Here Lies the Librarian

January 30, 2006
Once again, Peck (The Teacher's Funeral
) combines warmth, humor and local color to create a vibrant rendering of small-town America. Set in 1914, an era when women hobbled their skirts, and automobiles with "an electric self-starter" were still a novelty ("Crank from your seat, not from the street," went the Cadillac motto), the novel traces the eventful 14th summer of narrator "Peewee" McGrath, an orphaned tomboy who would rather help her brother tinker with cars than go to school. Both Peewee and her brother, Jake, long for the day when a road is built through their Indiana township, bringing business to their makeshift auto repair shop. In the meantime, four young librarians arrive from Indianapolis and stir up some dust—they're bent on spreading culture and reviving the long defunct local library. Irene, their ringleader, teaches Peewee a thing or two about being a lady. Her coworker Grace, the daughter of an automobile mogul, wheedles smiles and conversation out of painfully shy Jake. The story culminates at the county fair where Irene, Grace, Jake and Peewee join forces and skills to compete in the township's first annual road race. Offering plenty of action and a cast of larger-than-life characters, the book pays tribute to the social and industrial revolution, which awakens a sleepy town and marks the coming-of-age of an unforgettable heroine. Ages 10-16.

September 1, 2006
Gr 6-9 -Richard Peck seems determined to create his own sub-genre: nostalgic fiction. Just like "A Long Way from Chicago" (Dial, 1998) and "A Year Down Yonder" (Dial, 2000), this title (Dial, 2006) is a keeper. Set in rural Indiana, circa 1914, tomboy PeeWee works with her adored older brother Jake. The automobile is replacing the horse and buggy and the young brother and sister run a fledgling gas station. When a tornado rips through town and tears up the defunct library, the town elders are shamed into re-opening it. Irene Ridpath and three of her sorority sisters fresh out of library school arrive and set the small town on its ear. Motherless PeeWee has never encountered women with such sophistication, and she begins to re-examine her own femininity. Jake is determined to win a rough and tumble automobile race, but when he -s injured, PeeWee jumps in and finishes the event. Peck is a master at creating enchanting characters -even his dead librarian has personality. The setting is vivid -listeners can almost hear the sound of those first automobiles chugging up the road. Narrator Lara Everly brings the story to life with great charm. Listeners will enjoy this well-done audiobook that weaves in facts about rural life in the early 20th century, feminism, and automobile history. -"Tricia Melgaard, Centennial Middle School, Broken Arrow, OK"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.