly connects with a secret resistance that’s trying to free knowledge from the darkness threatening it. Her new friends introduce her to an ancient lost city, hang-gliding, and mathematical beings larger than the universe itself.

Companion books:

The 113th Assistant Librarian

Lost in a Book

The Lost History

Escape from Mr Lemoncello's Library

The Lost Library

The Phantom Tollbooth

Bear's Adventure by Brian Wildsmith

Bear climbs into an empty hot air balloon basket and so his adventures begin. He is mistaken for a man in a fancy costume, joins a parade and a running race, he's interviewed for a television show, transported by helicopter and fire engine and until he eventually returns home somewhat confused by all of his very strange experiences.

As I read Bear's Adventure I kept thinking of the way it links with Daisy (1984).

Bear's Adventure was first published in 1981 and later went through several reprints up until 1991. It was published again in 2018 with a different cover and I think a slightly different text.

When I visited the Brian Wildsmith exhibition in Barnsely (UK) a few weeks ago Bear's Adventure was one of several books you could pick up and read. One page caught my eye because it mentioned the word video and even more surprising watching a video while riding a bicycle.

The original text says:

"That's a very funny act,' he said to bear. 'I was watching you on my miniature television set."

The updated text says:

"That was a very funny act,' he said to bear. 'I was watching you here, on my phone."

Look closely at this page and you can see the words 'miniature television':

I didn't have the two versions on the text with me at the exhibition so I cannot be sure if other parts of the text have been changed but the words "on my phone" really jumped out at me because I am sure did not write about phones back in 1981 although perhaps Brian Wildsmith did the text update because he died in 2016 and so he may have indeed watched videos on his phone.  

Blurb from the Brian Wildsmith web page: After mistaking the basket of a hot-air balloon for a cozy den, a brown bear goes on an unexpected adventure in a big city. When the balloon lands at the start of a colourful parade, the crowd embraces bear - so very lifelike! - turning him into an instant celebrity. From talk-show hosts to helicopter pilots, everyone wants to meet the funny man in the bear costume. But no-one understands poor Bear! With each new sight and smell, friendly face, and excited crowd, Bear is drawn further from his home and into an adventure he will never forget. Combining elegant writing with gorgeous illustrations, this lively and endearing story will keep readers enthralled to the final pages.

The illustrations are stunning. Each page is like a painting or a one of a kind greeting card, sharing beautiful animals, prints, textures, and colors. ... This picture book has adventure, humor, and reminds us that even a moment spent among chaos, has perfection. Bear just goes along with every unraveling mishap, seeming to be led a step closer to where he is suppose to be- no matter what direction he takes to get there. Read Aloud Literacy

I will share many more parts of the Brian Wildsmith exhibition over the coming weeks.

If you have a group of older students, you could compare Bear's Adventure with this old (sadly long out of print) book:

Sophie takes to the sky by Katherine Woodfine illustrated by Briony May Smith

Sophie is a shy child who prefers her own company. She finds many every day things quite frightening and so the family leave her at home when they head off to the Fair. On the poster there are clowns, rides, fireworks and wild animals but most thrilling of all is the huge hot air balloon. Sophie loves the idea of a balloon floating across the sky. 

After the family all head off, Sophie decides she will go, she will be brave. She overcomes some of her fear of dogs and strangers and manages to hitch a ride with a local farmer who is also going to the fair. Once she arrives she finds the hot air balloon which is of course tethered to the ground. She peers inside and then quietly climbs in. At that moment the balloonist arrives and before she can speak, they lift off into the sky. It is thrilling and quiet, after the noisy fair, and simply wonderful. 

Late last year I talked about Sky Chasers by Emma Carroll. My book today is an easier read about a similar time period and the thrill of riding in a hot air balloon.

Sophie takes to the sky is based on the true story of Sophie Blanchard who was born in France in 1778. She was sixteen when she made her first hot air balloon flight. 

"She became famous for her daring night-time flights, for launching fireworks from her balloon and for dangerous adventures like crossing the Alps by balloon."

This book comes from the Little Gems series - click the link below to read about other books in this terrific series which I will say once again should be added to every Primary school library collection. 

Here is another book from the Little Gems series by Katherine Woodfine:

Rose's Dress of Dreams

I do love illustrations by Briony May Smith:

Margaret's Unicorn

Little Goose's Autumn

Sky Chasers by Emma Carroll

Magpie, an orphan living in France, finds herself involved with the famous Montgolfier family. Does that name sound familiar? More about these two brothers in a minute. Magpie is snatched off the streets by a wealthy looking woman and offered a large sum of money to steal a large red box from the attic room of a house in a wealthy district of the town. Magpie is poor and homeless. She has no idea about her father and her mother died long ago. The woman offers her a large amount of money. Magpie's only companion is a scraggy rooster that she recently rescued. So after midnight, Magpie sets off to take this red box but as she arrives at the house, a young boy emerges from the front door with a duck. Magpie stays hidden and then, when she thinks the coast is clear, she breaks into the house, finds the red box and gets ready to escape. The boy and the duck appear again, there is a scuffle and the box is dropped. Magpie is sure Madame Delacroix does not need the box so she scoops up a bunch of the papers that lie scattered on the floor and flees. 

Magpie is wrong - Madame Delacroix does want that box. She threatens to harm Coco the young rooster so Magpie heads back to the house. On the day she arrives two men brothers - Joseph-Michel Montgolfier and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier are conducting a test flight with a balloon. It lifts off into the air and Magpie somehow gets a hold on the rope - and suddenly she is air born. But of course what goes up must come down. After a glorious few moments of flight Magpies plummets to the ground. 

When she wakes up the Montgolfier family have taken her into their home and so she is now well and truly caught up in these historic events of 1783.

Spoiler alert - This story is so well constructed. early on we meet Magpie and her "pet" rooster called Coco and Pierre with his duck companion Voltaire. I did wonder, as I read this book, why Emma Carroll added a rooster and duck to her story but they are so essential if you know the history of hot air balloons - not a topic a knew anything about. I am certain reading this story will raise your curiosity and the curiosity of readers aged 10+. I should mention Magpie in this story is credited with seeing how hot air lifts silk but of course in history a young, black, illiterate orphan would have been given no credit for her ideas. 

19th September, 1783 - In 1783, the first hot air balloon was set to fly over the heads of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and the French court in Versailles. Like monkeys in space, this odd assortment of animals was chosen to test the effects of flight. Sheep, thought to be similar to people, would show the effects of altitude on a land dweller, while ducks and roosters, which could already fly (albeit at different heights), would act as controls in the experiment. The balloon flew on a tether for 8 minutes, rising 1500 feet into the air and traveling 2 miles before being brought safely to the ground. The animals were unharmed. Columbus Aeronaughts

There used to be a competition in the UK called The Big Idea. This book comes from an idea by Neal Jackson in 2017. When Neal won the competition his story idea was presented to Emma Carroll and she developed it into this terrific fast paced story. This is a another splendid book from Chicken House. I love the cover of this book by David Litchfield. Read the first chapter here. You can hear an audio sample here - its the night of the robbery. You could use this for a book talk with your students. Here are some book reviews by young Primary school students. 

The story is structured around the rhyme which is about magpies. I read that magpies are known for stealing shiny things, such as jewellery and deceiving others. The magpie is associated with bad luck in some cultures. In the UK, this dates back to the early parts of the 16th Century.

One for sorrow,

Two for joy,

Three for a girl,

Four for a boy,

Five for silver,

Six for gold,

Seven for a secret,

Never to be told.

Historical figures are woven seamlessly with the invented characters, as are imagined events with the actual, recorded fact of the balloon demonstration. Magpie is at once suspicious and accepting, grateful and wary, a good true friend, and altogether delightful. Kirkus

The hardcover edition has a different cover:

Halfway to Harmony by Barbara O'Connor

This book is a bodacious adventure.

Life is simpler when you plow around the stumps.

Walter Tipple lives near the Chattahoochee River in Harmony, Georgia. A new girl called Posey and her mum, Evalina, move into an old house nearby. 

"After he got over his shock, he took a good hard look at Posey and felt his spirits lift a little. Right there in the middle of Posey's left cheek was a large, heart-shaped birthmark. Deep dark brown against her pale, freckled skin. The instant Walter saw that birthmark, he began to think that maybe he and Posey were destined to be kindred spirits, bound together by the misfortune of being an easy target. Walter had a lifetime of experience of being an easy target. He was a quite, timid, pigeon-toed boy with a lazy eye that never seemed to want to look where the other eye was looking."

Things are also extra tough for Walter because his beloved older brother has been killed in a war. His mother has stopped smiling and her cooking now comes out of a box. His father has driven away for work and won't return for weeks. And Walter is just sad - that deep deep sadness from the heavy heart he is carrying. 

Posey, on the other hand, is a force of nature, a girl with "true grit and fortitude".  Walter and Posey are sure to have an amazing summer when they find a man who appears to be dead. This man is Jubilation T. Fairweather otherwise known as Banjo. He has built himself a hot-air balloon because the town is running a competition. It's a key grab. Hot-air balloons race to a very tall pole. On top of the pole are the keys to a a new pick-up truck. Banjo needs to win that truck but now his balloon has crashed. 

I love to share character descriptions here on my blog. Teachers might find these useful as writing exemplars:

The man had "a very bushy moustache that turned up at the ends like a smile. His face was covered with scratches. Over one eye was an angry red lump the size of an egg. His hair was kind of wild looking, full of leaves and hanging down clear to his shoulders. His plaid shirt and denim overalls were ripped and streaked with mud."

Another strength of this book comes with the way Barbara O'Connor uses words to give her characters- Walter, Posey, Banjo and even the three legged dog called Porkchop - strong voices. You can almost hear them speaking:

"Oh, good grief and grits,' Banjo mumbled"

"Color me highly skeptical of those calculations." - Banjo

"You have lifted me from the depths of despair right up to the very pinnacle of everlasting joy ... you have showered me with blessings the likes of which I most definitely do not deserve." - Banjo

"You're out of  your ever-loving mind if you think Walter and me are gonna traipse through those woods for half an hour to find your balloon,' she said. ... 'Have fun at your pity party."  This is Posey speaking.

And as an Australian reading this American book I love the names of the plants: "they had to trudge through prickly holly bushes and weave around chokeberry trees and scraggly dogwoods ... They rounded a bend and there stuck in a cluster of pickerelweed and cattails, was Banjo's hot-air balloon." If you find this book and read it to a group of students you may need to research the Cottonmouth snake - boy oh boy that sure does sound like a scary creature.

I also loved the way Barbara O'Connor lets Walter cry - boys should be allowed to cry any time they need to. I do hope young boys who read this book or who hear this book, take that message to heart. It is a beautiful moment when Walter sits in Tank's truck. His mother has cleared Tank's room. Walter sits in Tanks precious truck that he has been caring for every day. He does not open the letter, the last letter, that Tank sent him. He thinks about his beloved Tank and the way he was so strong. Walter "pretended he was big and strong like Tank and not small and puny like he really was. He pretended the kids at school wanted to be his friend instead of making fun of him, like they really did. ... Then he stopped pretending and had himself a good cry."

I discovered this book when Colby Sharp talked about having read it to his fifth grade class. I was supposed to be travelling by train and bus to visit a friend in South Western NSW so I purchased an ebook of Halfway to Harmony then Covid happened, I didn't travel and this book has been waiting for me. Over the last weekend, some friends and I were able to take a mini break not too far from home - there are still travel restrictions. Books are heavy to pack so I picked up my ipad and dipped into Halfway to Harmony. It is, as Colby says, "such a good book".  I read it very quickly and I enjoyed every minute with Walter and Posey and their eccentric new friend Banjo. 

Heartfelt and accessible. Kirkus

Barbara’s books are perfect for any age, but are especially valuable to emerging middle grade readers who need a book that gets to the excitement quickly, holds your attention, and are shorter in length. The characters are also strong and show great growth in the stories. Mrs Book Dragon

Take a look at other books by Barbara O'Connor - I highly recommend all of them.

How to Steal a Dog - try to find the movie. It is terrific.

Wish

The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis (read this review because Barbara made a comment!)

Wonderland

Somewhere else by Gus Gordon

Today my friend from Kinderbooks and I went to a local bookshop to meet Gus Gordon and hear about his new book Somewhere else.

I have been a Gus Gordon fan for a long time.  Wendy is such a terrific book but it is Herman and Rosie that made me really fall in love with his style.

It is always special when an author explains the inspiration for a book and the time with Gus was made even better when he showed us his sketches and story draft.  This little video is a 40 second preview.  Here is a radio Adelaide interview.  Here is another interview on the author web site.  Gus spent some time in Paris and while he was there he sketched a picture of a duck standing outside a patisserie. This is just one of the fragments of inspiration that led to the book we saw today.

George is too busy to go exploring the world.  He has cakes to bake, a full ironing basket (really - take a close look at this page) and a yoga class.  His friend Pascal arrives and, even though he is a well meaning friend, there seems to be no way he can help George then they see an amazing poster in the newspaper.

Take a look at this long list of books with illustrations by Gus Gordon including some terrific Aussie Bite titles such as A Home for Gnomes.  He also illustrated one edition of the ABC Sing book.  You can read more about the plot here in this review from Kids' book Review :

Somewhere Else is a joyful book, with lovable characters and a beautifully-crafted message about both the thrill of travel ... and the just-as-good delight to be found in returning home.

You might also enjoy A wish for Wings that work, Ducky's Nest, Flight of the Dodo by Peter Brown and Duck by Randy Cecil.

Other things to know

• Gus loves end papers - so do I!
• Look for tiny details such as the vicuna in the Andes mountains and the narwhal in the Arctic.  
• There are little 'jokes' in this book to enjoy including one on the back cover but I won't spill the beans.
• Leigh Hobbs endorsed this book because he is a friend.
• Compare the Le Ballon poster colours with the page when George and Pascal begin their flight.
• Gus was a fan of Richard Scary as a young child and he also admires books like Harry the Dirty Dog and the work of Julia Donaldson.

Finally Gus did not talk about this but I do like the way he includes stamps.  Wish I had thought to ask why?  There are postcards and stamps in Herman and Rosie too.  I will make the bold prediction that Somewhere Else will be short listed for the 2017 CBCA award.  Fingers crossed.

The case of the missing Moonstone by Jordan Stratford illustrated by Kelly Murphy

Title : The Case of the Missing Moonstone

Cover : Which one do you like?

Characters :
Augusta Ada Byron later Ada Lovelace
Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin later Mary Shelley
Charles Dickens
Charles Babbage

Setting : London 1826

Crime : Theft of the Acorn of Ankara from Turkey made of moonstone (sodium potassium aluminium silicate) said to have the property of mesmerism

Words you need to know : mesmerism, clandestine, constabulary


Ada is eleven and living in a large house all alone except for some loyal servants.  Her absent mother - wife of the famous poet Lord Byron - has arranged for a tutor to take over from Ada's long time nanny or nurse Miss Coverlet.  The new tutor is named Percy Snagsby or Peebs (later revealed to actually be Percy Shelly long time friend of  the now dead Lord Byron) and he is also to tutor a young girl named Mary Godwin - daughter of the famous feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft.  Ada is precocious and incredibly intelligent but not wise at all in the ways of the world.  Mary is a sensible older girl who is well versed in all the limits that society places on young girls in eighteenth century Britain.  The two girls decide to set up The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency.

There are some difficulties, however.  The girls cannot travel to The Times to place their advertisement or collect their letters.  "Riding a carriage without an escort is modern. But travelling out and about unescorted is unheard of."   This is where the girls enlist the help of a young man called Charles.  He travels each day in the same coach as Mary but he is not supposed to be there as he could never afford the fare. He has made a deal with the coachman and now Charles can happily read in peace on his way to the boot-polish factory each day.  He quickly becomes a friend to Mary.

Our two girls now hear of a crime involving the  Acorn of Ankara and a young lady called Rebecca Verdigris.  Rebecca is convinced her maid Rosie did not steal this jewel even though Rosie has readily confessed and is now in Newgate prison.

Read this review for more details of the plot or just pick up this book and enjoy an engrossing read. As for the hot air balloon you can see on the cover.  You need to read this book to discover where it is located, how it is used and what role it plays in the capture of the jewel thief.

Here is an interview with the author.   By coincidence I made friends with a lady who lives on Salt Spring Island in BC, Canada when I was travelling in Scotland!  Also this book series has a web page with extracts and puzzles.

Kirkus criticize this book series for 'bending the truth' putting famous characters together who in real life, while they may be connected, would not have actually met.  I don't think this is an issue for young readers.  The notes at the end of the book give an excellent explanation of all the famous people who feature in this story and in our school library we have these two picture book biographies which students can read following The Case of the Missing Moonstone.  These lines towards the end made me smile :

"Thank you Lady Ada for a bit of excitement.  It's back to the boot-polish factory for me.' Charles executed a small bow and headed to work.  ... 'Who the dickens was that boy?' asked Peebs."

I really like the illustrations in this book and in fact Kelly Murphy is the illustrator of other books I have reviewed here - The Miniature world of Marvin and James, Secrets at Sea, and Masterpiece.