Where do Harry, Ron, and particularly Hermione, go to find answers to their problems year after year? That’s right - the Hogwarts school library! As J.K. Rowling once commented, “the answer invariably is in a book, but Hermione has to go and find it”.
While a restricted section and book-protecting jinxs are unique to the domain of Madam Irma Pince, a scene with the school library or librarian are key elements in a good school story – whether they fill the role of problem or solution!
In recognition of School Library Month, I put together a list of books where the library or librarian is part of the plot:
- 38 Weeks Till Summer Vacation, by Mona Kerby & Melodye Rosales
- Alcott Library is Falling Down, by Dorothy Haas & Paul Casale
- Any Small Goodness: A Novel of the Barrio, by Tony Johnston & Raúl Colón
- The Librarian from the Black Lagoon, by Mike Thaler & Jared D. Lee
- Cam Jansen and the Secret Service Mystery, by David A. Adler & Susanna Natti
The Case of the Library Monster, by Dori Hillestad Butler, Jeremy Tugeau, & Dan Crisp- Cupcake Tycoon, by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm
- The Great Dewey Hunt, by Toni Buzzeo & Sachiko Yoshikawa
- Jodie, by Randa Abdel-Fattah
- The Library Dragon, by Carmen Agra Deedy & Michael P. White
- The Library Pages, by Carlene Morton & Valeria Docampo
- Miss Wolf and the Porkers, by Bill Condon & Caroline Magerl
- Mrs. Roopy is Loopy!, by Dan Gutman & Jim Paillot
Mrs. Toggle's Class Picture Day, by Robin Pulver & R.W. Alley- Put on Your Thinking Cap, by Quinn Alexander & Kelly Kennedy
- Rocking in My School Shoes, by Eric Litwin & James Dean
- Split Image, by Mel Glenn
- Too Much Noise in the Library, by Susan Margaret Chapman & Abby Carter
- Wizards Don't Need Computers, by Marcia Thornton Jones, Debbie Dadey, Carrie Jones, & John Steven Gurney
Have you read any of these titles? I’m embarrassed that so many of them were new to me, and I’m sure that I missed a few. If you know of any other books where the school library/librarian is featured, share them in the comment section below!
