What worked:
I always appreciate a good hook, and this book immediately grabbed my interest. An “author’s” note describes the book as a true autobiography even though readers will find it on the shelves of the fantasy section in their libraries. The author’s name is an alias since Librarians rule the Hushlands, our world, and would ban the book if they knew his true identity. Chapter one opens with a foster child named Al, short for Alcatraz, strapped to an altar “made from outdated encyclopedias” awaiting sacrifice by a cult of evil Librarians. Most of the story takes place within the walls of a library, although it’s not like any library you’ve ever visited. It’s a base for the evil Librarians, is led by a Dark Oculator, and is the setting for an action-packed adventure.
The story is very funny, and readers can expect many strange descriptions and visual images. Al receives a bag of sand on his thirteenth birthday that may be the key to survival for the Free Kingdoms. Al and other Smedrys have special talents that are quite unusual. Al’s talent is breaking things, his grandfather is always late, one cousin says things that make no sense, and another can fall down. How can these abilities be useful in a war against the Librarians? Al’s ability is unpredictable, so it’s hard to foresee when breaking something will save him. Rest assured the talents do in fact help, and they’re just as humorous as you’d expect.
The story is written in a second-person point of view, so the narrator speaks directly to readers. Most chapters begin with the narrator explaining how authors normally write books and how this book is very different. He talks about foreshadowing and cliffhangers and explains the merits and problems with each. These explanations aren’t done to inform readers but to continue the humorous writing style. The narrator often pokes fun at librarians, authors, culture, and misinformation we’ve learned. It’s amusing to read about authors’ annoying literary techniques and how reading books like this one are worthless. The narrator even teases himself by sharing misconceptions about his own knowledge and clarifying why he’s not actually heroic.
What didn’t work as well:
The early part of the book is tricky when trying to figure out what’s going on since the narrator informs readers of their ignorance. This sets the table for humor, as Al learns why swords are better than guns, torches are better than electric lights, and our unawareness of several additional continents on earth. The main conflicts are, in fact, trying to retrieve the sand and learning about Al’s parents.
The Final Verdict:
Information holds real power. Readers must have a tolerance for bizarre humor, which I possess, but that open-mindedness will be rewarded in this creative, entertaining “autobiography”. The charming narrative will be sure to leave readers smiling, as Al battles the evil Librarians. I recommend you give this book a shot!

What a fun middle grade adventure!! By far my favorite thing was the humorous voice of Alcatraz, the young narrator, engaging the reader directly, teasing them with what will happen in the story, and describing the harrowing adventure a bit unreliably. Evil librarians, book-smart dinosaurs, magical glasses and interesting characters make this an easy read and children will get caught up in the silliness. I do wish that there was more to it as I felt the powers and characters (knights with crystal swords) could use more development and everything seemed to happen and end too soon.

Received an eArc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Alcatraz keeps moving from foster home to foster home due to his propensity for breaking things. However, when a package arrives for this 13th birthday from parents he thought were dead, he is pulled into a grand adventure.

Full Disclosure, I have been using this book in my classroom for years. I love reading it out loud in prep for and during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Alcatraz tells the story to the readers directly, breaking the fourth wall. He makes explicit some of the fun things authors can use to tell their story, including foreshadowing, misdirection, and time dilation in stories. I love using examples from the book as we talk about the different things authors can do in their stories. Also my students like becoming a part of the writer's club with Alcatraz. One of their favorite quotes is this: “Some people assume that authors write books because we have vivid imaginations and want to share our vision. Other people assume that authors write because we are bursting with stories, and therefore must scribble those stories down in moments of creative propondidty. Both groups of people are completely wrong. Authors write books for one, and only one, reason: because we like to torture people.” Students are known to laugh gleefully as they add a twist to a story or put one of their main characters into a predicament.

My students love the humor in the novel as well. There are guaranteed to be chuckles and uproarious laughter if you read it aloud. This republish also includes great illustrations throughout which add to the story telling. I am so excited for the re-release of these books as I will finally be able to get more copies of the second book, which is quick to leave my shelves after we finish reading the 1st one out loud. Also my students are very excited to know that Alcatraz's story will finish soon with the release of the final book.

I would highly recommend this book for any upper elementary or middle school classroom. But don't believe me. I could be under control of the Evil Librarians! Get a copy for yourself and try it out.

Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson is the first book in the series of the same name. The book features illustrations by Hayley Lazo. The book follows thirteen-year-old Alcatraz, who upon his birthday has received his inheritance: a bag of sand. Alcatraz has a tendency to be clumsy and destructive, so that same day he accidentally sets fire to his foster parents’ kitchen. When his grandfather suddenly shows up after evil librarians come to steal his bag of sand, Alcatraz is introduced to a world he never knew existed. He also discovers his talent for breaking things might actually be useful.

This is a funny read. The narration is amusing and the illustrations are cute.

Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

Synopsis: Alcatraz, a 13-year-old boy, has a talent for breaking things. No really… that’s his talent! On his birthday when a mysterious package of sand arrives at his foster home, Alcatraz believes it to be some sort of joke. Until an evil librarian in glasses steals his sand and an old man who claims to be his grandfather comes to rescue him! This ensures an adventure full of magical and peculiar talents, talking dinosaurs, and a rescue mission to break into the library to steal back Alcatraz’s inheritance, AKA the sand! Most importantly, you will discover the world is full of evil librarians and we are all just living in it.

Thoughts:
I absolutely ADORED this book! I think this is a fun book for all ages, whether you are a child or an adult, there are charming illustrations, some winning jokes, and lots of charismatic chaos for all to enjoy. Reading this made me genuinely happy and I burst out laughing several times as Alcatraz is brimming with sass and sarcasm!! With the snide comments and luring humor throughout this book, I surprisingly found myself relating to the commentary from this 13-year-old boy. Honestly, what a joy to read!

I also thought it was a really fun aspect that the narrator breaks the wall between the story and the reader when he acknowledges the reader and their experience throughout the book; Even going to great lengths to taunt and joke around with the reader as a part of the story. Sometimes I thought it wasn’t necessary at certain moments, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I will be picking up the second adventure in this series soon- I think this series will become a new comfort read for me or something that I reach for when I need a good chuckle! Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and Brandon Sanderson for this copy in exchange for my review :)

With zany humor, the fight between good and evil is set in a magical library peopled with evil librarians. Alcatraz, who has been in foster care his whole life, receives a bag of sand on his 13th birthday, and the adventure begins. Many of the characters are named after prisons, many have talents such as always being late, breaking things, and being unintelligible, and Alcatraz finds himself way over his head while enjoying the adventure with a possible grandfather. This will appeal to readers who like slapstick comedy and sarcasm presented in a conversational style. Lazo's illustrations are welcome additions.

Sanderson’s anti-hero is Alcatraz, a young boy confined to the foster care system with an uncanny tendency to break (or is it destroy?) things. This “ability” Is soon revealed to be a power when he meets Grandpa Smedry, his cousins, and Bastille. In learning this truth, the world as Alcatraz knows it is literally flipped on its head. He learns that there is a cabal of evil librarians controlling information in the “Hushlands” where he resides. Can Alcatraz learn enough about his past and his power to infiltrate the and conquer the Librarians?

I found the book to be fast-paced, clever, and witty. I enjoyed some of the asides and the tongue-and-cheek way in which the author speaks to his audience. However, it was just a bit too much at times, and affected the flow of the story negatively.
 
   The illustrations were particularly nice, and added to the story’s enjoyment.
 
  Overall, very enjoyable, and I think the intended young adult audience will really enjoy as well! 3.5 stars rounded up for me.
 
Many thanks to Macmillian-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for this title in exchange for my honest review.

This is my second time reading Alcatraz vs. The Evil Librarians. I still think it is one of the most clever Middle Grade Fantasies ever written. It's hilarious and nuanced. And so very Sanderson. Of all of the Brandon Sanderson books I've read, Alcatraz is the one I hear his voice in the most. I can't help but picture Alcatraz as a mini-Sanderson. I love getting this book into the hands of as many of my middle schoolers as possible, especially those kids who are afraid to dip their toes into fantasy!

Thank you to NetGally, TorForge Books, and most especially Brandon Sanderson for an eARC of this book!

Brandon Sanderson is a masterful story teller, world builder, and manager of seemingly disparate magics. With Alcatraz he's back at it again - eminently familiar in his mastery, entirely novel in delivery. I read the Alcatraz series in the original release and was delighted to dive back into the Smedry family adventures.

While most of Brandon's books are tame by industry standard, they still carry some heavy themes that young readers may not be quite ready for... until along came Alcatraz. Witty, irreverent, hilarious, nail biting, and novel in both inspiration & delivery, Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians plays well with 'The Chosen One' trope while turning it on his head and being entirely approachable for early readers. I cannot recommend this series enough - particularly for parents of younger readers eager to induct their children into the wonders of Sanderson's world.

4.5 stars rounded up
This was my second read of this book, as it came up in NetGalley as a new paperback edition with new covers and I remember really liking the story, so I decided to check it out. Unlike my first time through this book, when I only listened to it as an audiobook by Ramon De Ocampo, I read this book along with the narration and I ended up laughing more. I loved the illustrations in between chapters and whether it was because of the mood I was in or just because reading along made it that much better, I enjoyed round 2 even more. I loved how much Brandon Sanderson poked fun at authors in general, and himself specifically, as well as Alcatraz's self-deprecating narration. It really was just a lot of fun and I highly recommend this to middle school students, especially those who aren't really sure they love reading since Sanderson totally makes fun of librarians. A highly entertaining series which I originally intended to just reread the first book, but now I will probably reread the entire series. This was a perfect read for April 1! This edition of the book is being released on May 3, but if you can't wait, feel free to check out the previous editions of the book.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I love this book. I'm attracted to any book with "librarian" in the title, and this does not disappoint. It is a fun journey following Alcatraz and the people that are chasing him. I highly recommend this book for an enjoyable read for children and teens.

I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while now, especially because I didn’t know what Sanderson was going to be like as a middle grade novel writer. And also, a book in which the bad guys are librarians sounded like lots of fun!!!

Now, I have to admit that I didn’t care too much about the plot 😅 It was interesting and the characters were unique and fun, but it was just a bit too middle grade for me.

However, there were some aspects of the book that were brilliant!!! First of all, on a maybe superficial level, the illustrations are just beautiful. They really added to the story and made it much more enjoyable.

But the thing that actually made this book really special was the narrator. Because firstly, he breaks the fourth wall and talks to the reader directly. That is the best part of the book. Mostly because the things he talks about are really interesting and usually are about genre misconceptions, writing, being an author or other topics that are really interesting and that Brandon Sanderson obviously knows much about.

In addition to that, the narrator is unreliable. I loved that!! Sometimes, for example, he says that something is going to happen and then it doesn’t. That makes the story less predictable.

So this means that I’d definitely recommend this book because it is a really interesting reading experience that makes you think about a lot of different aspects.

(Also, fun fact: according to the author profile in this book, Brandon Sanderson‘s books are written by a plant called Count Duku 😂)

I loved this book so much. A really funny and enjoyable read. And the illustrations are a fund addition with this edition.

In this book, we follow thirteen-year-old Alcatraz Smedry (what a name!) on an adventure after he receives a bag of sand as his inheritance.
Within a few pages, I was hooked on this story. Its written as though Alcatraz is talking to the reader periodically and this really works as the world he lives in is quite strange in places. The book is fast-paced, action-packed and very funny.
I picked this one out based on the Author and the gorgeous cover artwork. I wasn't aware that this was an existing series and this cover is way better than the previous one.
This series deserves a facelift to get in into more people's hands.

Alcatraz has always been good at breaking things, but he didn't realize that he could use this power to stop librarians from taking over the free kingdoms. When the bag of sand he receives for his thirteenth birthday is stolen by his social worker, Alcatraz teams up with a loony old man who's always late, a tripping anthropologist who likes antique guns, a sneaky cousin who can say nonsensical things, and a cranky knight with a mean handbag swing to infiltrate the librarian's headquarters. Of course, this involves breaking a lot of things, so it's good Alcatraz has a talent for that.

Where has this book been all my life? Apparently, it's been hiding under an outdated cover, but I'm delighted to see that it's getting a reboot. I've been following some of Brandon Sanderson's lectures, and it's fun to see many of the elements of storytelling he describes written out in this book. This ensures this is not only a laugh-out-loud story, but it has excellent teaching points that I'd love to use with my creative writing classes. I won't hesitate to share this book with any of my middle grade readers who like a bit of nonsense and unexpected references to pop culture in their reading. This book is also ideal for anyone who wants a book that doesn't have to be taken too seriously (despite the fact that Alcatraz consistently warns readers of danger and peril) I'm already reading the second book, and I can't wait to get the whole series.

This was an adventurous middle-grade novel. I enjoyed the unique perspective and silly humor. It wasn't quite like Brandon Sanderson's previous works, but I still loved the fun characters and snappy dialogue. I'd recommend for your middle grade readers who like silly sci-fi books.

Evil librarian and a 13 yr-old named Alcatraz sounds crazy, right? Alcatraz has been in numerous foster homes because of his habit of breaking things. In his latest home he has somehow managed to sets his foster mom’s kitchen on fire. This starts off a whole series of crazy events where he meets his grandfather and finds out the world is not how it seems. This fun fantasy book leads kids on a fun adventure to infiltrate a library. I will definitely be purchasing a copy for my middle school library.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians is one of my favorite books. I love Sandersons writing and he nails it with writing a middle grade fantasy story that will appeal to kids. This is one of my first choices to recommend to fans of Percy/Harry/Keeper of Lost Cities/Wings of Fire/Artemis Fowl/ who are looking for something new.

This is the middle-grade series by Sanderson and I do love his storytelling in Alcatraz. Alcatraz is different from all of Sanderson's stories. It is a fun and quirky world wherein young minds with great knowledge and unique skills are being hunted by a secret organization called Librarians.

It is good and fun with a fast=paced storyline.