Here Lies the Librarian [Hardcover]

Richard Peck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2007 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Peewee idolizes Jake, a big brother whose dreams of auto mechanic glory are fueled by the hard road coming to link their Indiana town and futures with the twentieth century. And motoring down the road comes Irene Ridpath, a young librarian with plans to astonish them all and turn Peewee’s life upside down. Here Lies the Librarian, with its quirky characters, folksy setting, classic cars, and hilariously larger-than-life moments, is vintage Richard Peck—an offbeat, deliciously wicked comedy that is also unexpectedly moving.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-Another gem from Peck, with his signature combination of quirky characters, poignancy, and outrageous farce. Parentless Peewee, 14, and Jake, the big brother she idolizes, live in rural Indiana in 1914. They run a small garage, but face nasty sabotaging from the rival Kirbys. The novel opens with a hilariously macabre twister that tears up Buelahland Cemetery, turning up coffins, and strews Mrs. B. D. Klinefelder's laundry, including her massive step-ins, around the county. The tornado doesn't dare to touch the stern former librarian's grave. The board of trustees closed the library after her death, but that situation is about to change. Irene Ridpath, a library science student from Butler University, arrives with her three equally pretty and wealthy sorority sisters, all of whom drive fabulous cars, sparking Jake's interest (not just in their cars). After many pranks and hijinks, Peewee ends up being the only finisher in a rough-and-ready auto race, an event recounted in the closing chapter when she is an elderly, although still spunky, old lady. A master of capturing voice, Peck aptly conveys the nuances of rural life in the early years of the last century while weaving in early feminism, the history of the automobile, and the message to be oneself. Kids will love the fast-paced action and librarians will guffaw over all the library puns.-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. Stubborn, fearless, and loyal, 14-year-old Peewee (Eleanor) McGrath, who dresses like a boy, lives with her brother, Jake, in Indiana, "way out in the weeds." Together, they run a struggling garage, where Jake is building a racecar. It's 1914, and the electric self-starter has made automobiles more accessible to women. One day, four female drivers, library students all, arrive in a Stoddard-Dayton in need of repair; later, they return to reopen the town library. With these young women as role models, Peewee comes to realize that being female and being independent aren't mutually exclusive. Peck's one-liners, colorful physical comedy, and country dialect, prominent in most of his recent novels, are great as usual. And his characters, if not fully developed, are wonderfully quirky. Yet even with some exciting scenes of old-time dirt-track racing, the pace lags, and the story is choppy. Young fans of Danica Patrick, today's "Queen of the Road," may want to read this, but it will probably be librarians who'll have the most fun. Peck recounts an incident in an endnote in which one of the characters appears at the Indianapolis 500 with Janet Guthrie; unfortunately, there's not enough explanation to know whether or not it's all true. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 145 pages
• Publisher: Perfection Learning (September 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075698193X
• ISBN-13: 978-0756981938
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,122,034 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Richard Peck has written over twenty novels, and in the process has become one of America's most highly respected writers for young adults. A versatile writer, he is beloved by middle graders as well as young adults for his mysteries and coming-of-age novels. He now lives in New York City. In addition to writing, he spends a great deal of time traveling around the country attending speaking engagements at conferences, schools and libraries...Mr. Peck has won a number of major awards for the body of his work, including the Margaret A. Edwards Award from School Library Journal, the National Council of Teachers of English/ALAN Award, and the 1991 Medallion from the University of Southern Mississippi. Virtually every publication and association in the field of children s literature has recommended his books, including Mystery Writers of America which twice gave him their Edgar Allan Poe Award. Dial Books for Young Readers is honored to welcome Richard Peck to its list with Lost in Cyberspace and its sequel The Great Interactive Dream Machine...

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wherein chauffeurs collect library fines, September 3, 2006

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Here Lies the Librarian (Hardcover)

Do you ever get the impression that an author is trying just a little too hard to get the attention of their librarian readers? I don't think this happens much in the world of adult literature, but when it comes to kiddie lit, writers sometimes verge on the shameless. Now I was willing to look past Kimberly Willis Holt's paean to the glory of librarians everywhere in "Part of Me", and the non-fiction true tale of librarian heroism, "Dear Miss Breed" by Joanne Oppenheim could certainly slip by on my watch. But recently I've been doubling back and rereading some of the children's books that came out in early 2006. Of those books, one that I missed early on in the game was Richard Peck's, "Here Lies the Librarian", courtesy of Dial Books. Mr. Peck has written a wham-bam, rock `em, sock `em tale of hard core drag racing librarianship. Though still better (as anyone who reads his books regularly will tell you) than 92% of the schlock printed yearly, Peck's latest venture carries with it the faintest odor of familiarity. Basically, if you perused and enjoyed his previous book, "The Teacher's Funeral", then there's probably little reason to go on to this title as well unless you like to regularly douse yourself in Peck's pleasant wordplay.

For quite a while now it's just been Peewee and Jake, Jake and Peewee. The two siblings have been inseparable since the death of their parents and together they've managed to cobble a living for themselves out of a small automobile body shop. The year is 1914 and in a small town in Indiana Peewee and Jake are anxious for the new paved road to pass their miniscule business venture. While they wait, Jake has been working like a madman to create his very own automobile so as to enter it in one of the county's drag races. Then four librarians sweep into town and everything goes goofy. You see, these aren't just any old librarians. Led by the irresistible Irene Ridpath, these woman are about to shake this sleepy little village upside down, managing along the way to help Jake with his dream, aid Peewee (real name Eleanor) to live the life she deserves, and defeat the maniacal dealings of the no good rotten Kirby Brothers. Hilarity ensues.

Actually, I'll level with you here. A lot of librarians were warning me off this book, as if its less-than-perfect status relegated it to the lowest basement of the dankest library. As it happens, I enjoyed it quite a lot. How could I not? You've got corpses dangling from trees, independently wealthy librarians, a mention of the Pierce Arrow (a car I've loved since I read "Cheaper By the Dozen" lo these many years ago), chills, thrills, spills, and a gal winning a drag race backwards. And Peck's writing is just great. Who else comes up with descriptions like, "My flesh felt like the moss in a bait can"?. Or of one of the less than fully intelligent villains, "his knuckles dragged the ground thoughtfully"? Or the oblique reference to vulgarity with Peewee saying of a nasty group of people, "More horses laughing. Or parts of horses"? Wink wink.

Peck is comfortable with his time periods, whatsoever those time periods may be. That's part of the difficulty that comes with reading his books. Loathe to include a glossary of terms in the back (which, to be fair, I don't think a single child reader has ever consulted a day of their life) he kind of expects you to know what "step-ins", a "clabber", or a "truss" might be, amongst other archaic words and phrases.

Yeah. So pandering to your library base may not be a crime of any sort ("I wondered if there wasn't a Library Science course in Scheming") but it always makes me just a touch suspicious. I think "Here Lies the Librarian" is quite a lot of fun, but I'm not entirely certain how many kids would actively seek it out. I guess that just remains to be seen. In any case, it's definitely a fun read. Not Peck's strongest work, certainly, but a great book to get you through the day. And if you just happen to have an MLIS degree of your own then it feels just that much more familiar.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Newfangled Librarians, June 7, 2006

By 

Norman D. Stevens (Storrs, CT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Here Lies the Librarian (Hardcover)

Richard Peck has again done his usual fine job of depicting what life was like for children in another era. The story takes a variety of twists and turns that keep even adult readers amused and entertained. As a librarian who is interested in how librarians have been, and are, portrayed in children's literature, I found this a worthy addition to the genre. At the time in the early 20th century that Here Lies the Librarian is set, librarianship had become a female profession but was showing signs of undergoing dramatic changes. Peck's former librarian Electra Deitz, who has died shortly before the story opens, was definitely of the old-fashion strict and forbidding kind. His new young female library school graduates are definitely of a different persuasion not only in terms of making the public library accessible and welcoming to users of all ages but also in their every day life. Kids and librarians should enjoy Peck's latest addition to his string of books that are fun to read.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Quite There, August 2, 2008

By 

LexiJane (New Market, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Here Lies the Librarian (Paperback)

As a lover of historical fiction I automatically picked this book up, but the book does not contain much information on the time period, it mostly provides information on cars! (Perhaps Richard Peck should be a mechanic?) "Here Lies The Librarian" is an exceptional book. The author gives great descriptions and writes outstanding dialouge, yet it seems like your not quite there. It's like reading the newspaper and you hear about a robbery or a car crash. You don't care too much and you don't get too many details. There are some authors that can write about one second for several pages, yet this author treats the climax like any other part of the book. I will give it some praise in saying the begginning is fun and entertaining and the characterization is okay; although it would be nicer if the author gave better descriptions of the character's feelings, and a bit less on looks. I hate giving bad reviews, so I will say for anyone who is interested in cars; especially the first models, this is an informative story. Overrall it just seems like the author wasn't trying hard enough. I will still reccomend this novel for car lovers, and people who enjoy reading the newspaper or watching the news.