THE LEGEND OF SPUD MURPHY

Being one of five brothers isn’t easy on Will Woodman. He’s in the upper middle, so he’s too young to be in charge and too old to escape blame through strategic use of cuteness. He and his elder brother Marty are mortified when their parents decide to drop them off at the library a few times a week. They’re mortified because Spud Murphy is their town librarian, and she hates children. She makes youngsters stay in the children’s area, which is in front of a single shelf of kids’ books on a small square of carpet. Marty tests Spud and ends up with a very embarrassing stamp in permanent ink on his arm. The boys accidentally discover that reading is fun and quickly exhaust the children’s books. When shy Will breaks library rules in search of a new book, Spud’s reaction and Will’s punishment are nothing like he expected. Colfer aims at a younger audience and hilariously hits the mark. Spud—er, Angela—Murphy is not a stereotypical librarian by any stretch, and young readers will hoot over Will’s wry narration. (Fiction. 7-12)