A Girl, a Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon

by Karen Romano Young, Jessixa Bagley (Illustrator)

Overview

In this “enchanting” tale of a girl trying to solve a mystery and save a local library, “the magic of reading is given a refreshingly real twist” (Kirkus Reviews).
 
A New York City library branch has been designated for possible closure. But the bookish, socially awkward Pearl, the daughter of the librarian, can’t imagine a world without the library. When the head of their Edna St. Vincent Millay statue goes missing, closure is closer than ever. But Pearl is determined to save the library. And with a ragtag neighborhood library crew—including a constantly tap-dancing girl, an older boy she has a crush on, and a pack of literate raccoons—she just might be able to do it . . . Featuring an eclectic cast of richly drawn characters, quirky sidebars and footnotes, and illustrations by award winner Jessixa Bagley, this is a warm-hearted, visually intriguing tale of reading and believing, and a world of possibility.
 
“Solidly entertaining.” —School Library Journal
 
“Bursting with charm, lovable characters, and excitement that builds and builds.” —Gail Carson Levine, Newbery Award–winning author of Ella Enchanted
 
"A love letter to libraries . . . Big-hearted and dazzling, this classic-in-the-making is not to be missed.” —Katherine Applegate, Newbery Award–winning author of The One and Only Ivan

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452169996
Publisher:	Chronicle Books
Publication date:	06/22/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	393
Sales rank:	640,320
Lexile:	780L (what's this?)
File size:	14 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 Months to 11 Years

About the Author

Karen Romano Young is a writer, illustrator, and science journalist. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two large, fluffy dogs.
Jessixa Bagley is an award-winning author and illustrator. She lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband, adorable son, and a slew of houseplants.

Editorial Reviews

10/14/2019

Born in the Lancaster Avenue branch of the New York City Public Library to a circulation librarian, 10-year-old Pearl is well-known to its staff, and loves books, her neighborhood, and the library’s garden statue of Edna St. Vincent Millay. When the statue’s head disappears, Pearl’s scream brings the entire neighborhood running. The head’s theft makes the paper and draws developers to the underresourced library, which needs repairs that the city refuses to finance. As the library loses importance as a “neighborhood hub,” Pearl and her mother aim to save it. Neighbors and library regulars rally to help, as does Francine, the neighborhood new girl who slowly shows Pearl the power of friendship. But it’s the raccoons living in the basement, who publish a newspaper and ally with Pearl, who help her in her quest. Part mystery, part coming-of-age journey, Young’s (Hundred Percent) story interweaves realistically flawed, fully formed characters with real-world issues (declining library attendance and homelessness) and fantastical elements. Sidebars (“A Sidebar About Legends”) penned by a mysterious author and signature illustrations by Bagley offer charming details. Ages 10–14. Author’s agent: Faye Bender, the Book Group. Illustrator’s agent: Alexandra Penfold, Upstart Crow Literary. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

12/01/2019

Gr 5 Up—Pearl's scream out the window of the Lancaster Avenue Public Library brings everyone running. The head of the courtyard statue of a favorite local poet is missing. Thus begins the search for Edna St. Vincent Millay's head and the battle to keep Pearl's beloved library branch open. The city wants to sell the building to real estate developers, but Pearl is not about to let that happen. Her mother is the circulation librarian; Pearl has grown up among the stacks. If it closes, what will happen to them—or to her friends who have practically raised her, or the reading raccoons, actual raccoons who read and write and live in the basement? Pearl learns new talents and makes new friends as she fights to make her library branch important to the rest of her community. Young has crafted a story about a library that quickly needs to become the hub it once was in order to survive. She keeps the story light with talking, or rather reading and writing, raccoons, but it still touches on complex issues of family dynamics, homelessness, and community. The text can be dense at times, and the character's solution a bit twisty, but the story is solidly entertaining. VERDICT Upper elementary readers who like magical realism will enjoy this novel, as will younger readers at high reading levels. A strong addition to the fiction section.—Julie Overpeck, Gardner Park Elementary School, Gastonia, NC

School Library Journal

2019-08-26
This is the way Pearl's world ends: not with a bang but with a scream.

Pearl Moran was born in the Lancaster Avenue branch library and considers it more her home than the apartment she shares with her mother, the circulation librarian. When the head of the library's beloved statue of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay is found to be missing, Pearl's scream brings the entire neighborhood running. Thus ensues an enchanting plunge into the underbelly of a failing library and a city brimful of secrets. With the help of friends old, uncertainly developing, and new, Pearl must spin story after compelling story in hopes of saving what she loves most. Indeed, that love—of libraries, of books, and most of all of stories—suffuses the entire narrative. Literary references are peppered throughout (clarified with somewhat superfluous footnotes) in addition to a variety of tangential sidebars (the identity of whose writer becomes delightfully clear later on). Pearl is an odd but genuine narrator, possessed of a complex and emotional inner voice warring with a stridently stubborn outer one. An array of endearing supporting characters, coupled with a plot both grounded in stressful reality and uplifted by urban fantasy, lend the story its charm. Both the neighborhood and the library staff are robustly diverse. Pearl herself is biracial; her "long-gone father" was black and her mother is white. Bagley's spot illustrations both reinforce this and add gentle humor.

The magic of reading is given a refreshingly real twist. (reading list) (Fantasy. 10-12)

Kirkus Reviews