Cover Image: Rebel in the Library of Ever

Rebel in the Library of Ever

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Member Reviews

shocked to see a sexist quote on page 169.
" she's lying, said a man who had Leonora's left wrist. "you know how females are".

not only the words are disturbing, but how the man is holding the Leonora's wrist. There was no consequences of this action or debate against the statement.

Also the director is Donald Trump... YOU'RE FIRED! so whiney about things not going his way and people not bowing to his every need. Thinking he is the greatest and smartest when he is the biggest idiot in the whole book or in this case the universe.

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A perfect follow up to Zeno Alexander's first Library of Ever. Lenora awaits going back to the Library (with a capital L) after a year of returning from her adventures. This time, she meets the new Director's 10 year old daughter - who she quickly becomes friends with. Lenora sets out to help any patron with any question they have, but she must also be careful of the Forces of Darkness that are slowly taking away books - and the Light of the Library. Lenora faces obstacles and finds a "rebel base" for those good Librarians who have been fired under the new Board and Director. She soon realizes that with support from those she has helped, they can get the Library back to normal - even with simple trickery towards the Director. A fun, adventure book for fans of Mr. Lemoncello's Library this book did remind me of a mix between My Father's Dragon and A Wrinkle in Time!

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I ADORE this series! She's feisty, quick on her feet, and completely dedicated to her position as a librarian. I am terribly sad that this will be my last visit at the Library of Ever. It appears the author has decided to end the series here.

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Another fun trip back to the library...who doesn't love libraries...so important and as relevant as always!

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Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

As a fan of Mr. Lemoncello's Library series, I knew I needed to read both The Library of Ever and Rebel in the Library of Ever. Boy was I not disappointed!

The battle continues between the world of the Librarians and the "Forces of Darkness" as Lenora strives to answer her patron's questions with so many twists and different adventures throughout the book. I adored Lenora's passion for books and knowledge as well as the friendship that builds between her and Lucy. Her resilience in difficult moments really hit home the "Knowledge is a Light" theme.

This is such a fun book that explores the world of libraries with a fun fantasy/sci-fi twist that I think so many young readers will enjoy. I'm excited to add this next to The Library of Ever in my classroom library in the fall!

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Rebel in the Library of Ever by Zeno Alexander, and the first book in the series, The Library of Ever, are the cutest books I have read in a long time. Both are great, but the second, Rebel, is so full of love: love of knowledge, love of truth, love of friendship, love of libraries. I want to live/work/play in this library! It is the ULTIMATE library, and I want it to really exist.

The premise that Zeno Alexander is telling the main character's life story is a premise seen in Middle Grade fiction, but it is an effective one. Lenora is a privileged, white, upper-class little girl who has dreams beyond her prescribed life. In the first book, Lenora sneaks away from a careless nanny and discovers The Library, where she works her way up the library system ladder, helping patrons along the way. In the second book, the reader is back with Lenora, who was sent back to the "real" world to grow up a bit. But, as Lenora finds out, a librarian's job is never done.

There is a main lesson at the heart of the book, all told through the guise of kooky adventure after kooky adventure. The morality of light vs. dark, good v.s evil, is in each page, with the real hero being knowledge itself. Lenora is a rascally and strong main character, one both boys and girls would root for throughout her many tales. While it is plot heavy, the reader learns about Lenora, and our real world, through each "lesson". Upper elementary kids will love the fun hijinks, while middle grade kids will enjoy the over-arching battle for intellectual freedom (believe me, kids want to be told the truth and given facts; intellectual freedom is right in their wheel-house).

A love letter to librarians, libraries, and books themselves, Rebel in the Library of Ever is a wonderfully intelligent, funny, and heartfelt book. A book that many kids, and adults, will enjoy. It definitely made me proud to be a librarian!

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This is a fun book that explores the word of libraries with a fun fantasy twist. The second book in the series Rebel in the Library of Ever, follows Lenora who is a librarian, but with a certain twist. The world of libraries in this series is much more complex than you think. They have special powers and the library itself has many magical qualities. The library is put at risk when darker forces are trying to take over the library and change it for their own benefits.

I really enjoy how the parts of the library open up new doors to other worlds (literally and figuratively). When a patron has a question for the librarian they are unable to answer it turns into a greater quest for knowledge. They get to interact with other beings/librarians to help them solve the questions. I haven’t read the first book in the series but i found it easy to follow along with. It’s a great middle grade novel that gets kids and adults alike excited about libraries and books!

Overall I thought this was such a fun book! It was exciting and full of action. It has a lot of twists and turns to keep the reader hooked in into the story. I would continue reading this series for sure!

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I think I was as excited as Lenora to return to the Library of Ever in this second book of the series! The battle between the Librarians and the Forces of Darkness has reached a critical point, and all may be lost if Lenora cannot find a way to dethrone the new Director. Along the way, she searches for the largest number (no, it's not infinity), discovers a lost invention, helps an alien solve a crime, makes many new friends, and leads a rebellion. This book is SO MUCH FUN, but is also full of wonderful themes: honesty, leadership, courage, and of course: Knowledge is a Light. This book shines that light with imagination and humor - and the promise of more books to come! I look forward to sharing this book with students!

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As an educator and mother of young girls, I am always looking for strong female leads that are relatable and inspiring. I am also a mother who cheers her children for being "a bookworm, just like mommy" so you can imagine my excitement when both libraries and strong female characters collide! A great read for young girls with a taste for adventure...and a hint of bookishness!

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The premise of this book was so promising. Adventures, heroes, libraries, and STEM? But the writing falls so short. It's not well organized and the voice is too child like. The narrator's voice is immature and even younger than the main character. I couldn't finish the book.

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I received this e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Lenora is back and things are changing in the Library of Ever and not for good. Librarians are being fired or reassigned (or possibly eaten), books are being removed, and there is a new director who has no interest in reading or knowledge. The dark forces are everywhere and Lenora must find a way to stop them. She has a traveling companion this time around – the director’s daughter, “Lucy.” (Not her real name but Lenora refuses to call the “Princess”) Lucy is frightened at first of all the Library has to offer but she soon relaxes and enjoys the adventure. Along the wat, we meet new characters, learn the largest number, and see what can happen when the quest for knowledge is thwarted.
This was a great follow up to The Library of Ever. Lenora is more experienced and is now teaching Lucy (a young apprentice?) the ways of the Library. It is more fast-paced than the original and can be read without reading the first. Of course, I would recommend reading book 1 first but readers wouldn’t be totally lost if they didn’t. Definitely recommended for readers in grades 3 and up.
#RebelInTheLibraryOfEver #NetGalley

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What lengths would you go to in order to save what you love? Would you fight the evil forces in hopes that good will win? Lenora has been away for over a year from the magical library that she loves so much. She has been patiently waiting to go back and when her chance finally comes she is so excited, that is until she gets there and everything has changed. The library is under a new director and all of the books are gone and replaced with books about how wonderful the new director is. Lenora is shocked to find the shelves empty, the librarians have been fired, and her mentor has been demoted. Lenora has been given the mission to take down the new leadership but she is just one girl. How can she do this on her own? She meets a young girl named "Lucy" (this is not her real name but I promise you will find out her true name) who happens to be the new Director's daughter. Lenora and Lucy go on an epic adventure to try and save the library, and along the way they meet some very unlikely people and creatures that become an invaluable source of power and friendship. Can Lenora battle the evil forces that are ruling the library and bring the books back before they are destroyed? Can she save the librarians jobs or are they kicked out of the library forever? And most importantly, in the mist of all of this can she fulfill the vow that she promised to always strive to find an answer for any patron? Read the exciting second book to The Library of Ever by Zeno Alexander to find out if Lenora is successful or if the library falls to ruins forever!

I absolutely love this book series because, of course, I am a librarian. I love Lenora's passion for books and knowledge and her bravery to fight for what is right! This book is full of fantasy, magic, action, adventure, true friendship, and the hunger for knowledge. Do not miss this second book (and I'm really hoping it is not the last one) in The Library of Ever​ series!

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After an intolerbally long time, Lenora is back in the Library of Ever. But something is different. Well, actually, everything is different. The shelves are empty, librarians are being fired, and there’s a new director in charge. Lenora has to use her librarian training to find out what’s going on and fix it fast. Perhaps because there was less world building, this book was more focused than The Library of Ever. The short adventures that made up the first Library of Ever book were still there, but this time they seemed to flow easier.The stakes were higher for Lenora and her friends, making this a fast-paced ride. One of the rare times a sequel is better than the original. I’d reccommend this to kids in grades 3 and up.

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Zeno Alexander does it again! We decided to make this a family read aloud for review and it did not disappoint! Each night the children were begging to hear more. They loved the sci-fi characters and setting and how quickly things could change. We were happy with the outcome no matter how hard it was to get there. We are hooked! Walking into a library will never be the same. Where do the elevators really go? Who is truly in charge? What type of books make it onto the shelves? Fighting the powers at be, these children overcame and made the library what it is supposed to be.

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A year has passed since Lenora worked in the Library which houses every book ever known. The Library is now under new management, and Lenora is skeptical. She quickly learns her new mission to help a secret resistance free knowledge. In this adventure, she discovers an ancient city and mathematical beings as she tries to free the Library from the Board that is pulling the Library in the wrong direction.

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One year after her initial adventure as an assistant librarian in the Library of Ever, Lenora returns. However, it is not to a Library that she remembers. This Library is ruled by fear and misinformation, as the mysterious Board appoints an incompetent Director, who gives Librarians three options: quit, be fired, or cooperate. (The fourth option is to be eaten, so...) Desperate to save her Library, Lenora embarks on adventure with a new friend who is the last person she ever expected to be: the Director's daughter. Will Lenora be able to lead a rebellion and fight for what is right? Or will the Forces of Darkness extinguish the Light?

A phenomenal follow-up to "The Library of Ever", "Rebel in the Library of Ever" is a great gateway for discussing intellectual freedom with younger audiences, as well as discussing evaluation of information and learning that adults don't always have all the answers--not even parents, not even leaders. The Library of Ever is still as amazing and magical as before, and readers will be cheering on Lenora every step of the way and amazed with the facts that they learn, too.

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I received a galley via NetGalley.

I adored Zeno Alexander’s first middle grade novel set in the astounding Library of Ever, and I am thrilled to make the return trip. Lenora’s first adventure through the zany library lead to her discovery of the value of truth and knowledge, and that they must be protected against dark forces that want to censor and destroy. This new volume is no less enthralling. Lenora is now 12 and embodied with more confidence. When she discovers one of her local librarians is being fired—victim of the board’s budget cuts—she quickly crosses to the Library of Ever, where she finds similar turmoil and woe. As she tries to help patrons find answers in the absence of librarians, we learn about the largest number, the ancient city of Cahokia, and even about Ada Lovelace, all in a way that is wacky and fun.

The overall theme about the importance of libraries and the perils of censorship and greedy for-profit library administrators is kept fun, never preachy. This series continues to shine with a verve and passion that I can’t help but love.

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I think this is one of those books where you really need to read the series in order, rather than just dive in at the second book. The author does attempt to summarize previous events, but the effort is shallow (no doubt intended as a reminder, rather than a primer) and without context much of the action is confusing, rather than engaging.

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