The Librarian, Book One: Little Boy Lost (edition 2011)

a great adventure of reading. ( )

I have always had a fondness for books that include elements of books and libraries which was the initial trigger of interest for me regarding this book. The story grabbed me from the beginning and I didn't have to wait long for the excitement to begin. The characters were easy to understand and well developed. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. ( )

The Librarian series by Eric Hobbs takes place, unsurprisingly, in a library. This isn’t a typical library, however. It’s one of those magical libraries that was there before the town was even settled. Not only that, but the strange carvings lining the walls are portraits to other worlds.

While this would be intriguing in something written by H. P. Lovecraft, or even any notable Children’s author, Hobbs takes an interesting idea and falls flat on it by bloating his narrative with exposition, juvenile humor, and inconsistent characters. The plot, I admit, was delightful, and that alone (added to my compulsion to finish every book I start) helped me reach the end of this book.

The story invokes the works of Barrie and Baum, among others, but does no more than provide tarnished glimpses into these worlds, like trying to read the next page in a book through the translucent page before it. While Neverland and Oz are both featured, they’re dead in the hands of Hobbs, lifeless zombie worlds that just go through the superficial motions, but otherwise just shamble along. Nothing to see here. Move along.

I can tell from reading this book that Hobbs has some appreciation of the books he references, and that he wishes to join that pantheon. However, with the weakness in his writing, he has pretty stiff competition from many of the modern talents, as well as the not-yet-classic-but-almost forebears that probably weren’t featured in this book since they aren’t yet in the public domain.

It’s no surprise to me that the main character of this story is an under-appreciated young writer. His name isn’t Mary Sue, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s who he was.

If you’re looking for something for your kids to read, please start on those trails that have been blazed before. Barrie, Baum, Carroll, Kipling, all these tales are ageless fodder for flourishing minds. Hobbs, however, needs to devote some extra work to polishing his prose before he can see himself among his literary heroes. ( )

Although this book is intended for middle school, I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it! This is a fast-paced, fun, and creative adventure story that has great potential! I will be looking forward to the sequel! ( )

This is a very cute little story, and I wish it was longer. It felt like the first part of an awesome kid's book (it definitely had a kid feeling, despite some cussing). Lots of potential for some truly awesome world building, story telling, and adventuring inside storybook settings. ( )