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The Ninja Librarian #1
The Ninja Librarian
Skunk Corners is a pretty miserable place when the Ninja Librarian moves in. It's just a dusty, tough town in the dusty, tough hills. Folks there aren't too friendly, and they don't see much need for high-falutin' nonsense like schools--or libraries. But from the moment the unassuming, white-haired gentleman steps off the train and into these tall tales, the changes begin. The Ninja Librarian uses wisdom, patience, book-learning, and a few well-placed kicks and jabs to change the town forever.
152 pages, Paperback
First published February 12, 2012
About the author
Rebecca M. Douglass
25 books180 followersRebecca Douglass grew up in Idaho, Arizona, and Washington states, and now lives near San Francisco. Her passions include backpacking, hiking, books, and running and biking. She works at the library, volunteers in the schools, and is hard at work on her next book.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 12, 2012
A cute mind mint.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. This was a refreshing, fun, breezy read that is very much serialized. There are short, short stories strung together as chapters and they are so vividly written it is as if you’re actually watching it. It was a change of pace from my normal fare and served to entertain while giving me a much needed break. It is a page turner but not in a gasp, OMG, I don’t believe they did that short of way – but in a “I love this break I’m having way”.
When Tom moves to Skunk Corners to become the new librarian, the only person that seems to want him to stick around is Big Al the schoolteacher who Tom insists on calling Alice – her real name. As this cute read goes one, you find that Tom is showing and efficiently teaching the miserable town folk quite a bit without their knowledge.
This is a great read-aloud book for children and a refreshing return to innocent for the older generation. I found myself smiling as I went along. In a word it was fun and I wished it went on a little longer.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. This was a refreshing, fun, breezy read that is very much serialized. There are short, short stories strung together as chapters and they are so vividly written it is as if you’re actually watching it. It was a change of pace from my normal fare and served to entertain while giving me a much needed break. It is a page turner but not in a gasp, OMG, I don’t believe they did that short of way – but in a “I love this break I’m having way”.
When Tom moves to Skunk Corners to become the new librarian, the only person that seems to want him to stick around is Big Al the schoolteacher who Tom insists on calling Alice – her real name. As this cute read goes one, you find that Tom is showing and efficiently teaching the miserable town folk quite a bit without their knowledge.
This is a great read-aloud book for children and a refreshing return to innocent for the older generation. I found myself smiling as I went along. In a word it was fun and I wished it went on a little longer.
August 14, 2016
The Ninja Librarian is a collection of stories told to us by Skunk Corners' unlikely school teacher, Big Al, who watches with fascination as an older gentleman comes to town one day. The stranger means to reopen the town library, which no one in town thinks they have a use for. But a funny thing happens when they try to scare him off: he calmly reaches into his pocket for something that isn't a black handkerchief after all...
Completely absurd in premise but wonderfully realized, these stories follow Al and the ninja librarian (Tom) as problems large and small pop up, and are solved, in Skunk Corners. The writing captures the feeling of tales told around a campfire, and I'd imagine would make for great out-loud reading to children. However there is a depth and flow here that makes The Ninja Librarian equally enjoyable for adults. Big Al is an excellent point of view character and has a "voice" that makes this volume very easy reading and hard to put down.
Check any preconceived notions or predisposition against the off-beat at the door and experience a book that does one of the best things good stories can: make the reader smile a lot.
3/2012
Edit 8/2016: Reread to refresh the memory before reading the sequel I somehow didn't know existed.
Still fantastic.
Completely absurd in premise but wonderfully realized, these stories follow Al and the ninja librarian (Tom) as problems large and small pop up, and are solved, in Skunk Corners. The writing captures the feeling of tales told around a campfire, and I'd imagine would make for great out-loud reading to children. However there is a depth and flow here that makes The Ninja Librarian equally enjoyable for adults. Big Al is an excellent point of view character and has a "voice" that makes this volume very easy reading and hard to put down.
Check any preconceived notions or predisposition against the off-beat at the door and experience a book that does one of the best things good stories can: make the reader smile a lot.
3/2012
Edit 8/2016: Reread to refresh the memory before reading the sequel I somehow didn't know existed.
Still fantastic.
January 25, 2013
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed reading this book. With a title like "Ninja Librarian," I had no idea what to expect (except that the librarian would be a ninja, I guessed-and I was right). This book was funny, charming, and clever. A perfect blend of description and dialogue.
The Ninja Librarian is sort of a series of short stories, but each story builds on the previous one. Over the course of the chapters, the characters develop and grow, both in their respect for the Ninja Librarian and in their own education. The stories, besides having a kick-butt librarian and a schoolteacher that doesn't take much guff either, are really about learning--about developing yourself, about striving to understand new things. Not only the kids, but the teacher and even the Ninja Librarian learn and grow in each successive story.
I won't give anything else away, except the stories take place in a charming but rustic backwater called Skunk Corners, somewhere back in the Old West days. I'll also say that although this is a middle grade book, adults will get a kick out of it. Maybe, do I dare say it? even more than the kids.
Nikki Bennett
Author - FOUR FIENDS
The Ninja Librarian is sort of a series of short stories, but each story builds on the previous one. Over the course of the chapters, the characters develop and grow, both in their respect for the Ninja Librarian and in their own education. The stories, besides having a kick-butt librarian and a schoolteacher that doesn't take much guff either, are really about learning--about developing yourself, about striving to understand new things. Not only the kids, but the teacher and even the Ninja Librarian learn and grow in each successive story.
I won't give anything else away, except the stories take place in a charming but rustic backwater called Skunk Corners, somewhere back in the Old West days. I'll also say that although this is a middle grade book, adults will get a kick out of it. Maybe, do I dare say it? even more than the kids.
Nikki Bennett
Author - FOUR FIENDS
August 17, 2017
This was such a cute and funny book. The Ninja Librarian, Tom, comes to Skunk Corners to be the new librarian. The town at first doesn't really want him and makes bets on how long he will stay since everyone tries to make him feel unwelcome. Tom isn't put off by their brash ways and ends up teaching the town quite a few different thing.
April 6, 2018
I am part of a book club on Goodreads, called Great Middle Grade Reads. The Ninja Librarian is its selection for April 2018. I've a special fondness for fiction with a librarian as the main character, and thus was fully prepared to enjoy this!
This book is an entertaining collection of short stories centering around the title character, a deceptively mild-appearing librarian who arrives in the frontier town of Skunk Corners. The town's rougher element had managed to run off every one of Tom's predecessors, and the odds are against him because the townsfolk are placing bets that he will soon be run-off too. The local school teacher, "Big Al," bets that Tom will stay, and serves as narrator of these adventures.
This book is a good choice for readers who enjoy tall tales, like those from the frontier and Gold-Rush periods. Their short lengths make them suitable for readers who are building up their "reading muscles" as it were. Wholly great fun to read!
This book is an entertaining collection of short stories centering around the title character, a deceptively mild-appearing librarian who arrives in the frontier town of Skunk Corners. The town's rougher element had managed to run off every one of Tom's predecessors, and the odds are against him because the townsfolk are placing bets that he will soon be run-off too. The local school teacher, "Big Al," bets that Tom will stay, and serves as narrator of these adventures.
This book is a good choice for readers who enjoy tall tales, like those from the frontier and Gold-Rush periods. Their short lengths make them suitable for readers who are building up their "reading muscles" as it were. Wholly great fun to read!
January 26, 2015
The Ninja Librarian by Rebecca Douglass is a story told in the perspective of Big Al, the local school teacher of Skunk Corners. They have had a lot of trouble with librarians, many not lasting long because of the conditions within the small town. With the new librarian, Tom, there's bound to be trouble. Not necessarily because of the librarian, but because there's been bets going on about how long he'll last. Join Big Al and The Ninja Librarian to see what happens!
I got it for free from Smashwords, via a free coupon provided in December 2014. Regardless, this is my honest opinion about the book. I quite enjoyed it. The book is essentially a bunch of short stories centering around the two main characters, Big Al and Tom. Overall, it's more about Big Al and her school. Her pupils often have troubles, such as not having enough food, warm cloths, etc. At these points, Big Al turns to Tom for the answers to her questions, many of these answers can often be found in books or Tom's training. I quite like the way they use knowledge in the town since the librarian's arrival. It's quite special that the townspeople now use books to find the answers to their questions and that the kids in Big Al's class will know that for their future.
As for the people, I think Douglass has set up some great and unique characters. I think that the author did not introduce more than necessary and each of them had their proper uses. I did quite like how Wild Harry Colson and Crazy Jake kept on making appearances and doing their best to help the town at certain points.
My only problem is that sometimes the accented speach becomes annoying ("She done run off to hev her bebby.") and it can occassionally take a few moments to figure out what they say. I'm thankful that not all characters speak like that the whole time, but the few times some do, can be distracting.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. It's great for both kids and adults with amusing plots and great characters. Five stars, definitely.
I got it for free from Smashwords, via a free coupon provided in December 2014. Regardless, this is my honest opinion about the book. I quite enjoyed it. The book is essentially a bunch of short stories centering around the two main characters, Big Al and Tom. Overall, it's more about Big Al and her school. Her pupils often have troubles, such as not having enough food, warm cloths, etc. At these points, Big Al turns to Tom for the answers to her questions, many of these answers can often be found in books or Tom's training. I quite like the way they use knowledge in the town since the librarian's arrival. It's quite special that the townspeople now use books to find the answers to their questions and that the kids in Big Al's class will know that for their future.
As for the people, I think Douglass has set up some great and unique characters. I think that the author did not introduce more than necessary and each of them had their proper uses. I did quite like how Wild Harry Colson and Crazy Jake kept on making appearances and doing their best to help the town at certain points.
My only problem is that sometimes the accented speach becomes annoying ("She done run off to hev her bebby.") and it can occassionally take a few moments to figure out what they say. I'm thankful that not all characters speak like that the whole time, but the few times some do, can be distracting.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. It's great for both kids and adults with amusing plots and great characters. Five stars, definitely.
July 4, 2012
Fun little collection of stories about a Ninja Librarian bringing order to a lawless little town in the West.
Skunk Corners is a lawless little backwater where people don't like book-larnin' much. One of their hobbies is to torment the town's librarian in the hopes of driving them off. They are about to get a new one, and the ladies have prepared their laxative-filled casseroles, and the men are cracking their knuckles in anticipation.
They get a dapper, older man named Tom. Tom has a secret. He happens to be a Ninja. He will whip this town into shape with the assistance of the local tough Big Al, who also happens to be the town's school teacher and a woman named Alice, or break heads trying.
The stories are fun little tales that really come alive with the setting. The old west setting feels great, and the tales are varied enough to always be entertaining. The setting is creative too, and its great to see a kids book that isn't just high fantasy or slice of life. If you liked The Great Brain you'll like this too.
The only dislike I had of the book was that Tom being a ninja seemed tacked on to get attention. He reminds me more of Jeeves, if Jeeves could kick the ass of a group of toughs and send a mountain lion flying with a single palm strike. A little more ninja-ness would have been nice, or even maybe a rival.
Still, fun book! I'd like to see more of Tom, and Big Al.
Skunk Corners is a lawless little backwater where people don't like book-larnin' much. One of their hobbies is to torment the town's librarian in the hopes of driving them off. They are about to get a new one, and the ladies have prepared their laxative-filled casseroles, and the men are cracking their knuckles in anticipation.
They get a dapper, older man named Tom. Tom has a secret. He happens to be a Ninja. He will whip this town into shape with the assistance of the local tough Big Al, who also happens to be the town's school teacher and a woman named Alice, or break heads trying.
The stories are fun little tales that really come alive with the setting. The old west setting feels great, and the tales are varied enough to always be entertaining. The setting is creative too, and its great to see a kids book that isn't just high fantasy or slice of life. If you liked The Great Brain you'll like this too.
The only dislike I had of the book was that Tom being a ninja seemed tacked on to get attention. He reminds me more of Jeeves, if Jeeves could kick the ass of a group of toughs and send a mountain lion flying with a single palm strike. A little more ninja-ness would have been nice, or even maybe a rival.
Still, fun book! I'd like to see more of Tom, and Big Al.
June 24, 2016
This book is composed of vignettes concerning the town of Skunk Corners and a librarian who comes to town and does so much more than run the small library. The stories are told by Alice ("Big Al") who is about 18 at the time the Ninja Librarian (or Ninja Tom) enters the lives of the townspeople. Although the reader isn't told where Skunk Corners is supposed to be, I placed it in Colorado, which felt to me to be about right for the kind of weather and the western flavor of the town. My guess was that the events took place about the turn of the 20th Century. Alice seemed to me to be a bit of a Calamity Jane in her mannish qualities, though otherwise they didn't seem to have much is common. Having grown up in a small town in Montana it was fun to read about how a librarian would have had such a good impact on small town America.
June 9, 2018
I liked Al's character quite a bit. She grew on me. I also liked Tom the Ninja Librarian. The whole book reminded me of the old TV show Kung Fu. Not sure if others remember it, but this Kung Fu master lived this sort of nomadic life. He went from town to town saving the day and teaching people how to be better and smarter than they were before. It was a show I really liked. Thanks, Rebecca.
December 18, 2012
The Ninja Librarian is very entertaining and great for all ages! I work at a library, so I knew I would like it, but it seems like a book that anyone can enjoy! I highly recommend this book...and after reading it, I wish my library had a ninja librarian!
April 11, 2013
The book starts off with an unusual premise - an old librarian who is an expert in martial arts! The interest levels and novelty are sustained for the first 50 pages after which monotony sets in.
The story line is a little reminiscent of 'To Sir, with love'. A good, fast read overall.
The story line is a little reminiscent of 'To Sir, with love'. A good, fast read overall.
March 17, 2013
Review follows on April 13th as part of the Ap[ril A to Z Challenge.
September 28, 2013
Loved this. A giggle a minute! Can't wait to read the next one!
February 19, 2012
Rebecca M. Douglass has written a book that is both familiar and unique. When the Ninja Librarian first comes to Skunk Corners he is stepping into a community where the school teacher has to pretend her tea is whiskey and hide her visits to the library in order to fit in with a town of illiterate, library hating, tough rascally characters. The library he takes on has a shortage of books and a spitoon that gets used and deliberately missed, and people betting they can run him out of town. This unique setting has a wonderful twist on the familiar and much loved Mary Poppins/Nanny McPhee story of the firm, unwanted adult coming in and providing stability and saving the day with an iron control and a heart of gold and a bit of magical ability.
This is presented as a book for kids, but there is a depth and sense of humor to this book that adults will find irresistible and I highly recommend that anyone who loves to laugh and loves to read, read this book.
This is presented as a book for kids, but there is a depth and sense of humor to this book that adults will find irresistible and I highly recommend that anyone who loves to laugh and loves to read, read this book.
November 15, 2013
I really enjoyed reading the Ninja Librarian - a delightful romp through an imaginary town, set in the early 20th century foothills of the California Sierra foothills. Rather than a novel, this is more a collection of tales about a mysterious "Ninja Librarian" who comes to a dusty western town "Skunk Corners" filled with ne'er do well anti-readers. The tales are told by "Big Al" who develops a friendship with the librarian and who narrates all the funny episodes where the librarian has to stand his ground against the uppity townsfolk. As the tales progress, he slowly wins them over. And they start to read! I'm a romantic, so part of me really wanted the Ninja Librarian and Big Al to fall in love, but since the book doesn't go that route - the tales keep the book appealing to kids (probably starting about 8 or 9) through adults. I bet these stories would be fun to read aloud to kids, too.
May 17, 2014
Rebecca M. Douglass has written a book that is both familiar and unique. When the Ninja Librarian first comes to Skunk Corners he is stepping into a community where the school teacher has to pretend her tea is whiskey and hide her visits to the library in order to fit in with a town of illiterate, library hating, tough rascally characters. The library he takes on has a shortage of books and a spitoon that gets used and deliberately missed, and people betting they can run him out of town. This unique setting has a wonderful twist on the familiar and much loved Mary Poppins/Nanny McPhee story of the firm, unwanted adult coming in and providing stability and saving the day with an iron control and a heart of gold and a bit of magical ability.
This is presented as a book for kids, but there is a depth and sense of humor to this book that adults will find irresistible and I highly recommend that anyone who loves to laugh and loves to read, read this book.
This is presented as a book for kids, but there is a depth and sense of humor to this book that adults will find irresistible and I highly recommend that anyone who loves to laugh and loves to read, read this book.
June 18, 2016
I discovered this book by accident when searching for a different book by the same name. I'm glad I started using a Kindle so I could give this book a try. I was pleasantly surprised by this little gem. The book is separated into individually named chapters, but each is more like a separate story about the Ninja Librarian and the town. I found myself laughing out loud more than once and I'm glad there is a second book about Skunk Corners. My only real gripes about the book was that there wasn't more of a description of some of the characters to determine their age (I had some of the regular characters pictured as adults from the first chapter, but turns out they were only teenagers), and that the Burton family was sometimes referred to as the Bensons. Not sure of the exact year, but I pictured it taking place in what I call, the "old west", and that was a great setting, so different from everything else nowadays.
Want to read
August 30, 2013Thanks to Goodreads, I've read this book, and would love to find more of this series. Each chapter stands alone as a story, but fit together rather nicelyl
August 15, 2015
Very original! A bit more editing needed, though.
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