An 11-year-old used to taking care of herself learns to be both nurtured and nurturing in the charming, cheering middle-grade fantasy The Library of Unruly Treasures by National Book Award-winning author Jeanne Birdsall (The Penderwicks series), illustrated by Scott O'Dell Award-winner Matt Phelan (The Storm in the Barn).
Gwen MacKinnon was supposed to live with her father but, without warning, he announces he will be "separating from his current (third) wife and that Gwen's mom" will need to "keep her" until he gets settled. This is an impossibility, though, because Gwen's mom is headed to Costa Rica with her new boyfriend "to start a farm or something." Gwen is sent to stay with estranged Great-Uncle Matthew and his "peculiar" dog, Pumpkin, in Dalgety, Mass., a small town with a "sturdy and graceful" library, where the child finds a "long-forgotten contentment" living with a grownup who cares for her. Most peculiar of all, though, is what Gwen finds in the MacKinnon library: the Lahdukan, magical "eight-inch creatures with wings and turquoise hair." The Lahdukan are in trouble, and they say that Gwen is destined to help them. But what can an 11-year-old do--especially one who is leaving in a couple of weeks?
The Library of Unruly Treasures introduces readers to a brilliant new world hidden within our own, where magical creatures are everywhere but can only be seen by children and the chosen. Birdsall brings together familiar fantasy tropes and always focuses on developing an enchanting world where a child can be both protector and protected. Phelan's broken-lined black-and-white illustrations feel spontaneous and natural, helping to make this title a treasure full of wonder, mystery, and found family. --Kyla Paterno, freelance reviewer