Talking Books
Karen Andrea’s debut novel, The Enchanted Library, is a magical tale of how a lonely child finds solace through the reawakening of his imagination.

It’s not that easy being a child, growing up, and having to make sense of the world without guidance or experience. All the more difficult if you are an orphan, being shunted between foster homes, not knowing if you are loved or even liked, and not understanding the reasons behind your constant transit. This is the situation that Max Milford finds himself in at the beginning of Karen Andrea’s children’s novel, The Enchanted Library.

Three years after his parents’ tragic death in an accident, Max finds himself invited to come and live with his Grandpa. However, unused to permanency, Max finds it difficult to settle into this new life, either in Grandpa’s rambling old house, or at his new school, where the bullies target him because he has a phobia of reading and writing. Max’s only comfort comes when he finds an out-of-bounds library in a deserted room at Grandpa’s house, filled with books that come alive, books that he must read to help stay alive. But Max’s reading reawakens an old spell, causing an old danger to resurface that might land Grandpa in jail and lose Max his new home. Max soon learns the reason for the adults’ caginess around the library, as the books lead him to solve an absorbing mystery that finally explains Grandpa’s absence from his life in the years since his parents died. Mostly, the books help Max believe in himself again, and the power of his imagination.

The Enchanted Library is a magical story for 8 to 12 year olds, seen through 10-year-old Max’s eyes. The novel’s characters are well-drawn and come from a diversity of cultural backgrounds. The novel is modern and streetwise, but this does not detract from the beauty of Andrea’s prose. The Halloween moon is described as ‘a disc of shimmering white; its light sugar-coats the night sky’. However, the book characters steal the show, with wit and warmth and puns a-plenty. Pompous Harold ("Harry Potters Around the Garden") has been undermined by a best-selling book with a similar name, Momma ("Fairytales of Mother Grimm") has had her stories stolen and reworked by the Grimm Brothers, and Alice ("Malice in Wonderland") is a victim of its own typos. Max is able to relate to these books because, like him, they are different and trying to survive against adversity.

The Enchanted Library is a highly entertaining family story. It is touching too; Andrea’s emotional empathy shows a familiarity with her subject-matter from her experiences as a family lawyer. The story is also a timely celebration of reading and books, when both are under pressure from other forms of entertainment and digital media.

The Enchanted Library is available at all major online retailers and selected bookstores priced £5.99.