Hetty and the Battle of the Books

Hetty is a bookworm, and her favourite place at school is the library. In fact, she’s been spending even more time there than she might usually, because she’s fallen out with her best friends Mei, Ali and Rocket and it feels like a safe place to be.

However, when the school’s lovely librarian, Ms Juster, tells the children that the library is closing due to budget cuts (although it looks more like Mr McCarthy, the dour headteacher, wants to convert the library into an executive office for himself and is using budget cuts as a cover story) Hetty knows she can’t let it happen. So, swallowing her pride, she enlists her friend Mei’s help to report on the outrageous removal of the library in the school newspaper, and asks her Dungeons and Dragons-crazy friend Rocket to help organise her, Mei and Ali’s campaign to save the library.

In so doing, of course, impetuous Hetty has to face her fears and talk to the friends she has fallen out with – and learn that, sometimes, it’s better to talk to your friends to avoid misunderstandings. There’s a happy ending for the library too, and the moral of the story is that we can achieve great things when we work together and utilise all of our special talents.

This illustrated story is a fun read, highlighting the common friendship problems that can occur in children’s lives, and author (and ex-librarian) Anna James’ passion for libraries as a safe space for all.

Barrington Stoke’s books are printed in dyslexia-friendly font and on a paper that doesn’t allow text to be seen from the other side of the page, making reading easier for all.