Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern, a February LibraryReads pick, just got a fantastic review in the New York Times!
The story follows Kit, head librarian at the public library in Riverton, New Hampshire, and fifteen-year-old home-schooled Sunny. After Sunny gets arrested for shoplifting a dictionary, the judge throws the book at Sunny—literally—assigning her to do community service at the library for the summer. Bright, curious, and eager to connect with someone other than her off-the-grid hippie parents, Sunny coaxes Kit out of her self-imposed isolation. They’re joined by Rusty, a Wall Street high-flyer suddenly crashed to earth.
In this little library that has become the heart of this small town, Kit, Sunny, and Rusty are drawn to each other, and to a cast of other offbeat regulars. As they come to terms with how their lives have unraveled, they also discover how they might knit them together again and finally reclaim their stories.
The New York Times gave a rave review, saying "Like Riverton itself, Summer Hours at the Robbers Library feels artfully balanced between the reality of loss and a carefully guarded hope for renewal." Read the full article here.
Check out some of this title's other great endorsements:
“Finely choreographed and lucidly told, Halpern infuses this tale of derailments and second chances with free-ranging empathy, lithe humor, and penetrating insights into the human psyche. [Halpern is] a discerning and sensitive novelist.”
—Donna Seaman, Booklist (starred review)
—Maggie Gyllenhaal, Academy Award-nominated actress
You can find out more about the book here. In celebration, we are giving away copies of Summer Hours at the Robbers Library to the first 10 people who email librarylovefest@harpercollins.com.
Congrats, Sue! It's well deserved!
-Lainey