Cover Image: The Spybrarian

The Spybrarian

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Member Reviews

I have already ordered copies of this for our libraries. It's just a lot of fun with great characters, including Ninja Librarians and killer hamsters out to save the worlds libraries from an evil organisation. Obviously I am biased but the sentiment 'without librarians the world is doomed' is a particularly great one. It looks like there will be a sequel which I'm sure will be as much fun to read as this one was.

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I really enjoyed reading the spybrarian. It is a very light-hearted and fun read. There were lots of laughs and it definitely lifted our spirits during this time. It helps to dismiss the idea that ‘books are boring’ and may even persuade some children to take a trip to the library! I really enjoyed friendship between Kian, Asif and Prissy.

I can’t wait to share this with my class when we return from lockdown. 10/10 from me!

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The Spybrarian is a fun, fast paced adventure that celebrates the awesomeness of libraries and librarians. The main characters are a boy called Kian and his friends Prissy and Asif they come up against a criminal organisation called FART that is trying to destroy libraries but are helped by the librarians of the secret organisation SLS - James Bond eat your heart out. I really liked the library fact file at the end 😍📖😍

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What a fun read this book was! Kian Reader, the main character, inadvertently finds himself embroiled in a dastardly plot to stop people reading after a trip to his local library goes wrong. Kian finds that he has been 'gifted' with the worst superpower of all - reading quickly and being able to memorise the contents of anything he reads! With the help of his school friends, Kian must find a way to stop a secret organisation called F.A.R.T from stopping 'people from reading and learning'.

The characters' names are puns and the irony will not be lost on young readers: Kian is not a keen reader, the local librarian (spybrarian) is aptly named Paige Turner who calls for help when her plan has 'all gone dog-eared', the library assistant is called Carrel Filler...

The book is fairly predictable with lots of stereotype and caricature but it has a lot of energy and moves along very quickly. Children will love the play on words, numerous references to FART(s) and silly names. This is the perfect book for readers looking to gain confidence and develop their reading stamina.

Sure to be a hit when it is published!

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this is an absolute joy for those who like their humour riddled with lots of puns. It is full of nasty baddies, hero authors and librarians and a band of intrepid children who want to save books and reading.,

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Despite his name, Kian Reader thinks books are really rubbish. That is, until he finds himself in the middle of a terrifying encounter with a famous author, a librarian and a serum that gives him reading superpowers. Suddenly, he finds himself reading anything and everything. The Spybrarian is a laugh-out-loud mystery adventure that children will love. Kian must with the Secret Library Service (SLS) to stop The Fellowship Against Reading Texts (FART) before reading is destroyed for everyone! Can Kian and the librarian secret agents save the day?

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Couldn’t resist a book about a librarian, of course. And what a great little book it is! Middle grade readers will find this hilarious, I’m sure, as well as educational in parts. I loved the funny references to all things library and bookish, and the facts section at the end was fab. I get the feeling there will be a sequel which I’ll definitely be looking out for.

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Reluctantly drawn into a demonstration against library closures, Kian Reader certainly does not live up to his name – he HATES reading! Moreover, he is alarmed to see his new teacher, the cause of his recent school humiliation, standing behind the Mayor, and embarrassed by his stepdad Anthony’s Gruffalo onesie. Escape is afforded by the rush to the local library to pick up the copy of Improve Your Memory Skills he has to produce at school on Monday. Imagine his shock when a clearly hypnotised children’s author enters the library determined to shoot Paige Turner, the elderly librarian, and she begins to demonstrate formidable martial arts ability! Accidentally caught up in the struggles, the one and only phial Reader Serum spills all over Kian and enables him to instantly read and understand all the non-fiction he looks at.
Full of puns, crazy characters and cartoon style baddies, this is a madcap romp of an adventure as Kian is pursued by the Special Library Service operatives and their enemies, and his two best friends in an attempt to rescue Anthony from the villainous Doctor Badd. Vivid description and plenty of slapstick action evoked comic book style images in my mind as I read what would make a great animation. Written in a style that is accessible to less confident readers and full of the type of verbal and visual humour that will appeal to the target readership, this novel nonetheless celebrates the warmth of friendship and families and the diversity of our modern world. I am sure this will go down very well amongst the boys in year 6!

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As a librarian who spent years working in a Schools Library Service (SLS) with a mobile library, this book is brilliant. It has one of my favourite lines in a book “Without librarians the world is doomed”, but I am a little biased. This is a mad adventure where Kian finds himself the focus of a plot to destroy all libraries worldwide by the evil Dr Badd. Kian is needed to help after being covered with Reader Serum giving him superpowers to read and comprehend any book within seconds and retain that information for 24 hours.
It all started after being forced by Kian’s Mum and boyfriend who was dressed as a Gruffalo to take part in a demo against a local library closure. Getting caught up with the secret library service (SLS) and Paige Turner, the local librarian, Kian joined by his friends jet off in a flying mobile library to SLS HQ and then onto FART – Fellowship Against Reading Texts - the evil secret organisation to stop people reading and learning.
With the help of the Ninja Librarians of Oxford and killer hamsters the party sets off to save libraries and learning.
There are indications that a sequel will follow which will be great for fans of mad adventures with just a hint of fantasy – as it is perfectly possible for all this to happen for real!
The appendices of the book include the SLS secret code, also known as the Dewey Decimal Classification as well as perfectly true facts about libraries.
This book will garner MG fans who love a bonkers read.

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I wish I could be a Spybrarian too, as this book sells the job as something amazing!
When Kian Reader accidentally intercepts a bottle of super reader serum, he becomes something he has never been before....a reader! The serum has allowed him to read and absorb knowledge within seconds. It turns out there is the SLS, the secret librarian service and they fight bad guys trying to get rid of books and reading forever!
This fantastic book will have all librarians taking up their arms to battle against those who avoid reading and hate books.
A highly trained team of librarians will stop at nothing with Kian and his friends to stop the bad guy, rescue his mother’s boyfriend and save the world’s libraries!
At times hilarious and others heart pounding adventure, this will entertain and enthral readers from 7+.

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