Nanami is a 13-year old girl who has found a whole world in books. She has serious asthma and can’t partake in school sports or other activities a normal teenager might. Her father is incredibly protective–it is only the two of them these days. But she is allowed to go to the library after school and it is a wonderful sanctuary for her. There, she discovers adventures like The Three Musketeers and heroes like Arsene Lupin.
One snowy afternoon, Nanami spots a grey figure in the library stacks. He is behaving suspiciously and she determines to follow him to protect her precious library. She notices he is stealing volumes off the shelves but before she can confront him, she has an asthma attack and he disappears into a shimmering portal. But she’s not the only one tracking the thief–Tiger the talking tabby cat appears and the two team up to rescue the stolen books.
As far as she was concerned, there was nothing wrong with a library and cat combination. It was just that when it came to talking cats, it was a whole other story. ~Loc. 274
Tiger leads Nanami to the strange grey land where the stolen books are being destroyed so they can plan an rescue operation. Tiger also brings Nanami to meet Rintaro in his bookshop, familiar to readers of The Cat Who Saved Books. Rintaro hosts them as a base of operations, but as Nanami learns, this battle is only for her to fight.
Tiger shows Nanami how to find confidence in herself, even in the face of immense odds. She finds the strength to defend that which she loves–the books–not just for herself but for civilization. She fights to make sure the books she loves will be there for future readers that might find comfort and enjoyment in them, like she did. Most importantly, she learns that anyone can be a hero, even a lonely, asthmatic kid.
I don’t know how to explain. I guess the best way is to say it is that if I ignore everything that’s happening, I’m going to regret it later. I’ve given up on so many things in my life so far, but I’m not going to give up on this, the thing that matters most. ~Loc. 968
The Cat Who Saved The Library is a worthy volume in this delightful series. The language is simple yet magical. The author creates vibrant, cozy tableaus and adventurous stages for the action to play out in. And though the stakes are high, there is no violence or fatal peril, meaning these stories are great for avid readers of any age. I eagerly await the next installment, and until then, I will be watching for a tabby cat to ask for my help in saving some books.
My thanks to HarperCollins for the review copy. Read via NetGalley
Publisher: HarperVia
Publication date: April 8, 2025
Print length: 224 pages
ISBN-10: 0063419246