THE SECRET LIBRARY, by Kekla Magoon, Candlewick, May 7, 2024, Hardcover, $18.99 (ages 8-12)
A girl is swept up in a time-traveling adventure that will help her discover her family’s history in The Secret Library, by Kekla Magoon.
Since Grandpa died, Dally’s days are dull and restricted. She’s eleven and a half years old, and her exacting single mother is already preparing her to take over the family business.
Starved for adventure and release, Dally rescues a mysterious envelope from her mother’s clutches, an envelope Grandpa had earmarked for her. The map she finds inside leads straight to an ancient vault, a library of secrets where each book is a portal to a precise moment in time.
As Dally “checks out” adventure after adventure—including an exhilarating outing with pirates—she begins to dive deep into her family’s hidden history. Soon she’s visiting every day to escape the demands of the present.
But the library has secrets of its own, intentions that would shape her life as surely as her mother’s meticulous plans. What will Dally choose? —Synopsis provided by Candlewick
The Secret Library starts out like a fairly straight-forward novel/concept, but turns into so much more as the story progresses. Themes of identity, racism, and autonomy all come into play.
Dally is a delightful main character whose special relationship with her grandfather makes her strained one with her mother even worse. Dally is curious and dreams of adventure. But her mom has her so scheduled with extra tutoring; Dally barely has an hour of time to herself.
It’s the perfect setup for finding a mysterious library where the books take her on fabulous journeys back in time — all while taking practically no time in reality. Dally’s “trips” span a few minutes to weeks, and all the while, she’s learning more and more about her mom, her dad, her grandfather, and their ancestors.
To start with, I thought The Secret Library was going to be the start of a series. It really feels that way at first. But it also feels like author Kekla Magoon wanted to contain it, to make it a standalone, which it is. And, for the most part, it is a successful standalone. Dally, does however, read a little older. And it would have been nice to have her be 13 or 14, with the book marketed to upper MG, lower YA, because that’s where the audience really should be.
That said, Magoon’s writing is bright and accessible. Her settings are well-thought-out and quickly realized. And the library, well, it’s simply lovely. This is a book that fans of history novels will quickly fall into.
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