The Tiny Hero of Ferny Creek Library - Hardcover

Bailey, Linda

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062440934 ISBN 13: 9780062440938

Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 2017

Synopsis

Eddie, a passionate reader and a shiny green bug, saves the school library in this funny, heartwarming tale that fans of Flora & Ulysses and Charlotte’s Web will love. Includes black-and-white illustrations throughout from Newbery Honor Medalist and New York Times-bestselling author-artist Victoria Jamieson.

Eddie is a tiny green bug who loves to read and who lives behind the chalkboard in the fourth-grade classroom with his parents, his 53 brothers and sisters, and his aunt Min. But when Aunt Min goes to the school library to read a book and never returns, Eddie leaves the comfort of his home for the first time and makes the dangerous trek through Ferny Creek Elementary School to find her. After dodging running sneakers, falling books, and terrifying spiders, Eddie reaches the library, where he discovers Aunt Min stuck in a perilous situation! To top it all off, there’s a substitute librarian who aims to close the library for good and get rid of all the books!

Encouraged by the brave deeds done by small creatures such as Stuart Little and Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web, Eddie comes up with a plan to save the library—a plan that requires all the courage one little bug can muster.

A great read-aloud and read-alone, this action-packed short novel includes references to classic children’s literature throughout and is perfect for fans of Chris Grabenstein’s Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and Lynne Rae Perkins’s Nuts to You. Featuring extensive black-and-white art from Newbery Honor Medalist and New York Times-bestselling author-artist Victoria Jamieson.

About this title

Reviews

Gr 3–5—Eddie is a beetle who lives with his family in a crack in the wall of the fourth grade classroom at Ferny Creek Elementary School. When his book-loving Aunt Min fails to return from her most recent trip to the school library, Eddie sets out to search for her, only to find her injured, hungry, and marooned atop the librarian's desk. Hiding out in the paper tray, the bugs overhear a disturbing phone conversation between the substitute librarian and the school superintendent: their plan is to close the library and turn it into a testing center. As they watch Miss Visch start packing away the books, Eddie hatches a plan involving blueberry juice, licorice, and yellow sticky notes. Using his legs to write messages, he leaves the notes stuck to books on the shelves, raising suspicion that the benign ghost of a former library volunteer is interceding to save the library. The obvious message is pleasantly tempered by subtle humor, many references to beloved children's books, and themes that celebrate bravery, perseverance, and storytelling. There's lots of action as Eddie faces dangers navigating the world of "squishers" who may trample him at any moment. The writing is breezy and accessible, and children will enjoy the bug's-eye view. A bibliography of referenced titles is included. VERDICT Despite the length, this is a good choice for younger readers and would work well as a classroom read-aloud.—Marie Orlando, formerly at Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

Edition details

• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062440934
• ISBN 13: 9780062440938
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Jamieson Victoria
• Number of pages: 336