The Forbidden Library

I am new to Django Wexler’s books after reading a most recent adult book. While waiting for the next adult book to be published, I decided to give this series a try. I am so glad I did! While it may be a children’s or YA book, it was no less captivating! I plan to read this one out loud to my grandchildren the next time they visit. Highly recommend for children and adults alike.

I think it's official: Wexler excels at pretty much any genre he tries his hand at. I was initially curious and maybe a little skeptical as to how he would handle a children's novel, but this book was truly excellent. The author shows his talent and versatility in The Forbidden Library, creating original worlds filled with all kinds of interesting creatures, bringing them to life with such rich and detailed descriptions. I have no doubt adult fans of his epic fantasy will be enchanted by the wonderful creativity and imagination found in here as well. The story itself is fantastic, and as an avid bibliophile it's hard for me to resist anything to do with libraries or reading about the wonderful books that take us to faraway places. The plot also had enough mystery to keep me constantly guessing; I could never be sure what everybody's motives were. I felt for the main character Alice and her predicament of being suddenly thrust into a strange environment where she couldn't trust anyone, though she was far from helpless and I'm sure she had no need for anyone's sympathy. Courageous and headstrong, Alice is a good role model for young readers, being a take-charge kind of girl who doesn't take obstacles or setbacks lying down. In some ways, The Forbidden Library was more complex than I would have expected from a middle-grade novel. While it had its fair share of levity (Ashes the talking cat will be a joy to many, for example -- and not just to cat-lovers!), it also had its moments of darkness. Sometimes it's both light and dark at once, as evidenced by the "Swarmers", Alice's horde of bizarre bird-like creatures that have the physical appearance and consistency of a rubber ball with legs. I confess, reading this made me want an army of Swarmers of my own -- in spite of the fact they're essentially a black mass of razor-sharp pecking beaks and I'd probably lose an eye. Like I said, the magical creatures found in this book and the sheer imagination behind them are a pure delight. It's moments like that which make me feel this is a book both kids and adults can enjoy. It certainly has that wide appeal! I've been trying to read a lot more children's books/middle-grade books lately, taking note of my favorite titles to share with my daughter one day (who's still a bit too young now, but it's never too early to start her library!) Without a doubt, The Forbidden Library will be one of them.

The Forbidden Library is lovely. Miss Em looked forward to it with anticipation and a bit of trepidation; Django Wexler wrote her favorite new adult sci-fi novel of last year, The Thousand Names, and as silly as it may sound, some authors just can't make the crossover into good kid lit. No worries, though! Alice hears a strange conversation between her father and a snarky fairy one night, and practically the next thing she knows, her father is missing, presumed dead, she's impoverished and sent to live with her "uncle," a rich old man she's never met--and who turns out to be a wizard who collects his powers by killing or enslaving creatures found in magical books. There's a talking cat, dragons, and critters of all descriptions. And a boy who has to be rescued. Alice has been raised by her Dad to be a plucky, take charge kind of girl, and it's a pleasure to follow her adventure. She stays true to herself and I look forward to the change she'll cause in every book/world she visits--oh yes, the Forbidden Library is true to the saying, "Books are portals to other worlds." I'll be gifting the book to all my nieces, for sure. Like the blurb says, the book should be popular with fans of Coraline and Inkheart; I would say also fans of Diana Wynne Jones, Roald Dahl's Matilda, and I was reminded of the plucky, likeable Sara Crewe from A Little Princess (by Frances Hodgson Burnett, not the movie). Highly recommended for both personal and library collections. [...]

This must be one the most creative books that I have read. Alice is perhaps the pluckiest and toughest heroines that I have ever met. The book is filled with memorable lines. The forbidden library is a whole new world, surprising different from almost everything out there. The book celebrates the act of magic as the act of reading. Starting with the first "prison book" where Alice dealt with the swarm of rubber ball birds, then overcoming the TREE that epitomizes the strength of all trees, and then forcing a dragon that is like no other to submit to her, Alice used her incredible imagination to overcome impossible odds. If there were a sixth star, I would give this book the extra star for creativity. Wexler wrote in the acknowledge at the end that he said that he did not know what he gave birth to and thanked his editor and readers for helping him understand his own creation.

My granddaughter is quite the bookworm and this book caught her eye when I promised her a book for her birthday. She just got it at the end of last week and her mother texted me today to say she finished it and loved it. Since Nana promised her the next one in the series if she liked it book two is on the way! I imagine book 3 and 4 will soon follow!

My daughter loved this book. She says: It was exciting and had lots of adventure and magic at every turn and kept you in the edge of your seat. Highly recommend to readers of all ages that enjoy magic, fantasy, and adventure.

This was a good fantasy book but sometimes I felt it was trying too hard to be mysterious. Most of the time, the main character Alice, has no idea what's going on. She doesn't even know if she can trust anyone. Right when I thought there was a trustworthy character, another character says they can't be trusted. I'm still not sure why Isaac's master wanted the Dragon book. I have no idea why Alice had too feel all that magical pain in her first meeting with Geryon in the room with all the pillows. What even happened to Alice's father? The ending felt a little incomplete to me. I still enjoyed this book. It was a good read. I would recommend it.

This is the first book in the series. Daughter loved it and wants the second book. She was really engaged and as a parent I am really glad she is reading.