Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library!

Jo-Beth and Mary Rose Mysteries #1

by Eth Clifford

Two girls spend an adventure-filled night trapped inside the public library.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Mystery, Juvenile, Adventure, Chapter Books

96 pages, Paperback

First published October 24, 1979

About the author

Eth Clifford was born in New York City in 1915. She and her husband, David Rosenberg, started David-Stewart Publishing Company. Her first book for children was published in 1959 and since that time she wrote numerous books for children and young adults. She was also known as Eth (or Ethel) Clifford Rosenberg, and as published under the name Ruth Bonn Penn, and with her husband under David Clifford. Eth Clifford died in 2003

Reviews

[Federico DN · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know! How can you possibly be a prisoner in a library???

This is what happens when you are goofing around looking for auto-results in Google for "Help I..."; curious about what else is there besides "Help I accidentally build a shelf". You find a ridiculously titled book, and of course, you put everything else on hold, because you must, accidentally, read it.

In a cold winter day, during a blizzard, Mary Rose and Jo-Beth enter a small public library looking for a restroom. But surprise surprise! When the deed is done, the hour is late and they are trapped inside the library. Forever! Just kidding, just for the night. A very scary night, with scary noises... and scary things all around.

An innocent 100p children's book. Not bad, considering zero to negative expectations for such a book. Surprisingly, it was worth the time. It has some nice pictures too. Mary Rose and Jo-Beth didn't read a single book. Might as well have been 'Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Meat Packing Factory!'

** Thank you Internet Archive for allowing me to borrow a copy **

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PERSONAL NOTE : [1979] [96p] [Children's Book] [Not Recommendable] [Too simple] [Prison Library] [They don't read a single book]
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Lo sé! Como puede ser siquiera posible ser un prisionero en una librería???

Esto es lo que pasa cuando andás boludeando buscando otros resultados de "Ayuda accidentalmente...", curioso por saber que más hay además de "Ayuda accidentalmente contruí una estantería". Encontrás un libro con un título ridículo, y por supuesto, ponés todo lo demás en espera, porque tenés que, accidentalmente, leerlo.

En una fría noche de invierno, durante una tormenta de nieve, Mary Rose y Jo-Beth entran en una pequeña librería pública buscando un área de aseo. Pero sorpresa sorpresa! Cuando el hecho está terminado, la hora es tarde y quedan atrapadas dentro de la librería. Para siempre! Es broma, sólo por la noche. Una noche muy tenebrosa, con tenebrosos ruidos... y tenebrosas cosas todo alrededor.

Una inocente historia para niños de 100p. Nada mal considerando mis nulas o negativas expectativas para un libro así. Sorpresivamente, valió su tiempo. Tiene algunos lindos dibujos también. Mary Rose y Jo-Beth no leen ni siquiera un libro. Podría tranquilamente haber sido 'Ayuda! Soy prisionero en una planta procesadora de carne.'

** Gracias Internet Archive por la copia prestada **

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NOTA PERSONAL : [1979] [96p] [Libro para Niños] [No Recomendable] [Demasiado simple] [Prisión Librería] [No leen ni un sólo libro]
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[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

With Eth Clifford's 1979 chapter book Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library (which I found and read on Open Library), there is a huge snowstorm starting just as sisters Mary Rose and Jo-Beth (who are ten and eight years of age respectively, but that in my humble opinion, especially Jo-Beth is hugely aggravating as a character, is irritating and also with a bit of a narcissistic tendency since she is textually presented by Clifford in Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library as rather frustratingly self centred and always needing to be right and having the last word) are being driven by their father to their aunt Madge's house because their mother is at the hospital (a new brother or sister is about to be born).

But when the father (who is known as Last Minute Harry in his family because he always leaves things until the last minute and who for me as an adult reader definitely displays ADHD symptoms with regard to his constant procrastination and impulsivity) refuses to stop for gasoline (and this even though his young daughters keep pointing out that the gauge is indicating "empty") and then of course runs out of petrol on the road, he (Harry) instructs his daughters to wait in the car with the doors locked while he takes a petrol can and looks for a gas station. And yes, this sure feels kind of like potentially problematic and dangerous advice for two young girls in a snow storm, and the father suggesting that Jo-Beth and Mary Rose just use a blanket to keep warm in the disabled vehicle whilst he leaves them totally alone is rather cringe-worthy as well although I do not think that the author, that Eth Clifford is actually intending this, that the father in Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library is not meant to be depicted as acting negatively and irresponsibly regarding leaving Jo-Beth and Mary Rose alone in the family vehicle while he goes to find a petrol station, albeit to and for me this does feel and sound rather irresponsible and as such should also be receiving some authorial criticism (but no, this unfortunately does not really ever happen in Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library and is at best just very briefly and insufficiently alluded to and simply accepted by Clifford).

So yes, at first, our two main protagonists for Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library, they are shown by Eth Clifford's text as obeying their father and staying put in the car (and in an increasingly violent blizzard). But when Jo-Beth realises that she has to use the bathroom, she and Mary Rose leave the vehicle, venture out into the snow to head for the local public library (which is actually a converted mansion) in order to find a restroom. And albeit they do not mean to, the two sisters wind up staying past closing time and when they try to leave, they find themselves locked in the library with the (slightly injured) librarian, with the snowfall getting worse and worse (in other words being dangerous) and the rest of the night of Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library textually filled by Clifford with spooky noises, strange looking shadows, a stranded kitten and Jo-Beth and Mary also and finally teaming up with the librarian to try to get an SOS message out that they are stranded at the library, since the phones are out because of the blizzard and their father thinks his daughters might have been the victims of foul play (as is being related via the radio and freaks out both the two girls and the librarian). But indeed, the phones being out means not being able to use any kind of phones, period, as Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library with its 1979 publication date of course also means no cell phones, laptops, iPads etc.

Not a horrible story is Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library (and a tale that I would have mildly enjoyed when I was nine or ten years of age, although even as a child, I would have wanted more narrative meat so to speak in particular regarding the blizzard, and as already mentioned above, the father's irresponsible behaviour and Jo-Beth's irritating personality would have kind of bothered and frustrated even childhood me). But indeed, for me as an adult reader, Eth Clifford's penmanship for Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library is stilted, all of the presented characters are undeveloped and not all that interesting and that my average rating from both my adult reading self and my inner child thus can and will only be two stars, a pretty high two stars to be sure, but I just do not really think that Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library is worth a three star rating. And since Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library is the first instalment in a series, my two star rating also means that I am definitely not interested in trying any of the sequels either.

Finally, I also should point out that the public library in Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library is also (at least in my humble opinion) just some random building, for if Eth Clifford's story were actually in any way specifically about where Jo-Beth and Mary Rose are stranded during the blizzard, there should really be textual information regarding library books being provided by Clifford and maybe the two girls and the librarian also using library's books to find a way to get rescued (instead of those fun but also silly fireworks).

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember loving this book when I was a kid, and I fantasized about spending the night in a library.

Jo-Beth and Mary Rose are sisters who get stranded in a library during a blizzard. The library displays and mannequins depicting literary characters are creepy in the dark, and there are weird noises coming from upstairs. The sisters find an injured librarian, and have to use all their common sense to help her and get themselves rescued from the blizzard.

The simple writing style makes this a perfect book for young children who are reading chapter books. While the sisters are mildly frightened at every mysterious sound in the old library, the reader never really feels scared. It's just suspenseful and interesting enough to keep you guessing, but will not give a kid nightmares.

I really love that each of the characters have their own prickly and funny personalities. Their dialogue is hilarious!

[⚘ Itz Lia the Bibliophile ⚘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I like the idea of being stuck in a library with nothing to do but read I don't think this book is exactly what I had in mind. But it was a super fast read! That is a bonus i guess.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

A relentless blizzard, a spooky old mansion, a pair of lost kids...everything is here for an exciting mystery story. With the third Onetree child due to be born any day, Mr. Onetree is driving his other kids—Mary Rose (age ten) and Jo-Beth (seven)—to go stay with their Aunt Madge, when his car runs out of gas. After admonishing the sisters to remain in the locked vehicle, Mr. Onetree trudges off to a gas station through the snowfall, but the plan goes sideways when Jo-Beth needs to use a bathroom right away. The girls wander to the nearest building, with a sign out front designating it The Finton Memorial Library for Children. They quietly enter, but don't see anyone in the spacious manor. Are they alone?

We know something Mary Rose and Jo-Beth don't: they aren't alone. Miss Vilmor Finton, caretaker of the library, is making her rounds preparing to close the building for the day. People weren't stopping in on account of the blizzard, anyway. Miss Finton locks up and heads to bed on the second floor without running into the Onetree girls, but they know something is up when the lights go out. The library seems spookier now, so Mary Rose and Jo-Beth hide in an exhibit, terrified of what could be hiding in the dark. They and Miss Finton still have no idea of each other's presence in the building.

Jo-Beth feels positive the place is haunted, and a banging followed by an ominous moan upstairs seem to prove her right. Her older sister tries to keep calm against the notion that ghosts or witches are in the library, but being rational is harder in a dark mansion than in daylight. There's a story behind The Finton Memorial Library for Children, but not the ghastly one Jo-Beth's runaway imagination conjures. When the electricity goes out, the girls have no way to contact anyone to let them know they're stranded here, but that gives them time to learn about the woman who operates the library. They might even find a way to preserve the old mansion from becoming obsolete...which, as we read in later books featuring the Onetree siblings, is the kind of adventure they enjoy.

I appreciate Eth Clifford's storytelling. Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library isn't as cute as Never Hit a Ghost with a Baseball Bat, though there are nice moments. Jo-Beth gets carried away with her fears and fantasies, but she's creative and affectionate, the type to make even a dour librarian smile. We see this in Miss Finton's reaction when Jo-Beth finally warms up to her. "I can't think of a nicer way to start the day than to be told that you're nice and someone loves you. Thank you, Jo-Beth." Who but a seven-year-old would be so forward with her feelings, especially to someone who hasn't been expressive in return? That's part of the charm of this series. I might give Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library the full two stars, and I recommend it for readers wanting a simple, wholesome story. Eth Clifford is good for that.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great litany of happenings! I loved it! You can tell it's from the '70s because the impetus for the action is that J0-Beth has to PEE! An author from a previous decade would have found a reason of more propriety to get the girls into the library, but in 1979, kids go to the bathroom. The structure of this book is incredible. It is all events. Dad is always late, mom is having a baby, there is a blizzard, the library, the bathroom, the kid hack, the door slamming, the moans upstairs, the bird, the ice pack, the basement, the window, the gypsy. Things just keep happening! It's great. It's suspenseful. It's a little spooky. The girls were excellent and the poor father... The librarian was a bit of a weird curmudgeon but it puts in perspective that people who are a wee bit older than me interacted with people who were more or less grown up before World War I started. The whole book has an interestingly primitive feel. The 911 system hasn't even been implemented yet. A delightful, quick read from that aggressively realistic era in kids' literature when authors needed to talk about peeing.

[Torie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main characters are Maryrose and Jo-beth. Maryrose is older then Joe-beth and they are sisters.The plot of this story is for Maryrose and Joe-beth to find a way out of the library. When Maryrose, Joe-beth, and their father ran out of gas in the middle of a blizzard, their father has to go get help. He tells them to stay in the car but Joe-beth says she has to go to the bathroom really bad so, Maryrose brings her to the closest place the public library. Once they get into the library the lights turn off and the doors lock! When they thought everything couldn't get strange enough, they hear noises coming from upstairs! Will they find their way out?


I liked this book alot! It was a really good book to read. I liked how in every chapter something exciting happened. I also liked how, the girls took an adventure in this book. I didn't like how short the book was I wish it was a longer book. The thing that made this book special was, now they have a great story to tell. I think if people like exciting books they should definatly read this book.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just read this with my son. He thought it was funny. I on the other hand wasn't to thrilled by the plot. The title Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library, had such promise to be more exciting. Yet, this is a children's book, and I had fun reading it to him.

[Sara MG · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an adorable story! I laughed through the whole book.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our girls liked this story about a couple of sisters who are locked inside a library after closing. It's a little bit scary, but not overly so.

It's a suspenseful tale and it shows the two sisters cooperating and helping one another in their difficult predicament (although of course, there are a few moments of sisterly bickering too.)

It's a fairly fast read, with enough excitement to keep them wanting more. I like that it's set in a library, one of our favorite places to visit.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember that in third grade our school librarian read this whole book out loud to us. I loved it then and I love it now! Only now, I am the one reading it out loud to kids.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

probably the fantasy of every goodreads user. fun ya. good read aloud for third or forth grade,

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and quick - not too out of date for how the cover looks :)

[Kitty Tomlinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mary Rose, a 10 year old and her little sister JoBeth become stranded in a public library during a blizzard after their father runs out of gas while on the way to take the 2 girls to an aunt in Indianapolis while their mother delivers their new sibling. Fun read. Cute children's book.

[The Book Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Ginnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda slow even though it was supposed to be edge of your seat story.

[Erin O'Riordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very cute.

[Sharon Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read

[TheLibraryOfSarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this during a stormy power outage which really added to the suspense

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book I remembered reading as child. Just re-read with my daughter. She loved it.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite stories as a kid and I enjoyed reading it for the first time with my son.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.

My most vivid memory of this book actually has nothing to do with the story itself. Rather, what I remember is that my first grade teacher was reading the book to us in school, and she got upset with me when I located a copy at the public library and finished reading it on my own. I guess that was my first understanding of what a spoiler is! In any case, the last time I read this book, it was 1989 and I was six. I remembered very little, and honestly, very little came back to me as I read. That said, though, I enjoyed visiting this quirky little story about two girls who spend the night, quite accidentally, in the public library.

There is a snowstorm starting, and Jo-Beth and Mary Rose are on their way to their aunt's house, so their father can join their mother at the hospital where a new brother or sister will be born. When their dad, known as Last Minute Harry, refuses to stop for gasoline, and then runs out of gas on the road, he instructs the girls to wait in the car with the doors locked while he looks for a gas station. They obey at first, but when Jo-Beth realizes she urgently has to use the bathroom, they wander out into the snow and head for the public library. Though they don't mean to, they wind up staying past closing time, and when they try to leave, they find themselves locked in! The rest of their night is filled with spooky noises, strange shadows, and lots of unexpected turns of events.

This book is a great first introduction to suspense. Almost every chapter ends with some sort of cliffhanger, which is then resolved in the following chapter. The explanations for many of the scary things the girls encounter are disappointing, and maybe even cheesy from an adult perspective, but for early chapter book readers, they are exciting without being terrifying, which is something I would have appreciated (and presumably did appreciate, given my need to finish the book ahead of the class) as a kid.

This book also teaches the important lesson that not everything that's old is useless. The librarian in the book worries that all of her memorabilia related to children's books will be lost when the library closes, but the girls convince her to make old things new again by opening a museum devoted to children's literature.

The story didn't feel completely dated, especially since there weren't many mentions of library practices themselves. I think the biggest thing I noticed was just the lack of technology. The girls weren't able to contact their father during the snowstorm because the phones were down. These days, though cell phones might go down in a severe storm, there would have been that extra option. The internet, too, is absent, but that didn't bother me much at all. The story still felt contemporary, and the girls' reactions to things rang very true for me.

This was a nice walk down memory lane, even if I didn't have many memories to go on. I love the cover of this book (the original, on the far left at the top of this post), and I've always sort of thought of it as more cozy than creepy. The sibling dynamics in the story also amused me - I have a younger sister, and the squabbles these girls got into were similar to ones I had with my own sister growing up. I wonder if that was another appealing aspect of it for me back when I was six.

This book is still very much in print, and my library received a new copy just this year before we opened our new branch. If you haven't read it, give it a shot. It's short, strange, and, for adults, maybe somewhat predictable, but worth reading, especially if you're a fan of kids' books.

[R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this on a cold, snowbound night. Which, in keeping with the ambience and atmosphere of the story, is perfect. Some very interesting set pieces, to be sure. I will admit I expected a more sinister and sly and satisfying exploration of a library after hours, after lights-out, after the click of the lock on the door - something more along the lines of The Strange Library (Murakami).

I purchased this book in a Bag for a Buck deal at the semi-annual library book sale - based upon the strength of the title alone...figuring it was one of those now-forgotten and long out-of-print books of somebody's youth - was surprised to see it has some real legs here on Goodreads. Good for it, y'know?

I look at the legend Scholastic Book Services and think about how, long ago, somebody in some gradeschool class checked the box, clipped the coupon, and asked their parents for the money to order this book and waited with bated breath its arrival. I can almost...almost pretend that it was me.

One thing for readers who may want to read this to their children, or teachers who want to share it with their class: It was a bit dark at the end, this novel, the way the police dragged the librarian away in chains, despite her protests that she and the children had spent the night safely. In effect, leaving a bird and a cat alone in a big, cold, scary house. So it goes.

[D.M. Dutcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Small little chapter book about two girls stuck in a library during a big snowstorm. Very nice characterization and detail for a book only 95 pages and written for young readers. The big problem though is the book is premised on some very bad advice. The two girls leave their car while it's out of gas during a snowstorm to find a bathroom. It turns out all right, but it's not the best way to start.

It's also not the type of story I'd write. I picked it up because of research, and because it has a wonderfully evocative title. A kid in a library, after dark, surrounded by books and able to go in any room he likes, even the hidden ones. He could play with the "due date" stampers, zoom around on the return carts, get into the art cabinets which held paper and markers, and could play. Until he realized how quiet and spooky it was. The library can bring forth a lot of feelings, but this book would have been better set in a museum given the plot and encounters.

Still, it's a fun little chapter book if a little dated.

[Kimberli · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you believe in banshees, ghosts, and fortunetellers you will definitely want to read Help! I’m a Prisoner in the Library by Eth Clifford. One stormy and blizzardy night, ten year old Mary Rose and her seven year old sister Jo-Beth get locked in at the "Finton Memorial Library for Children" and their lives are forever changed. When they finally stumble upon the librarian they think they are in luck, however it’s possible that their troubles have just begun. It’s possible that there is a logical explanation for all of the strange occurrences in the library, but you’ll have to read this book to find out what happens to Mary Rose and Jo-Beth.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another example of the Kids Should Not Be Here genre. (See also: Secrets of the Shopping Mall and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.) I'm a librarian, and I've occasionally worked at the reference desk at night, or found that I was the last person to leave the library at the end of the day, and whenever that happens, I think of this book and step a little livelier.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two sisters seek shelter and a bathroom in a snowstorm and are accidentally locked into a old home turned children's library. The girls find all kinds of thing that seem scary in a dark building. The hear a thud and a groan and shakily climb the stairs to investigate. A slightly scary story for 2-3 grades.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a cute story about two sisters trapped in a small library at night during a blizzard. It may be an older book, but I think it would still have a lot of appeal to kids today. I think it would be especially good for the reluctant reader with it's small chapters. I'm excited to have my summer book discussion group read it.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't read it at night to young kids! However, even though it is "scary" for little kids, we find ourselves laughing and laughing in parts of it! As I read aloud I softened a little bit of the bantering for the first 40% of the book between the two sisters!

[Sai · Rating 3 out of 5]

i was okay..the story was sort of pathetic. 2 girls get locked in the library which they think is haunted in stormy and snowy night. no elctricity, no phones, no light, scary noises, freaky dolls, dead woman,.....