The Ninja Librarians: The Accidental Keyhand

Gr 4–6—Dorrie and Marcus literally drop into a strange new world when they crash through the floor of their otherwise-average New Jersey library and into a library that transcends space and time. The siblings discover they have landed in Petrarch's Library, a web of libraries from different places and times, with doorways to ancient Greece and modern-day Passaic. Here "lybrarians" train to become agents, or "ninja librarians" as Marcus calls them, who go on missions to rescue imperiled writers, including Socrates. Dorrie and her brother use their temporary stay in Petrarch's Library to become apprentices, learning swordplay from Cyrano de Bergerac and the deceptive arts from Casanova. As the pair attempt to return an accidentally stolen document to the archives, they uncover other secrets and mysteries. The lead-up to the kids' discovery of Petrarch's Library is a little slow and the foreshadowing is a bit heavy-handed, but once in the Library, the melding of fantasy, adventure, and history is enlightening. Dorrie is a smart, observant, wannabe sword fighter, while Marcus is the typical teenage brother: a mix of hormones and sarcasm, tempered by a genuine concern for his younger sister. For the most part, the numerous supporting characters have distinct personalities and their special talents and knowledge seem natural. The Library is a vivid, well-drawn world, which helps to compensate for weaker aspects of the plot. Readers who miss the collegial, magical setting of Hogwarts will enjoy exploring Petrarch's Library.—Marian McLeod, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, CT