Hetty and the Battle of the Books – Anna James

Published By: Barrington Stoke
Pages: 104
Released On: 07/07/2022

The library is Hetty’s very favourite place in school, and since falling out with her best friends Ali, Mei and Rocket she’s been spending even more time there. So she’s absolutely horrified when she learns that her head teacher is planning to close it down, claiming there aren’t enough funds to keep the library going.

There’s no way Hetty’s going to sit back and let this happen. But can she repair her broken friendships and build support for her library campaign?

Let the Battle of the Books commence!

*****

Thanks to NetGalley and Barrington Stoke for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

I am aware that this book is aimed predominately at children aged between 8 and 12, and I am rather a bit older than that, but I still appreciated the chance to read it, especially as I look for books appropriate to the children in my family, all under the age of 10.

I love how passionate this book is. And I love all books, no matter their target audience, that sing the praises of reading. I love how passionate Hetty is about books. I don’t know the author personally, but it feels like she’s put all her feelings on reading and books into this little girl which is lovely to see. It definitely feels like a joyous love letter to reading and particularly to school libraries.

Whilst it is aimed at readers 20 years younger than me, it was a really lovely, sweet little book, and as it’s only 104 pages long, it’s very quick to read. I think school-age children would really like the book, it’s not too taxing or complicated, nor is it “dumbed down”, and it gives them something they can relate to.

I personally think it would be the perfect book to have in primary schools. When I was young, we didn’t have computer rooms or the Internet to rely on, all our work was done through books and the library. And I think there’s a risk today that kids won’t have that same appreciation, especially as budget cuts mean more and more public libraries are shutting. But by giving this book to them whilst they’re young, hopefully they’ll grow to understand how important books are.