FICTION

The Lonely Book

by Kate BERNHEIMER
illus. by Chris Sheban. unpaged. CIP. Random/Schwartz & Wade Bks. Apr. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-375-86226-7; PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-375-96226-4. LC 2010005283.
COPY ISBN
Pre S-Gr 2—This sweetly sentimental tale centers around a beloved library book ("It was green with a yellow ribbon inside to mark its pages"). As the years go by, it becomes tattered and loses a leaf, and fewer and fewer children check it out. A girl named Alice loves the book and takes it home, but when she forgets to renew it, it is relegated to storage in the library basement. At last it's time for the big book sale, and the book is reunited with the child and taken to its "always-and-forever home." Sheban's glowing watercolors perfectly capture the quietly magical hardwood-and-sunshine feel of a classic public library. This understated story will resonate with any child who knows that a book can become a dear friend.—Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD
Here's a love story--between a girl and a library book that, while inanimate, responds emotionally as it’s overlooked, adored, misplaced, and so on over time ("The book grew lonelier and lonelier"). Readers won't be surprised by the outcome, but some may be interested in the inner workings of a library, with its volunteers, book sales, and mythical basement.
Reviewed by Kathleen Kelly MacMillan , Mar 01, 2012

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