The Lonely Book

By Author / Illustrator

Megan Grehan

Genre

LBGTQ+

Age range(s)

Publisher

Little Island

ISBN

9781915071446

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

06-04-2023

Synopsis

When Annie's moms open up their bookshop in the mornings, there is always a mysterious pile of books on the counter. By evening, every book has found its ideal reader. But one day there is a book that doesn't get bought. It has to lie there all on its own. Who can its reader be, and why don't they come?

Days pass, and the book with no owner gets lonelier and lonelier. The bookshop is unhappy, and the moms are worried that the shop isn't making enough money. Then someone starts borrowing the book. Eventually, we realise it's Annie's sibling, Charlotte - and it is a book about being non-binary. Mum explains what 'non-binary' means to Annie. Charlotte asks to be called Charlie and says that their pronouns are they/them. The bookshop cheers up. Customers start buying books again. This family is made of love.

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Reviews

Annie lives in a bookshop with her two mums and her sister, Charlotte. The bookshop is a special place where each morning, a pile of books mysteriously appears on the counter and by the end of every day, each book has found its perfect reader. However, one day, there is a book left over - one lonely book which has not found its match. As the days pass, the bookshop becomes unhappier and unhappier. Worrying about her beloved home, Annie notices her mothers are concerned that the shop is not making enough money and Charlotte is withdrawn. Will the bookshop ever be happy again?

A verse novel, The Lonely Book is told in the first person, from Annie's point of view. The bookshop is given magical qualities, able to find the right book for the right reader and when the lonely book is not claimed, the bookshop reflects its confusion and that of the missing reader. Eventually, the reader discovers that the book, which is about gender, is meant for Charlotte. Charlotte tells her family that they are non-binary and wish to use the they/them pronouns and be called Charlie.

The author uses conversations between Annie and her Mum to explain the contents of the book and some relevant terminology, in a way which might help some families develop their own discussions. Annie is also worried about the fact that one of her mothers is hiding the fact that the shop is not doing too well. She (Annie) has selective mutism, which presents when she is uncomfortable or stressed. The anxiety she feels is sensitively portrayed as she tries to make sense of the changes in her life and once there are no more secrets between the members of this loving, tight-knit family, the bookshop is happy once more.

The love and warmth between the members of this family is beautifully captured in this novel about accepting and being who you are.

176 pages / Ages 8+ / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher