As she helps patrons-jumping ahead in time to resolve a calendar issue, wandering a massive globe and befriending whales and penguins (and finding out some purported facts about the longest town name and highest mountain aren't true)-her rank advances, as do her responsibilities. Lenora is quickly dubbed a library worker of low rank, bestowed a badge and everything, and happily goes to work.

Everything is fantastical and weird, yet within this world, absolutely believable. I envisioned her adventures in the library like a Hiyao Miyazaki anime. She walks through, and finds the Library of Ever. After seeing the boy get to the books he wants, a fantastic archway appears in what had been a blank wall. She makes her escape to the children's section where she confronts a man in a bowler hat who is trying to tell a young boy that books on science are too advanced for him. Lenora is ignored by her wealthy parents and her nanny, but this comes in useful sometimes-like at the library. I wish I could go back in time and press it into the hands of my ten-year-old self with a conspiratorial wink. This book is everything a cozy middle grade book should be. Oh my goodness, I adored The Library of Ever. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.*** ***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Still, kids who love to learn about the world will get sucked into Lenora's fun and imaginative quests. I loved the message that the book portrayed about the importance of the quest for knowledge-once I knew what Lenora was up against and why, I was more engaged with the story I just wish it had happened a little sooner. My only complaint was that the story felt a little disjointed (the facts that Lenora learns don't have anything to do with each other) and I didn't feel a lot of connection to the MC or a sense of her feelings-there were really no stakes until about 70% into the book.

This was a fun story with a fantastic concept that appealed to a younger me immensely-finding a secret magical library and getting to work there? Yes, please! Lenora learns lots of new facts for her new library patrons and goes on a mini-adventure for each fact.

The Library of Ever by Zeno Alexander