The Library of Curiosities

After orphaned 11-year-old Rowan Fitzgerald is caught in a campus bell tower past curfew, she’s kicked out of a fifth boarding school. The truth about what happened that night, however, seems unbelievable, even to her: she was confronted by a strange man in a top hat and coattails who inquired about her entry card to the Library of Curiosities, a gift that she received from the library’s owner, her estranged grandfather, Cillian. Reuniting with Cillian in Glassby Bay, Calif., following her expulsion, Rowan finds in his library myriad magical items for checkout. As she settles into a library internship, she wonders more about her parents, their deaths years ago, and why the other staffers are keeping secrets about a mysterious entity named Silverjack and an item called the Everheart. When objects are stolen from the library and Rowan is blamed, she must apprehend the real thief if she wants to stay in her precious new home. Brash and impetuous Rowan drives the linear plot, while evocative prose by Lundquist (The Carnival of Wishes & Dreams) imbues the magical setting with personified charm in a cozy and enchanting adventure. The Fitzgeralds read as white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Adria Goetz, KT Literary. (July)