Published By: Firefly
Pages: 240
Released On: 03/09/2026
Reading Age: 10+
It’s Christmas 1976 in a small town in South Wales, and eleven-year-old Noni and her dad are hiding from the bailiffs, behind the sofa. There’s no money left and Noni’s dad – who used to fix all the town’s broken things seems to be the most broken thing of all.
When Noni meets new friend Rebecca and borrows a library book, she realises that fixing the town’s old mobile library might be the thing to bring a spark back to her dad’s eyes.
But the library van is stuck on Mrs Williams’ driveway and has been since the Aberfan disaster ten years earlier. It is broken down beyond repair. Plus, according to the stories, Mrs Williams is a witch (she has a black cat, and she talks to the birds – so Noni is pretty sure this must be true). If Noni is going to have any hope of fixing the van and her dad, she’s going to need some friends to help her.
Together with stray dog Jones, Rebecca, young mechanic Clare and milk delivery boy Gareth, the four friends risk Mrs Williams’ wrath and opposition from the town mayor to try and get the library van restarted before the bailiffs come again.
But the town is still healing, and many don’t want to see the van return. It’s up to Noni and her friends to show everyone that the joy found in stories can bring them all back together.
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Firefly for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
This is the first time I’m reading any of her books.
There was something quite simple about the way it was written – I don’t mean that as a negative, as it’s aimed at readers 10+ so it was never going to be overly complex. And it definitely got meatier as it went along which then appealed more to me as an older reader.
I love any book that talks about the love of books and reading and libraries so that was a big plus. When I was little, there was a mobile library that used to come to the local shops and I would always go with my Nan and we’d spend ages browsing the books in there, and I think that’s probably where my love for reading came from. And it’s so sad that there’s hardly any mobile libraries around now and that so many big libraries are closing. It shows how important books are too, and stories, whether they’re written down or spoken. Beautiful.
I know I am more than three times the reading age, but I don’t think that matters – it’s such an uplifting story, quick and easy to read, I read it in a few hours.
It does have some difficult topics, such as mental health, loss, bereavement, poverty, and mentions of the Aberfan disaster. Also, Noni is a young carer – something no child ought to be but sadly do have to be. Eloise has got the tone right here. She’s not hidden the hardships of it but she’s also not focussed too much on the negativity.
Apart from the odd one, all the main characters are children or young people, which can be hard to identify with as an older reader but they were all splendid. They were all different, all had good bits and flaws, and they felt real. They also worked well with each other and you can see how natural this group of friends would be.
It can be difficult to write a landscape or setting without it just sounding like a list of descriptive features or completely separate from the main story. But she’s managed to evoke such a sense of place and atmosphere but without sacrificing any of the flow of the plot.
This has a timeless quality to it. I am 33 years old reading it in 2026. But it could easily have been a glorious, cosy, heartwarming story read by a 10 year old in 1980 or a 70 year old in 2050.
Books By Your Bedside 