There are three ingredients that went into making this book list for you for National Library Week:
- This year’s theme, from ALA, is “Libraries Transform”
- The Kids & Family Reading Report shows that when choosing books for fun the top things that kids and parents look for are good stories, humor and role models
- KFRR also shows that 51% of children get the best ideas about books to read for fun from teachers and school librarians, 16% from the public library/librarian, and 11% from social media
Mix those ingredients together, and you get a list of great stories about humorous and role model-esque librarians put together by a former teacher, now librarian, and shared on social media.
#greatfunnylibrarianstories
#novelswherelibrariansarerolemodels
#bookrecsfromateacherlibrarian
Booked, by Kwame Alexander - funny AND a role model, school librarian Mr. MacDonald, a.k.a. “The Mac”, raps and inspires students to love reading
The Deadlies: Spiders on the Case, by Kathryn Lasky and Stephen Gilpon - welcomed to live in the Boston Public Library, a family of spiders is on the case to let head conservator Tom know who is destroying rare books
Dear Miss Breed: True Stories of the Japanese American Incarceration During World War II and a Librarian Who Made a Difference: by Joanne Oppenheim, Elizabeth Kikuchi Yamada and Snowden Becker - true story of San Diego Public Library children’s librarian Clara Breed, who wrote letters and sent books to the Japanese American children from her community while they were in internment camps
Frogkisser!, by Garth Nix - trained to be an evil sorcerer, now a librarian that turns into an owl under stress, Gotfried helps heroine Anya on her quest for happily-ever-after
Goosebumps: The Girl Who Cried Monster: by R.L. Stine - Lucy discovers that the librarian in charge of summer reading literally transforms into a monster, but no one believes her
Here Lies the Librarian, by Richard Peck - four independent female library school students bust into town, reopen the town library, and transform Eleanor’s life
Key Hunters: The Mysterious Moonstone, by Eric Luper - Cleo and Evan go through a secret door, find a underground library, and end up on a mission to save their beloved librarian Ms. Hilliard – who is trapped in an enchanted book; first in a series
The Librarian Who Measured the Earth, by Kathryn Lasky and Kevin Hawkes - prior to running the most famous library of all time, Eratosthenes figured out the circumference of the planet
Red Light, Green Light, Mama and Me, by Cari Best and Niki Daly - Lizzie’s mom is a children’s librarian and she has the time of her life going to work with her mother on a day when Grandma has the flu and can’t watch her
Unshelved, by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum - hilarious comic strips about the Mallville Public Library staff and patrons, anchored by my favorite (snarky) fictional teen librarian – Dewey; if you like this volume there are several more, such as Library Mascot Cage Match, Reads Well With Others, and What Would Dewey Do?
It's exciting to share recommendations for books where the librarian isn't shushing patrons.
What are your favorite books that feature a library?
