The Ninja Librarians: The Accidental Keyhand (The Ninja Librarians, 1) - Softcover

Downey, Jen Swann

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1492601802 ISBN 13: 9781492601807

Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers, 2015

Synopsis

Dorrie Barnes had no idea an overdue library book would change her life. When Dorrie and her brother Marcus chase her pet mongoose into the janitor's closet of their local library, they accidentally fall through a passage into Petrarch's Library - the headquarters of a secret society of ninja librarians who have an important mission: protect those whose words have gotten them into trouble. Anywhere in the world and at any time in history. Dorrie would love nothing more than to join the society. But when a traitor surfaces, she and her friends are the prime suspects. Can they clear their names before the only passage back to the twenty first century closes forever?

About this title

Review:

A frustrated would-be hero from New Jersey and her teenage slacker brother fall into a library that lies outside of time. Chaos ensues. Pursuing an errant mongoose into a back closet of their local public library, Dorrie and Marcus drop through a hole that s suddenly opened at the back. They find themselves greeted with a sharp mix of warmth and suspicion by the residents of Petrarch s Library a sprawling institution composed of book stacks from many eras and time portals run by Hypatia with help from renowned Lybrarians like Casanova and other historical figures. Dorrie catches fire when she learns that after rigorous training in library skills and martial arts, professional Lybrarians are sent through said portals to rescue historically threatened writers and books. She earns her apprenticeship (as does Marcus) in a wild, climactic and sequel-positioning attempt to recover from vicious thieves a device that will open portals to the Library from any wheren (i.e., time or place). Downey accurately conveys to today s reading masses the true scope of library science (highlighted by Lybrarian Games at the Midsummer Lybrarians Conference that include timed scroll-shelving, book-cart racing, rappelling and dagger throwing how did she know?). She also shows a rare gift for crafting scrambles so madcap that it s hard to turn the pages fast enough to keep up. --Kirkus February 2014

A comfortable life in a quiet suburb of New Jersey has afforded twelve-year-old Dorrie very little opportunity to put her fencing skills (or, really her theatrical skills at pretend fencing) to the test against a true villain. All that changes, however, when she and her older brother Marcus stumble through a portal in the janitor s closet of their local library that leads them to Petrarch s Library, the headquarters of the Lybrariad, a group of Lybrarians dedicated to the protection of ideas and intellect throughout the world and history. These Lybrarians are as skilled in the art of subterfuge as they are in cataloging, can easily wield a ninja star or a sword as well as a card catalog, and use both their information and weaponry skills as they travel to different times in history to root out censorship and oppression, and Dorrie and Marcus yearn to join them as apprentices. Unfortunately, Dorrie and Marcus sudden presence means something is terribly wrong with the Lybrariad s functioning and that the group s arch-nemesis, the Foundation, may have found a way in. The delightful premise will be an obvious hit with librarians and their fans, and the very specific library humor and inside jokes are perhaps most suited for those kids who spend their lunch hour hanging around the reference desk or shelving books for fun. The plot meanders down a few too many blind alleys, however, and several subplots, including Dorrie s rivalry with not one but two mean girls, detract from the main storyline. A host of memorable characters especially a bitingly snarky Cyrano de Bergerac cast as Dorrie s mentor compensate, though, and the multiple allusions to history s unsung heroes of intellectual freedom will likely send a few readers to the 900s. --The Bulletin of the Center for Children s Books

About the Author:

JENNIFER DOWNEY's non-fiction pieces have appeared in New York Magazine, the Washington Post, Women's Day, and other publications. She s never visited a library in which she didn't want to spend the night. Jennifer lives in Charlottesville, VA with her husband and three children and feels very lucky they have yet to fire her.

About this edition

• Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1492601802
• ISBN 13: 9781492601807
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400