The Library of Unruly Treasures

Gr 4-6–Two wonderful surprises await 11-year-old Gwen when her neglectful, divorced parents ship her off to Massachusetts to stay with never-before-seen Great-Uncle Matthew for two weeks: one, it will be her first experience of living in a stable home with a loving adult devoted to her happiness. The second is the existence of the Lahdukan, small-winged creatures with blue hair, who only children can see and live in the local public library. Their ancient prophecies name Gwen as their next Qalba, a leader destined to find them a new home in Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and reunite two long-separated Lahdukan clans. Cautiously, Gwen accepts the challenge, and her magical hero’s quest begins. Birdsall’s writing, stellar as always, captivates with rich vocabulary, memorable characters, and sly humor as it weaves a convincing web between Gwen’s real and enchanted worlds. The fantastical spell continues through the back matter that includes a pronunciation guide for Lahdukan terms but not their rituals as, “it would be dangerous for a regular person to say them correctly.” An author’s note uses the novel’s characters to convey facts about the Gardner Museum, its history, and an infamous 1990 robbery. Phelan’s illustrations add delicate charm and depict Gwen and Uncle Matthew as white.