The Forbidden Library

By: Django Wexler

Narrated by: Cassandra Morris

The Forbidden Library kicks off a brand new classic fantasy series perfect for fans of Coraline, Inkheart, and The Books of Elsewhere

Alice always thought fairy tales had happy endings. That--along with everything else--changed the day she met her first fairy

When Alice's father goes down in a shipwreck, she is sent to live with her uncle Geryon--an uncle she's never heard of and knows nothing about. He lives in an enormous manor with a massive library that is off-limits to Alice. But then she meets a talking cat. And even for a rule-follower, when a talking cat sneaks you into a forbidden library and introduces you to an arrogant boy who dares you to open a book, it's hard to resist. Especially if you're a reader to begin with. Soon Alice finds herself INSIDE the book, and the only way out is to defeat the creature imprisoned within.

It seems her uncle is more than he says he is. But then so is Alice.

Critic reviews

Praise for The Forbidden Library:

"Vaguely reminiscent of Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland and Inkheart all rolled into one, it’s good fun... Working in the grand tradition of children’s fantasy, Wexler’s off to a promising start."—Kirkus Reviews

"By giving the richly textured literary adventures “teeth” and by placing subplots both inside and outside the books, Wexler dexterously avoids the “it’s only a story” pitfall that might distance readers from the action, while the wondrous Library will gratify book lovers and fantasy experts alike."—Horn Book

"Fans of Harry Potter and Cornelia Funke's Inkheart (2003) will relish that the library houses magical books . . . It's a joy to watch the dutiful Alice develop her innate curiosity and become a proactive, resourceful heroine, matching wits with snarky cats, dangerous beasts, and a certain smug boy. This is a charming, adventuresome fantasy from a promising new author."—Booklist

"Wexler ingeniously creates an inventive world with interesting creatures and frightening situations."—School Library Journal

Fun and creative

Easy readability level. I enjoyed this book, and I'm happy to see that a sequel has been written. The author's well-done imagery sparked imagination and visualization, and the unique characteristics of the library and its books held my interest. The young heroine has tenacity and problem-solving skills. She continues to work through issues as they arise and does not give up hope.

Cassandra Morris's youthful voice was a perfect choice for this genre, and she brought the various characters to life with personalities and shifts in tone/timbre. Well done.

In addition to looking for the sequel from Wexler (and hoping Morris is again the reader), I will be looking up additional books read by Morris. Thank you both for a fun and creative read.

Unusual characters

Liked that there is some resolution even with it being the start of a series. And talking cats are the best.

When Alice became Geryons apprentice

I liked the part where Alice got stuck in a prison book with the tree sprite

Forbidden Library #1

good story. It took me awhile to get thru it listening at night.
The narrator fid a nice job. I will get the next book.

Fun fantasy for late grade school or middle school

Fun fantasy for late grade school or early middle school readers. Good, clean fun. The story tends drag a little, you can tell right away that this is a series :-) The reader is young, and does a really good job. A young voice can grate on me after awhile but she is expressive and keeps and nice pace. The mispronunciation of possessives (adding an extra “es” sound at the end of names) is something the editor should have caught for her.