The Lonely Book

This novel is the story of a magic book store that always knows what the customers want. Every morning, books are on the front counter that will be asked through throughout the day.
Until, one day, a book appears that *doesn't* get picked up by a customer, and Annie, younger of two children of the women who are the owners, wonders who the book is for. She asks her Moms what the book is about, and they tell her that it is about being nonbinary, and Annie is intrigued. She has never heard of that. She has never heard of that concept.

This book is highly accessible, and I suppose that is the most important part of it. The story is told in blank verse, and is a super quick read. The reader gets gently introduced into the concept of nonbinary, and then the novel tries to find who the book belongs to.

It is important to write books that don’t end in doom and gloom when you are trying to reach children who are trying to come out, but don’t have words for it. Because it is really hard to understand yourself if you don’t know if anyone else has ever felt the way you do.

So, I would recommend this book to public libraries, and other places where books are found.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book will come out on the 12th of Sept. 2023.

This is a very loving, sweet book about inclusivity and finding one's identity, set in a wonderful magical bookshop. The narrator is a small child and her point of view sets the tone of open innocence, I loved the portrayal of the moms' relationship with each other and their children. Because I read the Kindle version, I have no sense of the illustrations, which I am sure is a loss. We definitely need more books for children representing diverse identities and families, and The Lonely Book is a welcome addition. I would recommend this to our younger readers.

What a beautiful, magical story.
This middle grade novel in-verse brings the lightness and joy of magic and the most supportive family to a few challenges the characters face.
Annie and Charlies’s mum and mama are so nurturing, kind, supportive, and understanding of their family and children as well as their customers at their bookshop.
Annie is facing anxiety and selective mutism. Her family is there for her always in beautiful scenes where you can truly feel Annie’s panic through the rhythm of the verse and how it dissipates as she breathes and finds comfort in her loved ones.
Charlie is exploring their gender identity and the immediate acceptance from the family and the space and time they are given to explore independently is refreshing.
Gender identity and anxiety are areas with little representation in literature for this target age of 8-11 years old. This book is queer joy. You will laugh and cry and probably wish you could visit their magical bookstore yourself.
Highly recommend.

This is a lovely book about magical bookshops, family, and finding your identity.
Anyone who loves books and bookshops, will find joy in this book.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

A beautiful story told in verse about a child's love of their mother's bookstore and the magic of the books inside. A bit of whimsy and magic and mystery, bring this story full circle to show that there really is a book for everyone.

One of my favorite reads of the year.

This heartwarming book about a magical bookstore reminds its readers just how important it is to love all that makes you you.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

This is a nice little novel-in-verse about a family that runs a semi-magical bookstore. The family dynamics are really sweet; Annie and her sibling and mothers all care about each other a lot, and it's great to see a family with such open and honest communication. I think the discussions of gender identity are perfectly suited for the intended age group (honestly, I know some adults that could benefit from this book, too). It's straightforward but not simplified; never did I feel like the characters or author were talking down to the presumed middle grade audience. I do wish it was maybe a little bit longer, or that Grehan had gotten a little more creative with some of the verse formatting—there are a couple of points where it gets unique, like when Annie is doing breathing exercises to help with her anxiety, but they're few and far between. (This could be a "me" problem; I don't read in this age demographic often, and this story was clearly not written for me or people my age, generally). But I still think it's a delightful book that anyone can find value in, especially for people with nonbinary family members.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! This is a sweet, middle grade novel in verse, featuring a magic bookshop owned by two moms, narrated by their young daughter. The main plot concerns a book that they can’t figure out who it belongs to, and it winds up being for the other sibling in the family, who comes out as nonbinary. Very simple and I don’t tend to love novels in verse, but it has important themes and I loved the representation of sapphic parents, nonbinary people, and selective mutism.

This books was amazing. It needs to be on every shelf, everywhere. It was a beautiful story and so well written!! Highly recommended.

This is about Annie, her mom’s, her sister and their bookstore. The store magically leaves piles of books on the counter for the right reader to find them. Magically, by the end of the day, the books are all gone until suddenly there is one book left. Eventually, the right person does come for the book-Charlotte, Annie’s sister. This is an endearing book is written in verse. It deals with many issues including gender identity, selective mutism, finding ones identity. It is so well written. I’m glad I was picked to read this book!

This novel has a really cute premise, following a little girl who lives above her family's magical bookstore with her sibling and their two moms. I loved how the magic of the store worked and how it was affected throughout the novel.
The representation throughout the novel was refreshing to see, especially through the eyes of a child who is curious and eager to learn more and be accepting. I think the author did a wonderful job portraying anxiety and selective mutism as well as positive ways that a character and their family can cope with going nonverbal that doesn't boil down to "fixing" them.
Overall, this was a cute young reader novel. The verse style of the writing was an adjustment because I don't typically read poetry or anything written in verse, but I think it works for the story.

Thank toy NetGalley and Little Island Books for access to the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Very cute and sweet! Annie’s love and care for her family and their home and the love her family had for each other was so heartwarming.

Having the book from Annie’s perspective instead of Charlie’s made it interesting, watching someone come into their identity from the outside is not how a book like this would usually go.

This book is in verse though, which I’m not a huge fan of, but I think this could be one of my exceptions to the rule, like Starfish.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so gentle--with the reader, with the characters, with the subject matter. Even though there was a deep ache for the "lonely" book to find it's reader, there was also deep comfort in the book. I've read pretty much everything by Meg Grehan and remain a fan.

This book was so sweet! It was a perfect little slice-of-life book with a touch of magical realism and a touching story to boot. It's definitely not just a book for younger people, either. As a queer adult, I found reading this book to be incredibly fulfilling.

Thank you to Little Island Books and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy of this book.