The Dragon in the Library
by Louie Stowell, Davide Ortu (Illustrator)
5 out of 5 stars

Kit doesn’t like to read. She can’t sit still. She would much rather be climbing trees or playing with matches or other dangerous things. Her friends, Alita and Josh, convince her to visit the library with them. Kit discovers magical properties within the books that propel her and her friends into a wizarding adventure.

I loved this book from start to finish! The characters, the plot, the world-building, the magic; everything is wonderful!

I liked that the plot is simple and straightforward, but has a few little surprises that keep the story fresh and exciting. The writing style is absolutely hilarious! There are so many cute bits of dialogue and funny scenes that had me laughing.

I loved Kit’s character! She is bold and reckless and wild. She dares to say the things that other people only think. She has some excellent character development. I loved how she stumbles into awful mistakes, and feels so badly over it, but she is ready to dare anything to set things right again.

Alita and Josh are bookish and smart. I don’t know why those three are friends, but their dynamic is so great. I would love an origin story of how three completely different kids ended up as friends.

I think Josh is probably my favorite character, because he is very meticulous and curious. He is always asking questions, and writing things down in long lists in his notebook. He believes that it is important to have a large vocabulary. What a brain! I adore him.

The black and white illustrations are lovely. Every few pages there are some cute illustrations that really draw the reader into the story and help you to visualize everything you are reading.

I can’t quite put my finger on why this book is so charming. Every chapter is a delight! I finished the entire book in one day. I could not stop reading. It refreshed my mind. It gave me warm fuzzies in my heart. It made me happy in a deep-down joyful, silly, childish, carefree way.
This book made me believe in magic!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.