Hetty and the Battle of the Books - Anna James

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Author: Anna James

Illustrator: Jez Tuya
Genre: Middle-grade Fiction
Rating: 4.25 stars.

A cute little story about how a girl attempts to save her school library.

Hetty loves libraries and her school library is her favourite place. After having a major fallout with her best friends Ali, Mei and Rocket, the library has been her place of refuge. But when the head teacher announces that the library will be closed down due to budget constraints, Hetty knows she has to spring into action. And that she can’t get by without a little help from her EX- friends, even if she is still angry at what they did (or didn’t do.)

The story is written in the first person pov of Hetty and it sounds just like a child is talking, what with the exaggerated feelings and the OTT reactions. It was fun to hear Hetty blasting her way through situations while still making her point. She wasn’t a likeable character for a great part of the book but she still makes for an effective protagonist. (And she does love books and characters such as Anne of Green Gables and Lyra from His Dark Materials – I’ve gotta be forgiving!)

The book covers many themes. Other than the obvious one about the importance of libraries and books, it also tackles friendship, communication, standing up for what’s right, importance of teamwork, listening, and not taking friends for granted.

There are some cute and whacky illustrations in the book and these add to the fun of the story.

The representation is very well done. One of the older students uses the they/them pronouns, and I liked this choice, though a few younger kids might be confused while reading. It is a great opportunity for parents/guardians to introduce the idea of how these pronouns work in their singular form.

As with all Barrington Stoke books, this publication is hi-lo (high interest, low ability), meaning the content is appropriate to the age of the reader but the text is edited to suit a lower reading age. This makes the content perfect for everyone aged 6+.

The only thing I didn’t like was the way the story broke the fourth wall – it doesn’t work convincingly in the flow of the narrative and breaks the impact of the story.

Overall though, this is a wonderful read, filled with fun moments and groups efforts. Definitely recommended to tweens and above.

My thanks to Barrington Stoke and NetGalley for the DRC of “Hetty and the Battle of the Books”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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