Sosuke Natsukawa returns with The Cat Who Saved the Library, a charming and thought-provoking sequel to The Cat Who Saved Books. This enchanting story blends adventure, fantasy and a deep love for literature, reminding readers of the importance of books and the freedom to read them.

Thirteen-year-old Nanami has always found solace in books, spending her afternoons in the school library. But when she notices that some of her favourite classics are vanishing from the shelves, no one seems to take her concerns seriously. Then she meets Tiger, the wise and mysterious talking tabby cat who is determined to protect the power of storytelling. Together, they embark on a magical journey to uncover why books are disappearing, facing challenges that test their courage and belief in the written word.

Natsukawa crafts a beautifully imaginative tale that feels both timeless and urgent. As Nanami and Tiger navigate a dystopian world where books are burned and creativity is under threat, the story becomes a powerful reflection on censorship, knowledge and the necessity of preserving ideas. Yet, at its heart, this is a heartwarming and uplifting adventure filled with wonder, wisdom and the enduring magic of stories.

For anyone who cherishes books, The Cat Who Saved the Library is a must-read, a delightful, poignant and inspiring tribute to literature, libraries and the readers who bring them to life.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

The title and concept immediately caught my eye as a lover of both cats and books, I knew I wanted to read this book immediately, even before I realised that I had read the prequel, The Cat Who Saved Books. The Cat Who Saved the Library follows Nanami who notices books disappearing from her library and teams up with Tiger, a talking cat, to save the library and the books within it.

The translation was well written, making the book easy to read with a smooth flow. It also had a heartfelt message behind it about the power of books. Nanami was a character to connect with, this might be because we both share a love for books and our local libraries. As well as understanding how deeply stories can impact individuals. This book highlights the importance of showing how they can affect people, for example they could inspire readers to find courage like their favourite characters or teach valuable lessons, such as knowing when to stand up for themselves and others. I also loved how Nanami was both kind and courageous. Sometimes, strong female characters are written in a way that takes away from them their gentleness, but Nanami balances both. She’s caring and compassionate, yet brave enough to face an unknown and scary antagonist.

You don’t have to read the prequel to read or enjoy this book, but it is a continuation that takes place after an unknown amount of time. Catching up with Rintaro and Sayo from the prequel made it even more enjoyable, and the prequel added depth to the story. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone, after all, who doesn't love talking cats?

Nanami is a young teen who has grown up with books being a big part of her life. One day she notices some of her favourite books are missing from the library and a strange man appearing in the library shelves.
Little did Nanami know she was going to be thrust into another riveting adventure with Tiger, the talking cat, to save the books of the world.
I love the cat who saved series. The idea that books are so precious and have such an impact on lives that they need to be rescued by Tiger (we discover where he comes from in the sequel) is quite original to me. It deals with the current ideas of sensorship with banning books and book burnings.
Again we have three separate journeys, getting harder as Nanami fights to save the books she loves. I felt the last journey came too quickly and was overcome easier than I anticipated and that is the only reason I don't rate this book 5 stars.

In 'The Cat Who Saved the Library' by Sosuke Natsukawa: Nanami, a library loving teen, is drawn into an adventure to try to save books. For a while she has noticed that books have been going missing, but the only one who both believes her and can help her to save them, is a cat called Tiger Together, they enter a dystopian world and have to go up against a grey army to restore the books.

Well translated and with some interesting allegories, this is a book that YA readers may enjoy. For me, it lacked depth, due to the focus being on a fairy-tale like plot, rather that on character development/understanding. However, this is a quick, cosy read, for people who love books and enjoy this type of title.

I was so thankful to be given the chance to read this story, I loved the first book and translated fictions are my newest comfort reads. I especially loved with this book that we had one continuous story throughout as it allowed me to grow attached to the characters and the goals. I loved the background of this being how much power books can hold and how they shape our lives and how important they are for us when developing. I truly love to support my local library it is a favourite past time to mine to even go and browse and find new favourites, library books especially hold a place with me because they are special in that they each have a story and history with other readers.

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the eARC.
I honestly loved the cat who saved books,so when I found out that there was a sequel for it, I was extremely delighted.
Our protagonist, Nanami, is an extremely smart, courageous, headstrong and strong-willed young girl who isn't deterred by anything even her asthma disease.
I really admired how she was content with her life despite the disease, finding workarounds that suited her condition, her love for books helped her stay content. It's a mindset that is hard to achieve especially for a 13 year old girl.
We meet our beloved tabby once again (did I mention that I just love books that combine books and cats?), we meet characters from the first book (Hi, Rintaro and Sayo) while embarking on a new bookish adventure.
I don't know what it is about Sosuke Natsukawa's writing style, but it's extremely immersive and the pacing is always just right.
However, I definitely loved the first book more, the lessons were better delivered in it than in this one and everything was clearer and more concise.
While this book dealt with the theme of people focusing on things to the point that they forget what matters the most to them or forget their compassion (not sure which one was the lesson, at times it felt like both), it didn't deliver the lesson quite well in my opinion.
I felt like it also tried to deliver multiple lessons other than this one ( like never losing hope among others), but it all got jumbled up to the point where you are lost with where this is going. While the first book was very cosy, this book had more of a dark feeling. Nanami was also described as an inconvenience to others around her due to her illness which I disagreed with and believe it should have been one of the lessons.
While this book wasn't for me, others may definitely like it.

The sequel to The Cat Who Saved Books - 10 years after the first book, we now follow young Nanami who noticed books began to disappear from her local library. Tiger returns and joins her on a even more dark journey to save her library.

I was surprised how much this one leaned into the fantasy elements of the world! The first book definitely felt like a simple cozy book while Nanami's journey felt a lot more darker and adventurous!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher Pan Macmillan for the much anticipated ARC of The Cat Who Saved the Library. I was super excited for it because I genuinely adored The Cat Who Saved Books.

I received this back in December but my reading slump was so bad that I only picked it up last week.

It was such a beautiful book about the power of books and how they give us hope for just about anything. You just have to believe in the power and truth of your heart to conquer the impossible.

It is about Nanami, a junior high schooler with severe asthma and how her life revolves around the library and the books. And it is also about those who extend a hand of help whenever possible. It is about a very eccentric, cool but very amazing talking cat who is always there to save the books, no matter how difficult and impossible the situation becomes.

Rintaro and Sayo from The Cat who Saved Books also make a major appearance and it is such a beautiful thing to behold. Nanami’s friendship with Itsuka was so well-written.

It deals with so many important themes and how books will forever be significant in the lives of human beings. There are numerous occasions where they discuss the various concepts about living in this era, of right and wrong, good and evil, the idea of banning or removing the so-called “dangerous books” and how wrong the ideas of a few people can be.

It is about never forgetting the good inside your heart and extending your hand even to your apparent enemy in times of distress.

The instances of books helping Nanami throughout were genuinely heartwarming. The only problem I had was the repetition. It may not matter much to the young readers, tbh as in a way they revive what was happening but for a adult reader, the constant reminder of Nanami’s health and Asthma may seem repetitive.

Nonetheless, it was an extremely beautiful book and everyone who loves books must give it a read.

Also, I need to get its physical copy once it releases because I have to note down all the names of the books mentioned in this book especially The Arsene Lupin - The Gentlemen Thief series.

This is the continuation of the book The Cat Who Saved Books. I read the first one a few days ago, so it's still fresh in my memory, and I was expecting to like this even more but apparently it's not the case. The second book reads more like a fairytale-ish compared to the first one, yet the adventure feels less exciting. I love how the characters from the first book make apperance in this one and this is definitely not a bad book. Both have great messages that makes the reader think.

Tiger is back but this time he enlists the help of the young Nanami, who notices a strange man stealing books from her favourite library.

A fun and whimsical story that hit me in the feels. The author has a knack for creating characters who may be suffering but still want to help. It was lovely to see familiar faces. I love when a book is clearly written by someone who loves books.

An easy enjoyable read but I don't think this added anything to what the first book had already achieved.

I really enjoyed 'The Cat Who Saved Books' and so I was excited to read the sequel, but overall I was let a bit disappointed. This one read to me as more of a YA title. It all felt a bit repetitive and while I enjoyed seeing some of the characters from the first book I found myself a bit bored while reading and even cringing at times at the cheesiness of the storyline.

I saw myself in sweet Nanami. I too was a shy teen with asthma who was happy spending all her time reading and checking out new books. I really loved my local library. Stories can teach and inspire you, allow you to travel, evoke emotions and show different perspectives. In an attempt to locate the stolen books Nanami ends up on quests helped by sassy Tiger, overcoming challenges and learning along the way.
Although the main character is supposed to be 13, this book is really meant for fantasy middle-grade / young adult. Thank you NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for the advance copy!

The Cat Who Saved the Library by Sosuke Natsukawa
Rating: 4 stars

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book. I was immediately intrigued by this (mainly because I love cats) and this story doesn't disappoint.

It is a whimsical story about a girl called Nanami, who is asthmatic and spends a lot of time in the library. When she discovers books being stolen, the enigmatic cat appears to lead her to another world, where books are being hoarded due to their 'dangerous ideas'. Nanami must find a way to save the books, while also protecting herself.

This gave me Studio Ghibli vibes, and had themes that highlighted not only the importance of books but the importance of imagination and individuality. It is so easy in today's world to tie yourself to a monetary value, and forget what is important. I found the message of this book well meaning, and not overly preachy.

This is definitely a book I would pick up again, potentially on a cold Sunday afternoon when I need to be reminded of the good in the world.

The Cat Who Saved The Library is the follow up to The Cat Who Saved Books. Tiger the talking ginger tabby is back. In this instalment, Tiger’s able assistant is 13 year old Nanami.

Nanami Kosaki lives with her dad, her mum passed away when she was very young. Her dad works long hours, leaving her to spend many hours in her local library. Which why she is so passionately about books and libraries.

The writing is gentle, abstract, almost whimsical. I think the book is open to interpretation. Each reader will have their own thoughts and feelings.

I found the book made me think of issues affecting readers and writers, and the wider world. The issue of book censorship is extremely relevant currently, where it seems to be increasingly common for some to try to decide what we read, and how we think. Books are our way of exploring issues, seeing others’ points of view. It seems to me that those who try to ban books, are those most in need of reading them.

I didn’t feel this book hit the same mark as the first book for me. So it’s just 3⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Cat Who Saved the Library is such a beautiful book and has cozy vibes. It also challenges ideas in aspects of what it means to read and what we can learn from reading.

3,5 stars

I only read the first book in this series - The Cat Who Saved Books - recently, but it was so enchanting. I love Japanese fiction, especially because they often contain books and animals, which instantly draws me in.

It is whimsical and magical but rooted firmly into the real, recognisable world.

The cat is still my favourite character. He's so nonchalant and rude but in such an endearing way. Never did I think that a somewhat arrogant talking cat would be so loveable.

Having not read the original Japanese, I cannot say this for certain, but it feels like the translator, Louise, has managed to capture what it was that Sosuke was aiming for.

It's a relaxing book. It's not always an easy book, with some topics, and this sense of righting a wrong, but it's an easy book to while away a few hours. As bizarre as it sounds, it feels more like an autumnal or wintery read, although it is still enjoyable ay other time.

I think overall I preferred the first book, because it was fresh. This is, whilst in a different setting, is effectively the same book as the previous, in the sense that books go missing and an individual goes with a talking cat to find them. So whilst it is still good and I enjoyed reading it, I did have something to compare it to and it didn't live up to it. The first book felt fresh and original; this one didn't have the same feeling.

What I did love though, and it's the same for the first book, is how Sosuke has shown how important books are. There's always a chance that books will go out of fashion - but I'm hopeful they won't. Because books and reading and stories are important for all ages, and Sosuke has managed to depict that without being too pushy.

I really liked this sequel, I think I liked it even more than the first one.

The main character Nanami is a brave teenage girl which is not afraid to declare her opinions to the world. It was a nice change to the first book, ... the main character of the first book was a lot more tranquil and sometimes even unsure of himself. I really liked how Nanami was just unapologetically herself.
Furthermore I was really delighted to meet the cat again, it is so nonchalant but in the important moments you really notice how it cares about basically everything.
The character development of Nanami's father was really interesting, even though he was only mentioned a couple of times, one could really notice how his view on the world and his life changed after Nanami talked to him and used her mothers words.

I highly enjoyed this book and I'm gladly gonna recommend it, especially to the readers who already know the first book.

The Cat Who Saved the Library is a short and thought-provoking book that can be read in a day or over a weekend. I had a great time because it reminded me of Studio Ghibli's 'The Cat Returns', which is one of my favourites! This is the second book in a series, but I read it as a standalone without any trouble.

I loved the character of Tiger the cat. It was grumpy and always cracking dry jokes; an interesting contract to the main character, Nanami. This book presented a viewpoint on success that I haven't often seen framed in the same way. Through the lens of a young girl with asthma, the reader was invited to rethink their own motivations and desires. I really enjoyed this.

The writing was descriptive while still being simple, and I loved the otherworldly atmosphere of the land within the books. The translator Louise Heal Kawai did a fantastic job. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading about cats or books!

I was really dissapointed as I loved the first book, but it just didn't have the same feels as the first book.,

Nanami loves reading and when she notices the books disappearing from the library shelves she joins forces with Tiger the talking tabby cat to find out where the books have gone.

Unfortunately although I enjoyed the first book in the series this just wasn’t for me. It all felt a bit too abstract and ‘out there’ for me.