The Magpie’s Library

Silva and her family visit her grandfather, only to find his health has taken a bad turn. As they struggle with this news, Silva seeks escape in books – at the local library.

But she gets more than she bargained for when a magpie guides her to a secret, magical room containing books that she can not only read, but that she can live. Silva finds herself in the worlds of the characters … who all turn out to be real people. People she knows.

There’s a catch, though: she soon discovers that the magpie has lured her to these books for selfish and dark reasons. Going back to the books could mean losing her soul …

AUTHOR

Kate Blair

Kate Blair is an award-nominated author originally from Hayling Island, UK. She has been a finalist for the Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award and the Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Snow Willow Award. Her novels Transferral and Tangled Planet were both longlisted for the Sunburst Award and Transferral was a Starred Selection of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Best Books for Kids and Teens. Blair currently lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Reviews

A rich emotional landscape is presented to show how grief and pain at times necessitate the need to explore other worlds. The novel reinforced the notion that stories can heal, but it also asks how far we can escape before we lose ourselves in the process?

“This intricate and compelling fantasy will pull readers in.”