A novel of WWII historical fiction, following New York Public Librarian Jessie "Kit" Carson who travels to France amid the devastation. Jessie joins the CARDS, an American Committee for Devastated France. Working with this group of women, Jessie establishes children's libraries for the devastated French towns, and then disappears.

The story alternates timelines with Wendy Peterson, a New York Public Librarian in 1987, who stumbles upon a reference of Jessie Carson while working, and becomes consumed with learning more about this woman and her work in France.

Although this book had a unique WWII premise, the story and writing fell a bit flat for me.

I loved this so much! I was so excited to get this one. I was sucked in immediately. I loved the characters and it held my attention. It was plot driven and i adored it! I finished this in one sitting!

Based on the true life story of Jessie Carson, this is a superb book about Anne Morgan’s CARDs and the selfless tireless work these women did in France. A wonderful story describing France at the tail end of WWI and the American women who helped the small villages feed and rebuild themselves. I particularly liked the author’s note which went over the true histories of all the women.

This was a great introduction to Anne Morgan and her organization, and with the Red Zone which still exists in France.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

From 1918 a group of international women are helping devastated French communities rebuild as WWI rages on. Jessie Carson is one of these women and hers is a story worth reading. It falls to a librarian in 1987 who finds a “passing reference” to take on the research and piece together the story of the American Committee for Devastated France. Founded and funded by Anne Morgan, heiress to the Morgan banking fortune, with her companion Dr. Anne Murray Dike, they championed a contingent of wealthy debutantes. These women lived, worked, saved lives and created hope for the French villagers.

This is another story about the horrors of The Great War with a meaningful twist relating the power of kindness and the connection that was made with the offer of a book. Knowing a story, offering a novel, a chance to escape if only for a few hours, we all know how therapeutic it can be. Jessie Carson found a way to reach the helpless and almost hopeless and gave them a reason to continue and look to the future.

I enjoyed this very well written book which had a feeling “of the time”. My thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy.

This isn't just another story about the war and nazi Germany. I have read many stories of victims, survivors, and heroes, but this brought to attention another aspect of the war. The need for children to learn, for people to read books to escape the world they are living. Miss Morgan and the CARDS, a group of women volunteers from America, travel to France to help families in war torn towns. Bringing medical care, food, and love. Also bringing along a librarian from NY to help restore a library and a sense of normalcy.

In Miss Morgan's Book Brigade, we learn about Jessie Carson, aka Kit. Determined to bring books back into the lives of these families, mostly women and children whom have lost someone to the war or have someone fighting. Honored to be asked to be there but always hearing the negative voice of her boss in NY in her head. Kit works on building trust and friendships with these families.

Thank you Janet Skeslien Charles for bring attention to the brave women of CARDS. The women who have left the comfort of their homes in America, some who came from very lavish lives. Selflessly putting themselves in the middle of a war.

War! What is it good for? Bringing out the best in women, if Janet Skeslien Charles' novel Miss Morgan's Book Brigade has anything to say. Women are left to do everything else when men are planning battles and fighting during wartime. Miss Morgan's Book Brigade tells the story of a troop of American women in France helping women left behind. Some women are widowed and alone, others have farms around and families to provide for. These women and children are in need of food and a variety of support.

Anne Morgan (daughter of famed Gilded Age financier J. P. Morgan) and her lady companion Anne Murray Dike put out a siren call for women from all backgrounds and skill levels to journey to France and offer assistance to those in need. One such woman is Jessie "Kitt" Carson, a librarian charges with rebuilding a library and offering bookmobile andl storytime services. Known as CARDS - Le Comite Americain pour les Regions Devastees de France (the American Committee for Devistated Regions of France.)
Jessie finds friendship and romance among the ruined countryside,
for devastated regions of France), while helping women regain their dignity.

The novel also tells the story of librarian / aspiring writer Wendy Peterson, who, in 1987, finds the CARDS' story in dusty New York Public Library boxes. Wendy's story is less compelling then Jessie's, but Wendy's function was to bring the CARDS' story public. Charles' writing puts the reader right on the battlefield amongst the devastation. To know the CARDS and Jessie Carson were real women makes the story all the more intimate and satisfying. Miss Morgan's Book Brigade is an important story about everyday bravery, the power of women working together, and the importance of books.

Anne Morgan, daughter of JP Morgan, was a dedicated philanthropist who, along with Anne Murray Dike, founded a humanitarian project during WWI. She not only led the fund-raising for the endeavor but she herself went to France to oversee the work. Jessie Carson is a library worker who joins Morgan’s American Committee for Devastated France (Comite Americain pour les Regions Devastees, commonly called CARD). In 1918 Jessie goes to France and works with other women to try and bring some semblance of normality to the French countryside that has been devastated by the war. Jessie focuses her attention on the need for a children’s library as bombs and war rage on a mere 40 miles away.

This is based upon the real Jessie Carson, also known as Kit, and the real work of Anne Morgan’s committee. Little has been known of Kit’s efforts working as a CARD and in a separate timeline set in 1987, Wendy Peterson, a New York Public librarian, attempts to uncover the woman who had been lost to history.

While Anne Morgan may not be the central character, she is crucial to the story and her work is of paramount importance. Kit is the key character and she is likeable and certainly dedicated to her life as a CARD. She is brave and committed to providing reading material to children in the wartorn countryside. There is danger in the work and she finds she must deal with families torn apart, just as the landscape has been torn asunder.

There is so much rich detail of a ravaged France and the actual work of women to restore the country. Food, clothing, blankets, seed and other essentials were provided by the CARDS. It was Kit’s critical work in bringing books to the children that complimented the other practical items needed by the adults. Books would bring a semblance of normalcy to the devastated countryside.

Photographs and details of the read CARDS and of Anne Morgan and Anne Dike are included in the author’s notes. Such supplemental material is always a welcome addition to any fictional account based upon real people and events. They add authenticity and enhance the reading experience. Reminiscent of Band of Sisters by Willig and Good Night Irene by Urrea, Charles has written a fascinating story about women putting themselves in harm’s way during wartime. Their humanitarian efforts are finally being recognized and readers are learning of their important contributions.

I am devastated with this review. I loved so much this author last novel and I was looking forward to this one. Where to begin? It felt like I kept reading and reading and the plot wasn’t moving forward much. I will give credit for all the historic parts and scenarios painted. But I think this was exactly where this didn’t work for me. It read like a history book more than anything tome. I guess what I am trying to politely say is that I was bored completely and found myself struggling to keep going.

While Jessie 'Kit' Carson unleashed her brigade battle with books, author Janet Skeslien Charles penned her fight with words. Readers who check out #MissMorgansBookBrigade will delight in the brave 'Cards' (library volunteers) who risked their lives to spread hope and literature through a worn-torn Blérancourt, France.

The dual-linear timeline affords first-hand accounts from the battlefield and NYPL librarian, Wendy Peterson chronicled the Cards' challenging circumstances while championing children.. Before reading the story, I wasn't aware of the Cards and dedication to improving children's lives, The brigade banded together to make the world a better place.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early edition of #MissMorgansBookBrigade in exchange for an honest review. I'm a fan of the author's and historical fiction. When I started reading the novel, I wasn't in the right mindset. That clouded my judgement and I needed to pick up the book a second time. I'm gad I waited as I enjoyed the read and recommend the joining the book brigade.

This was a beautiful and heartbreaking story of love, loss, courage, resiliency and friendships. Based on a true story, it follows Jessie Carson, an American librarian, as she brings books to a devastated town in France during WWI. It is told in dual points of view switching between 1917/1918 and 1987.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Miss Morgan's Book Brigade follows the story of Jessie Carson as she joins the effort to aid France in the Great War. Wendy Peterson is looking to write her first novel when she comes across the story of the CARD's and Jessie in the 1980's. Can she bring these miraculous women to life and do them justice.

This book was a phenomenal example of how good historical fiction can be. I was invested in both women's stories completely and really empathized with boths plights. Jessie felt alive and like an everyday woman wanting to make a difference by escaping things outside of her control. Wendy was a quiet loner who loved books more than people but made an effort to change that. This book reminds you that finding the weird obscure fact about history can change your life in a way you didn't even know was possible. I loved every second of reading it and cried several times out of sorrow, joy, and so much more. Amazing!

One of my favorite books of 2021 was Skeslien Charles’ novel, THE PARIS LIBRARY. So, I was thrilled to hear she had a new novel also about books and war. This time the setting is France during WWI with ties to real historical people and events.

Miss Morgan refers to Anne Morgan, the daughter of well-known financier, J.P. Morgan. Even though she was part of one of the wealthiest families in the world, she still was a staunch supporter of women’s rights and was the founder of the American Committee for Devastated France, an international group that helped rebuild French communities that were along the front lines of the war.

The Book Brigade refers to Anne’s hiring of Jessie “Kit” Carson, a children’s librarian from the New York City Public Library to come to France and establish libraries. This may have been her original purpose, but she also served in many other roles during her service in France. After ambulances were no longer needed, she turned them into bookmobiles, traveling into Red Zones to bring books to families returning to their homes or what was left of their homes.

Even though this is a work of fiction, this book is based on these two real people and others. An extensive author’s note at the end of the book explains these real people and their tireless work to bring books, food, and healing to those in France during WWI.

This dual-timeline story begins in January 1918 in Northern France with Jessie Carson just arriving in France after being summoned by Anne Morgan to bring books to children in areas devastated by war in France. Jessie is very green when it comes to living in a war zone but is determined to get to know the families and children by sharing a love of books. She is soon conducting story hours and traveling in dangerous areas to deliver books and other crucial items to families who refuse to leave their homes.

“But Marcelle reminded me that books were a lifeline. In the devastated zone, I vowed to make sure every child had the much-needed pleasure, spark of imagination, and escape that books brought. I would lead story hour and create a library. The only question was how.“

In alternating chapters, we meet Wendy, an employee of the NYPL in 1987, who works in Remembrance, photographing, scanning, and cataloging documents for future generations to easily access and read. While working she comes across a story about the women of Anne Morgan’s CARD organization and is interested in learning more. Wendy is currently attending college to be a writer and wonders if this is the story she should be writing. As Wendy learns more about Anne Morgan and Jessie Carson, readers are taken back to WWI to learn more about their story.

I appreciated learning about this little-known group of women who worked tirelessly to keep families along the dangerous war front fed, educated, cared for, and loved. As the fighting became closer, they also worked in make-shift hospitals helping the wounded soldiers, offering a comforting hand or a listening ear, or working alongside the nurses and doctors to save the wounded.

Many may think that setting up libraries while a war was raging nearby may seem frivolous. But books and reading can be a balm to those who have suffered a loss, for those who are in pain, or for those who need to feel transported to someplace new. Reading books is an important part of learning for children of all ages. A library is an important place in any community whether it is a small town, a neighborhood, a city, or a war front. The author Janet Skeslien Charles stated this:

“Libraries are the foundation of democracy. They are among the few places where people may enter for free and enjoy culture, whether through books, author readings, games, classes, computers, films, or music. I urge you to support your local library and librarians by raising your voice about the importance of reading and accessibility to books and culture.”

I couldn’t agree more. As a lover of historical fiction and a staunch supporter of books and libraries, I highly recommend this story of a little-known group of women who fought the war in a much different but important way.

One of the reasons I love to read historical fiction is because it explores nuances of history that have been untouched.
I had no knowledge about the CARDS or the work they did.
I enjoyed reading about the challenges and growth of both the spirited American and French women during WWI.
I also loved that the novel revolves around the love of books and reading and the happiness both bring, no matter what’s going on in the world.
That’s the true message of the book.

Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles is an example of beautifully told historical fiction set in two timelines, WWI (1918) and 1987. The story is of courage, grit, friendship, and love told through the POVs of Jessie in 1918, an American librarian that is stationed just 40 miles from the front line of the war and Wendy in 1987, a librarian at the New York Public Library. I read a lot of historical fiction and always like finding out about new things, in this book I learned about the CARDS, the American Committee for Devastated France created by Anne Morgan (daughter of JP Morgan) and Dr. Ann Murray Dike. CARD was a volunteer relief organization that helped France recover from the destruction of the war.

A lovely story taking place in The Great War and sixty years later in NYPL., I especially enjoyed the writing of the war.
I very much appreciate the Books on Books. Thanks very much @NetGalley@AtriaBooks@ MissMorgansBookBrigade

While I don't usually choose historical fiction books, I love books about librarians. It is told in dual timelines: 1918, where we follow Jessie "Kit" Carson as she fights to establish children's libraries during wartime, and 1987 when Wendy Peterson discovers Jessie and tries to learn what happened to her. I really loved the 1918 timeline, but didn't connect so much with the 1987 one. Maybe it was that I listened to this on audio, and maybe it was the timing of the book in my life. This is one that I feel historical fiction lovers would really enjoy.

I'm definitely in my historical fiction era and enjoying a lot of historical books recently. It had been a bit since I read a WWI book. Since I enjoyed The Paris Library, I went in expecting to love this one just as much. And I absolutely did.

I’d really give this 3.5 stars. It would have gotten higher but (and I seem to be in the minority) I really don’t think that historical fiction books need sex scenes. It’s not as explicit as some but really not necessary and does nothing to advance the story line. Romance is fine… wine and dine and be sappy over each other but we don’t need more than that for the story. Avoid this book if you are sensitive to the subject of rape or near rape. There is mention of an interrupted rape in the book.

This is a great fictional story about the CARDs and the work they did in war torn France in WWI. Going to another country to create libraries and book mobiles out of nothing to bring some joy, distraction, and entertainment to people who have lost everything and are living in literal ruins while being so close to battle… it is a very brave and noble thing that was done and should be celebrated in both fiction and non-fiction. As such, I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves books, libraries, and the joy of reading… but who also wants to learn about some historical badass women.

Well-loved and highly respected as an author by yours truly, I will of course read anything that Janet Skeslien Charles writes, even if it's a grocery list. Her new stand-alone novel is wildly more addictive and interesting and proves beyond a shadow of a doubt just how amazing and versatile of an author she is. I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough and really enjoyed the main character, a plucky American heroine who believes that in the power of books. Highly recommended and can't wait to own this one in print! Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher. It was such a treat!

Thank you net galley for allowing em thread this book! Overall I found this story very engaging and a light and easy read for a WWI book. I enjoyed the WWI timeline with Kit more compared to the timeline with Wendy. I have read many historical novels taking place in WWI and WWII and don't have many takeaways from this book other than that I found the aspect of following characters living in a war relief area to be an aspect I haven't focused on often. I had a hard time truly connecting to any of the characters, which is why this isn't the most glowing review ever, but I would rate it as an easy 3 star and I feel like it has a very wide audience.