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The Paper Museum
In a world where paper is obsolete and magic is all but forgotten, Lydia has moved into the Paper Museum with her Uncle Lem following the disappearance of her parents. Convinced the key to finding them lies in the museum’s book collection, Lydia spends her days digitally scanning her way through the museum’s library.
But when Uncle Lem is called away and her Uncle Renald is put in charge of the museum, Lydia’s scanning project comes to an abrupt halt. Uncle Renald takes her aer reader—the personal device that everybody uses for reading, shopping, messaging, and more—but not before Lydia makes a desperate attempt at filing a missing persons report for her parents.
The report activates a countdown, and now with nothing but a secret typewriter in her dogwood fort and a cryptic message, Lydia has thirty days to find her parents and stop the mayor from commandeering the museum. Otherwise, both her family home and the Paper Museum itself will be reassigned to someone else. With aer readers on the fritz and the town descending into chaos, Lydia needs to find her parents before the Paper Museum—and her parents—are lost for good.
But when Uncle Lem is called away and her Uncle Renald is put in charge of the museum, Lydia’s scanning project comes to an abrupt halt. Uncle Renald takes her aer reader—the personal device that everybody uses for reading, shopping, messaging, and more—but not before Lydia makes a desperate attempt at filing a missing persons report for her parents.
The report activates a countdown, and now with nothing but a secret typewriter in her dogwood fort and a cryptic message, Lydia has thirty days to find her parents and stop the mayor from commandeering the museum. Otherwise, both her family home and the Paper Museum itself will be reassigned to someone else. With aer readers on the fritz and the town descending into chaos, Lydia needs to find her parents before the Paper Museum—and her parents—are lost for good.
247 pages, Paperback
First published September 20, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
September 8, 2022
In a world where paper is obsolete and magic is all but forgotten, Lydia has moved into the Paper Museum with her Uncle Lem following the disappearance of her parents. Convinced the key to finding them lies in the museum's book collection, Lydia spends her days digitally scanning her way through the museum's library.
But when Uncle Lem is called away and her Uncle Renald is put in charge of the museum, Lydia's scanning project comes to an abrupt halt. Uncle Renald takes her aer reader--the personal device that everybody uses for reading, shopping, messaging, and more--but not before Lydia makes a desperate attempt at filing a missing persons report for her parents.
The report activates a countdown, and now with nothing but a secret typewriter in her dogwood fort and a cryptic message, Lydia has thirty days to find her parents and stop the mayor from commandeering the museum. Otherwise, both her family home and the Paper Museum itself will be reassigned to someone else. With aer readers on the fritz and the town descending into chaos, Lydia needs to find her parents before the Paper Museum--and her parents--are lost for good.
This was an epic adventure that I was truly invested in. I thought it was a quirky, individual idea setting the story in a time when paper has become obsolete and is now seen as a relic, a museum piece… I loved it.
Lydia was a fantastic protagonist and I really liked her tenacity, determination and resilience to find her parents and get answers about their disappearance. With the right amount of magic, suspense and excitement this was a great read and I’d love to read more books by Simpson as I throughly enjoyed her ideas and writing style.
But when Uncle Lem is called away and her Uncle Renald is put in charge of the museum, Lydia's scanning project comes to an abrupt halt. Uncle Renald takes her aer reader--the personal device that everybody uses for reading, shopping, messaging, and more--but not before Lydia makes a desperate attempt at filing a missing persons report for her parents.
The report activates a countdown, and now with nothing but a secret typewriter in her dogwood fort and a cryptic message, Lydia has thirty days to find her parents and stop the mayor from commandeering the museum. Otherwise, both her family home and the Paper Museum itself will be reassigned to someone else. With aer readers on the fritz and the town descending into chaos, Lydia needs to find her parents before the Paper Museum--and her parents--are lost for good.
This was an epic adventure that I was truly invested in. I thought it was a quirky, individual idea setting the story in a time when paper has become obsolete and is now seen as a relic, a museum piece… I loved it.
Lydia was a fantastic protagonist and I really liked her tenacity, determination and resilience to find her parents and get answers about their disappearance. With the right amount of magic, suspense and excitement this was a great read and I’d love to read more books by Simpson as I throughly enjoyed her ideas and writing style.
November 11, 2022
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Great cover on this one!
What an exceptional debut book this was! The writing was top notch. The plot was original. It was well paced. The setting was just so unique. Paper has become obsolete and physical books and remnants of writing/printing are now museum pieces. The characters were likable (mostly 😉) and well developed. I honestly don't have a bad thing to say about this one. I'd love to see it turned into on ongoing series! 👍🏻👍🏻
**ARC Via NetGalley**
What an exceptional debut book this was! The writing was top notch. The plot was original. It was well paced. The setting was just so unique. Paper has become obsolete and physical books and remnants of writing/printing are now museum pieces. The characters were likable (mostly 😉) and well developed. I honestly don't have a bad thing to say about this one. I'd love to see it turned into on ongoing series! 👍🏻👍🏻
**ARC Via NetGalley**
July 25, 2025
For those who love paper and books
When I read a technical paper or a news story, I often find myself wondering, "Why are you telling me this? Where are you going with it?" I felt that way through much of the first half of The Paper Museum. The story is told in the first person by Lydia, whose Uncle Lem is curator of The Paper Museum. Lydia and Lem live in a technological utopia/dystopia from which paper has all but vanished -- only to be found in their museum. Everyone now carries an aer reader (this is essentially an upgraded cell phone) and gets every physical thing they need delivered. (It appears that Amazon's quest for world domination has succeeded in The Paper Museum.)
Lem disappears from the scene almost immediately, to be replaced by Lydia's other uncle, the puzzlingly mean and antagonistic Uncle Renald. Three child interns show up to spend their summer at the Paper Museum: Jane (who is Lydia's friend), Karl, and Florence. There follow several chapters in which the kids and Uncle Renald snipe at each other in a realistic but unentertainingly childish way. This was the part of the book that seemed directionless to me. To be sure, some exposition of the world and characters is necessary, but I wished that the book would have moved on to the real story more swiftly.
The real story, once it gets rolling, is a good one. It begins when Lydia starts snooping around. She makes discoveries, which are interesting, and fun stuff begins to happen. Of course, I can't tell you what any of the discoveries are or what the fun stuff is. You will have to read the book to find out. Once we get past the Era of Pointless Arguments, the story gets better.
To my perception, the heart of The Paper Museum was the library. The Paper Museum has several departments devoted to different paper and paper-related artifacts, but the biggest is the library, a collection of paper books. Kate S. Simpson is a librarian, and her love of books comes through loud and clear. If you, too, love books, you will recognize several of the books that play a role in the story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Union Square Kids for an advance readers' copy of The Paper Museum. This review presents my honest opinions.
Blog review.
When I read a technical paper or a news story, I often find myself wondering, "Why are you telling me this? Where are you going with it?" I felt that way through much of the first half of The Paper Museum. The story is told in the first person by Lydia, whose Uncle Lem is curator of The Paper Museum. Lydia and Lem live in a technological utopia/dystopia from which paper has all but vanished -- only to be found in their museum. Everyone now carries an aer reader (this is essentially an upgraded cell phone) and gets every physical thing they need delivered. (It appears that Amazon's quest for world domination has succeeded in The Paper Museum.)
Lem disappears from the scene almost immediately, to be replaced by Lydia's other uncle, the puzzlingly mean and antagonistic Uncle Renald. Three child interns show up to spend their summer at the Paper Museum: Jane (who is Lydia's friend), Karl, and Florence. There follow several chapters in which the kids and Uncle Renald snipe at each other in a realistic but unentertainingly childish way. This was the part of the book that seemed directionless to me. To be sure, some exposition of the world and characters is necessary, but I wished that the book would have moved on to the real story more swiftly.
The real story, once it gets rolling, is a good one. It begins when Lydia starts snooping around. She makes discoveries, which are interesting, and fun stuff begins to happen. Of course, I can't tell you what any of the discoveries are or what the fun stuff is. You will have to read the book to find out. Once we get past the Era of Pointless Arguments, the story gets better.
To my perception, the heart of The Paper Museum was the library. The Paper Museum has several departments devoted to different paper and paper-related artifacts, but the biggest is the library, a collection of paper books. Kate S. Simpson is a librarian, and her love of books comes through loud and clear. If you, too, love books, you will recognize several of the books that play a role in the story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Union Square Kids for an advance readers' copy of The Paper Museum. This review presents my honest opinions.
Blog review.
June 22, 2022
When will books become extinct? I think we’ve kinda reached this point in some ways with our reliance on technology. But Simpson has built a world where paper is obsolete and the whole world relies on machines for everything, even to make food.
Lydia is the heroine of the story, and she lives in The Paper Museum, where every book and scrap of paper is displayed, with her Uncle Lem after her parent’s disappearance. She’s desperate to find her parents, so she files a missing persons report which gives her thirty days to find her parents or The Paper Museum and her family home will be reassigned to someone else.
Lydia was in a lot of ways an interesting heroine. She’s fascinated with all the books in the museum, and it’s interesting to hear about the books from her perspective. However, I had a hard time getting into her character. I didn’t dislike her, but I wasn’t invested in her. All the other characters were also not very engaging. The plot of the story was similar.
I didn’t dislike anything in particular, but I was not very interested in it. It didn’t hold my attention. I thought it was fascinating to learn about this sci-fi world, but I feel like it wasn’t fleshed out enough. I would have loved to learn more about how exactly things worked, but since it was told from a first person point of view, the author couldn’t explain things too much.
This is a clean story about the importance of friends and family that is perfect for middle schoolers. It’s not too long, and even though it’s dysoptain, it’s not scary at all.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.
Lydia is the heroine of the story, and she lives in The Paper Museum, where every book and scrap of paper is displayed, with her Uncle Lem after her parent’s disappearance. She’s desperate to find her parents, so she files a missing persons report which gives her thirty days to find her parents or The Paper Museum and her family home will be reassigned to someone else.
Lydia was in a lot of ways an interesting heroine. She’s fascinated with all the books in the museum, and it’s interesting to hear about the books from her perspective. However, I had a hard time getting into her character. I didn’t dislike her, but I wasn’t invested in her. All the other characters were also not very engaging. The plot of the story was similar.
I didn’t dislike anything in particular, but I was not very interested in it. It didn’t hold my attention. I thought it was fascinating to learn about this sci-fi world, but I feel like it wasn’t fleshed out enough. I would have loved to learn more about how exactly things worked, but since it was told from a first person point of view, the author couldn’t explain things too much.
This is a clean story about the importance of friends and family that is perfect for middle schoolers. It’s not too long, and even though it’s dysoptain, it’s not scary at all.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.
May 8, 2024
2
I think the story and magic system in this book could have been worked on more. Things occasionally moved way too fast and felt clunky. The motivations of some characters felt weird. Like some didn't make sense or felt like they were revealed maybe too late into the story.
In terms of the magic system, I could work it out for the most part, but I wanted more from it. It was on the fringes for most of the book which made it feel vague and unimportant. Until it is important. And then the book just pivots to focus on it. I think the transition between not knowing about the magic and knowing about it could have been handled better, especially with how intertwined it is with the whole book.
The writing specifically at the beginning occasionally came off as trying too hard and being unnecessarily flowery. Which isn't an issue if it was kept up for the rest of the book and became a style choice, but it didn't.
Overall the concept and general story has the potential to be really compelling, it just needed more polishing. It's still a pretty decent read though, I just couldn't immerse myself into it due to the reasons I listed.
Sidenote: I wrote this review right after reading it and am typing it into Goodreads a few months later and I barely remember what happens in this book. Now that I can't remember what I read I feel bad because this review seems so harsh 😭
I think the story and magic system in this book could have been worked on more. Things occasionally moved way too fast and felt clunky. The motivations of some characters felt weird. Like some didn't make sense or felt like they were revealed maybe too late into the story.
In terms of the magic system, I could work it out for the most part, but I wanted more from it. It was on the fringes for most of the book which made it feel vague and unimportant. Until it is important. And then the book just pivots to focus on it. I think the transition between not knowing about the magic and knowing about it could have been handled better, especially with how intertwined it is with the whole book.
The writing specifically at the beginning occasionally came off as trying too hard and being unnecessarily flowery. Which isn't an issue if it was kept up for the rest of the book and became a style choice, but it didn't.
Overall the concept and general story has the potential to be really compelling, it just needed more polishing. It's still a pretty decent read though, I just couldn't immerse myself into it due to the reasons I listed.
Sidenote: I wrote this review right after reading it and am typing it into Goodreads a few months later and I barely remember what happens in this book. Now that I can't remember what I read I feel bad because this review seems so harsh 😭
November 11, 2022
The most common problem with writing dystopian novels seems to be the lack of world building, and The Paper Museum suffers the same fate. We're thrust into this world where paper is obsolete, and all this extensive technology exists, but magic is "outlawed"? But why? What happened? What year even is it? Where are we? Cities aren't named and are referred to by vague directions. Young children (12/13 years old) are expected to hold 10 internships and choose jobs? It's like Simpson chose elements of the past and elements of a perceived future to create this dystopian world, but none of those choices are expanded upon. Maybe in the last half of the book Simpson proves me wrong and explains everything, but I just couldn't muster up enough interest to see this one through.
I couldn't really connect to any of the characters, I felt no real friendship between Jane & Lydia, the adults all fell flat, and the premise of the story just wasn't that interesting to me. I would imagine most of my students would get bored of this one and abandon it like I ultimately did.
I couldn't really connect to any of the characters, I felt no real friendship between Jane & Lydia, the adults all fell flat, and the premise of the story just wasn't that interesting to me. I would imagine most of my students would get bored of this one and abandon it like I ultimately did.
May 12, 2024
I felt this should have been a good book. I love dystopia and sci-fi. I love the idea of a paperless world and a paper museum. I love paper and writing and the idea of a story centred around how paper had disappeared was intriguing.
I guess this was the problem. I really wanted this to be good and I didn't feel it delivered.
I finished the book and really felt nothing had happened.
The characters were not compelling and I couldn't connect to them or feel moved by them. The uncles were little more than caricatures, the children were bland.
I didn't feel any excitement by the actions in the book.
The worldbuilding had so much potential but I felt that there was not much purpose to it. We were not given much background as to how things came to be and the state of the world didn't deliver any really meaningful messages. Usually these sorts of worlds give us some clue to the kinds of values, the people, the way the future is heading (as the author imagines it) and raise interesting questions about our values and behaviour now. But I didn't feel provoked to that here.
I guess this was the problem. I really wanted this to be good and I didn't feel it delivered.
I finished the book and really felt nothing had happened.
The characters were not compelling and I couldn't connect to them or feel moved by them. The uncles were little more than caricatures, the children were bland.
I didn't feel any excitement by the actions in the book.
The worldbuilding had so much potential but I felt that there was not much purpose to it. We were not given much background as to how things came to be and the state of the world didn't deliver any really meaningful messages. Usually these sorts of worlds give us some clue to the kinds of values, the people, the way the future is heading (as the author imagines it) and raise interesting questions about our values and behaviour now. But I didn't feel provoked to that here.
June 19, 2022
The idea of Lydia living in dystopian world where paper and books relate become precious collectible for Museum is intrigued me. Then the premise about magic is forgotten and people live with a tablet name aer reader for doing daily stuff is peak my curiosity. But pages after pages I am ended with those feeling that I am waiting something big magic reveal and just get very small explanation in the end.
I feel the idea of this book very unique and different, but need extra substances and depth. First the worldbuilding with magic system based on literature and paper is unique and very interesting but we got almost nothing explanation about it. The characters okay but unmemorable. I appreciate the raising pace in half end of this book when the mystery start unravelling. But I think we need to keep it intriguing enough from the start to make younger reader keep going.
Thank you Netgalley and Union Square Kids from Sterling Publishing to providing me with this copy. I am grateful and my thoughts are my own.
I feel the idea of this book very unique and different, but need extra substances and depth. First the worldbuilding with magic system based on literature and paper is unique and very interesting but we got almost nothing explanation about it. The characters okay but unmemorable. I appreciate the raising pace in half end of this book when the mystery start unravelling. But I think we need to keep it intriguing enough from the start to make younger reader keep going.
Thank you Netgalley and Union Square Kids from Sterling Publishing to providing me with this copy. I am grateful and my thoughts are my own.
July 27, 2022
I received an electronic ARC from Union Square Kids through NetGalley.
Readers are taken to a world where paper is obsolete and everyone relies on technology to do it all. Not a new premise, but Simpson introduces us to a young girl, Lydia, who lives at the Paper Museum. She is there with her uncle, the curator, because her parents are missing. Hints of magic slide through the early part of the book but nothing comes together until the final chapters. Everything is resolved in the end but it's a bit too formulaic for me. The characters are interesting but readers don't learn much about them beyond their usefulness to move the plot forward. Middle grade readers will enjoy seeing this world, and reading this should lead to dialogue on valuing different aspects of life.
Readers are taken to a world where paper is obsolete and everyone relies on technology to do it all. Not a new premise, but Simpson introduces us to a young girl, Lydia, who lives at the Paper Museum. She is there with her uncle, the curator, because her parents are missing. Hints of magic slide through the early part of the book but nothing comes together until the final chapters. Everything is resolved in the end but it's a bit too formulaic for me. The characters are interesting but readers don't learn much about them beyond their usefulness to move the plot forward. Middle grade readers will enjoy seeing this world, and reading this should lead to dialogue on valuing different aspects of life.
September 22, 2022
In reading The Paper Museum, it is hard to imagine it being the author's first book. The story has such a colorful introduction and flowing plot development that the reader feels at home with the characters immediately
This book is perfect reading for the pre-teen, as well as parents. The story contains a good balance of mystery, suspense, intrigue and humor, all portrayed simply and clearly. Many chapters end on exciting cliffhangers, which will certainly encourage the young reader to want to continue to the next chapter.
The ending is presented in a timely manner it and neatly complements the entire story in an interesting and clever way. Overall, a very good read and highly recommended, especially for the young reader
This book is perfect reading for the pre-teen, as well as parents. The story contains a good balance of mystery, suspense, intrigue and humor, all portrayed simply and clearly. Many chapters end on exciting cliffhangers, which will certainly encourage the young reader to want to continue to the next chapter.
The ending is presented in a timely manner it and neatly complements the entire story in an interesting and clever way. Overall, a very good read and highly recommended, especially for the young reader
September 15, 2022
Thank you to the author, Union Square Kids and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This middle-grade children's book plunges you right into the dystopian world it's set in - a world where paper is obsolete and technical gadgets are the rule. The complete lack of world-building made getting into the flow of the story difficult. The characters were not fleshed out at all, and their at times strange and unexplained behavior served mainly to move the plot forward, but not in any cogent way. The author's love of books and libraries shines through, and that was what kept me reading, although I didn't love the book as such.
This middle-grade children's book plunges you right into the dystopian world it's set in - a world where paper is obsolete and technical gadgets are the rule. The complete lack of world-building made getting into the flow of the story difficult. The characters were not fleshed out at all, and their at times strange and unexplained behavior served mainly to move the plot forward, but not in any cogent way. The author's love of books and libraries shines through, and that was what kept me reading, although I didn't love the book as such.
September 21, 2022
The Paper Museum is a magical book about Lydia and her family, the curators of the Paper Museum. Set in the future where paper is obsolete, the museum is a place for people to come and see what paper used to be used for: books, advertisements, matchboxes, typewriters, printing presses, etc. Lydia finds out that the museum may not be just about paper when her parents go missing. She stays with her Uncle Lem until he too disappears one day. Stuck with her grumpy Uncle Renald, and 3 interns, Lydia sets out to bring back her parents and her uncle. This was a fun book with a great story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.
July 2, 2023
Why I picked this up: I was browsing the library and the cover of this book caught my eye. I was drawn in by the title and further drawn in by the cover blurb.
Plot: Lydia's parents have gone missing. Can she find them before the museum is lot to her family forever?
Why I kept reading: There was so much mystery that I couldn't put it down. What happened to her parents? Which intern can really be trusted? Will Lydia and Jane ever be friends again? There were themes of friendship and parent/child relationships.
In the end: This is Simpson's debut novel. It was a good book and a fun read. I can't wait to see what she writes next.
Plot: Lydia's parents have gone missing. Can she find them before the museum is lot to her family forever?
Why I kept reading: There was so much mystery that I couldn't put it down. What happened to her parents? Which intern can really be trusted? Will Lydia and Jane ever be friends again? There were themes of friendship and parent/child relationships.
In the end: This is Simpson's debut novel. It was a good book and a fun read. I can't wait to see what she writes next.
May 22, 2022
The Paper Museum by Kate S. Simpson
An ode to readers and books. I couldn’t read this middle grade fast enough and I know my younger self would have felt the same.
In a world where books and paper no longer seem to matter, the paper museum is a place of wonder. At least, it is for Lydia and her family. No one else seems to really care about it. After her parents disappearance, Lydia moves into the museum with her Uncle Lem, the curator. Lydia only wants to find her parents but after her Uncle Lem leaves on a mysterious journey she’ll have a lot more problems to deal with.
This was such a fun and magical read and I loved the ideas contained within. I can’t say much about it without spoilers but this book now holds a special place in my heart.
An ode to readers and books. I couldn’t read this middle grade fast enough and I know my younger self would have felt the same.
In a world where books and paper no longer seem to matter, the paper museum is a place of wonder. At least, it is for Lydia and her family. No one else seems to really care about it. After her parents disappearance, Lydia moves into the museum with her Uncle Lem, the curator. Lydia only wants to find her parents but after her Uncle Lem leaves on a mysterious journey she’ll have a lot more problems to deal with.
This was such a fun and magical read and I loved the ideas contained within. I can’t say much about it without spoilers but this book now holds a special place in my heart.
October 26, 2024
Delightful YA story with messages for adults as well. In a world “after” paper where things made of paper are housed in a museum, what does society look like? This story of a young girl whose parents are missing, offers us a heroine who must solve mysteries while learning about untrustworthy adults and children. I liked this dystopian world and the author’s insertion of typewriters, a printing press and the odd bookmarks that Lydia is looking for and cataloguing.
There are some magical realism themes so be prepared for a little fantasy.
There are some magical realism themes so be prepared for a little fantasy.
April 8, 2026
Lydia used to just visit the Paper Museum her Uncle Lem lived and worked at to care for remaining books and scraps of paper items donated or recovered by her family. But since her parents disappeared, she also lives there with Uncle Lem and helps him in his work. She’s also looking for a certain book she saw her mom reading right before she disappeared. Her hope is it can help her find her parents. When Uncle Lem has to go away for a few days he calls Uncle Renald to watch things. But right after Uncle Lem leaves, things start to go wrong. Lydia submits a missing persons report for her parents, not realizing it starts a countdown to them being officially declared gone and their properties being reclaimed by the government in 30 days (which includes the museum). The interns show up for this quarter, but instead of the 2 they were expecting, 3 kids Lydia’s age show up and one is her former best friend Jane who Lydia wasn’t very nice to when they last saw each other. Uncle Renald is being super strict and not letting them do anything to help with the work of the museum except stand guard, he’s confiscated their aer readers (which they need to work and communicate with the outside), and he even prevents Lydia from looking at the books. Then inspectors from the Mayor’s office show up asking questions about a “foreign object” and it seems the Mayor has designs on the property for his new project. And then things start disappearing from the museum, and word reaches them that aer readers are on the fritz in town and things are going haywire. Can Lydia get to the bottom of what is going on?
This starts off pretty slow, but that really establishes that Lydia’s life feels very routine and ordinary and quiet (other than her parents being missing), before things start to get more exciting and Lydia starts making startling discoveries in the last half of the book. There’s a magical twist to the story I didn’t expect, but that worked well. I thought this was going to be a bit too much like The Legend of the Last Library but while some themes are similar, it feels quite different. This is a dystopia mystery that’s appropriate for the whole range of middle grade readers as there aren’t any deaths, no violence, or other such things that are usually in a dystopia.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: None
Ethnic diversity: I don’t remember any clear descriptions of people or hints of ethnicity.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified.
Other: Missing parents, a person in authority seems to be making strict rules for no reason.
This starts off pretty slow, but that really establishes that Lydia’s life feels very routine and ordinary and quiet (other than her parents being missing), before things start to get more exciting and Lydia starts making startling discoveries in the last half of the book. There’s a magical twist to the story I didn’t expect, but that worked well. I thought this was going to be a bit too much like The Legend of the Last Library but while some themes are similar, it feels quite different. This is a dystopia mystery that’s appropriate for the whole range of middle grade readers as there aren’t any deaths, no violence, or other such things that are usually in a dystopia.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: None
Ethnic diversity: I don’t remember any clear descriptions of people or hints of ethnicity.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified.
Other: Missing parents, a person in authority seems to be making strict rules for no reason.
December 18, 2023
Forbidden magic. A modern world of the future. Paper and books only found in a museum. Missing family members. Sabotage. Not knowing who’s a friend and who’s a foe. A mystery that has to be solved before the countdown clock runs out and everything is gone. This debut book has it all and it’s woven together so incredibly well that you just can’t predict what’s to come as the plot twists and turns.
September 1, 2025
A student recommended this book to me, as it was one of her favorite reads. The premise is interesting, with a world that doesn’t use paper anymore, just their handheld devices. Lydia’s family works at the Paper Museum, and when her parents go missing, she must figure out how to save them and how to save the museum. It is not a super fast paced book, but has some nice elements of friendship and loyalty. No swears, no romance, no violence. 4th grade and up.
July 26, 2025
The debut novel has a decent storyline, but it felt like I had read a similar story before, with only a few changes. While it is a good story with interesting characters, as someone who loves books and appreciates a good typewriter, I enjoyed the museum aspect and would have loved to visit the different rooms.
July 29, 2022
I liked this book a lot but it seemed to end very abruptly and a little to easily with all the issues tied up in a neat little bow in the last 20 pages or so. It also took me awhile to get into the story. I had trouble originally connecting to the characters and the plot. I was intrigued enough to continue to find out what happened and got sucked in about a third of the way through. I just wish the end hadn't felt so rushed.
December 27, 2022
This book has so much potential, but lacks flow. Answers to mysteries throughout the book are suddenly given one after another and all the tension that has built up is suddenly released with some mind wiping that makes the characters feel flat.
March 17, 2024
This book had such a great premise but could have used a bit more fleshing out to help the story flow a bit more. As an adult reading a YA novel perhaps I am expecting a bit more. As a kid maybe this would be a good book but I would have liked a bit more about the chat and the community
August 8, 2024
Set in a futuristic society, this book centers around a museum that contains artifacts from the past. These include books, as paper products are no longer used. Every source of information is technology based as well as replacing mechanical devices.
September 26, 2022
I reviewed this novel for the Hugo-winning blog Nerds of a Feather:
http://www.nerds-feather.com/2022/09/...
http://www.nerds-feather.com/2022/09/...
Did Not Finish
October 12, 2022I wanted to read this, but it was an Earc I couldn't send to my Kindle and I don't like to read on my phone or Ipad as much.
November 12, 2022
E ARC provided by Edelweiss or Netgalley
November 22, 2022
It was an awesome tale 👏
Read
November 30, 2022Interesting premise. Fell short at the end. Just wrapped up too quickly.
April 27, 2023
This was not a book for me. My 9 and 12 year old liked it, okay, but it did not have enough depth for me.
September 13, 2023
What a fun, captivating story! I honestly can’t remember the last time I read a book so quickly! If you love mystery, magic, futuristic timelines, and fantasy, then this one is for you!
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