The Tiny Hero of Ferny Creek Library

by Linda Bailey, Victoria Jamieson (Illustrator)

Overview

Eddie, a passionate reader and a shiny green bug, saves the school library in this funny, heartwarming tale that fans of Flora & Ulysses and Charlotte’s Web will love. Includes black-and-white illustrations throughout from Newbery Honor Medalist and New York Times-bestselling author-artist Victoria Jamieson.

Eddie is a tiny green bug who loves to read and who lives behind the chalkboard in the fourth-grade classroom with his parents, his 53 brothers and sisters, and his aunt Min. But when Aunt Min goes to the school library to read a book and never returns, Eddie leaves the comfort of his home for the first time and makes the dangerous trek through Ferny Creek Elementary School to find her. After dodging running sneakers, falling books, and terrifying spiders, Eddie reaches the library, where he discovers Aunt Min stuck in a perilous situation! To top it all off, there’s a substitute librarian who aims to close the library for good and get rid of all the books!

Encouraged by the brave deeds done by small creatures such as Stuart Little and Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web, Eddie comes up with a plan to save the library—a plan that requires all the courage one little bug can muster.

A great read-aloud and read-alone, this action-packed short novel includes references to classic children’s literature throughout and is perfect for fans of Chris Grabenstein’s Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and Lynne Rae Perkins’s Nuts to You. Featuring extensive black-and-white art from Newbery Honor Medalist and New York Times-bestselling author-artist Victoria Jamieson.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062440938
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/20/2017
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Since 1985 Linda Bailey has worked as a photograph curator and reference librarian for the Cincinnati Historical Society Library at Cincinnati Museum Center and was previously a reference librarian for the Kenton County Public Library in Kentucky. She has responsibility for managing the library's extensive collection of historic photographs, prints, and lithographs and over the years has helped countless authors and publishers find the historic images and information they need for their projects.

Editorial Reviews

06/19/2017
Bailey’s eponymous hero, Eddie, is a bright green bug who lives with his 53 siblings in a crack in the wall of Room 19 of Ferny Creek Elementary School. When his Aunt Min goes missing, it’s up to Eddie (whose mother writes him off as “a dreamer, a fool—a nincompoop!”) to maneuver through treacherous hallways full of “Squishers” to the library to find her. But Eddie’s challenges are only beginning: Min is injured and unable to travel, and the school’s insect-hating new librarian threatens to make Ferny Creek a book-free zone. Encouraged by the brave characters from his Aunt Min’s stories, Eddie resolves to save the library and his aunt. Avid readers will enjoy the plethora of references to beloved children’s tales, as well as the adventures of an unlikely champion who overcomes human-size obstacles. The danger is mild, but Eddie delivers an entertaining bug’s-eye perspective on the larger world, and Jamieson’s b&w spot illustrations match the story’s energy and sense of adventure. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Hilary McMahon, Westwood Creative Artists. Illustrator’s agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Rich with references to familiar tales and accompanied by realistic illustrations by Newbery honoree Jamieson, this effort will charm library lovers and would make a fine read-aloud as brave, endearing Eddie navigates one terrible peril after another. An excellent, engaging tale for a broad range of ages.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A bookish bug finds a way to save the school library . . . Bailey fills her narrative with references to classic works of the past and present, and has picked a theme (and outcome) that will be dear to the hearts of young readers as well as educators and librarians.” — Booklist (starred review)

“A warm, funny tribute to the power of books and stories, Eddie’s adventure will have readers seeing anew the magic of libraries and ready to defend them from the Ms. Grisches of the world.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Eddie’s humorously wide-eyed, bug-level perspective allows the book to celebrate education and reading without becoming didactic, and Jamieson’s personality-rich illustrations match the book’s tone perfectly.” — Horn Book Magazine

“Avid readers will enjoy the plethora of references to beloved children’s tales, as well as the adventures of an unlikely champion who overcomes human-size obstacles. ...Eddie delivers an entertaining bug’s-eyed perspective on the larger world, and Jamieson’s b&w spot illustrations match the story’s energy.” — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

A warm, funny tribute to the power of books and stories, Eddie’s adventure will have readers seeing anew the magic of libraries and ready to defend them from the Ms. Grisches of the world.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

A bookish bug finds a way to save the school library . . . Bailey fills her narrative with references to classic works of the past and present, and has picked a theme (and outcome) that will be dear to the hearts of young readers as well as educators and librarians.

Booklist (starred review)

Eddie’s humorously wide-eyed, bug-level perspective allows the book to celebrate education and reading without becoming didactic, and Jamieson’s personality-rich illustrations match the book’s tone perfectly.

Horn Book Magazine

A warm, funny tribute to the power of books and stories, Eddie’s adventure will have readers seeing anew the magic of libraries and ready to defend them from the Ms. Grisches of the world.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

05/01/2017
Gr 3–5—Eddie is a beetle who lives with his family in a crack in the wall of the fourth grade classroom at Ferny Creek Elementary School. When his book-loving Aunt Min fails to return from her most recent trip to the school library, Eddie sets out to search for her, only to find her injured, hungry, and marooned atop the librarian's desk. Hiding out in the paper tray, the bugs overhear a disturbing phone conversation between the substitute librarian and the school superintendent: their plan is to close the library and turn it into a testing center. As they watch Miss Visch start packing away the books, Eddie hatches a plan involving blueberry juice, licorice, and yellow sticky notes. Using his legs to write messages, he leaves the notes stuck to books on the shelves, raising suspicion that the benign ghost of a former library volunteer is interceding to save the library. The obvious message is pleasantly tempered by subtle humor, many references to beloved children's books, and themes that celebrate bravery, perseverance, and storytelling. There's lots of action as Eddie faces dangers navigating the world of "squishers" who may trample him at any moment. The writing is breezy and accessible, and children will enjoy the bug's-eye view. A bibliography of referenced titles is included. VERDICT Despite the length, this is a good choice for younger readers and would work well as a classroom read-aloud.—Marie Orlando, formerly at Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

School Library Journal

2017-03-15
Eddie is a vibrantly green bug who lives in Ferny Creek Elementary School. Could such a tiny critter become a hero?After his aunt Min goes missing on a trip to the school's library, he sets off to rescue her. But it turns out that she doesn't need rescue quite as much as their school library does. With the librarian on maternity leave, the superintendent brings in wicked, archetypal Ms. Visch ("rhymes with squish") as her replacement. Her only concern is to get rid of the beloved, welcoming library and replace it with an austere testing center. Since Eddie and Aunt Min can read, the library and its familiar works hold a special place in their hearts. Eddie begins to leave notes on the spines of some of their favorite books, hoping to sway Ms. Visch to make a better choice. Instead, she's enraged. The children, believing the notes are the work of a much-loved volunteer who died (smiling) in the library, launch an effort to rescue the place, not even knowing why it's in jeopardy. Bugs are fully rounded characters; people (referred to as Squishers) are just sketched in this bug's-perspective third-person narrative. Rich with references to familiar tales and accompanied by realistic illustrations by Newbery honoree Jamieson, this effort will charm library lovers and would make a fine read-aloud, as brave, endearing Eddie navigates one terrible peril after another. An excellent, engaging tale for a broad range of ages. (Fantasy. 5-12)

Kirkus Reviews