43 pages • 1 hour read
Wendy Mass, Rebecca SteadThe Lost Library
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2018A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
BetaSymbols & Motifs
The Little Free Library
The appearance of the little free library in the town of Martinville sets the novel’s plot in motion. What exactly prompts Al to establish the library at this particular time—so many years after the loss of the public library—is unknown, but she is broadly driven by a desire to provide books for the town’s citizens. The importance of the little free library lies partly in the fact that it contains the only books that survived the Martinville Library fire, thus imbuing them with great value. By placing them in the little free library, Al allows the community to benefit once again from the books. However, because the little free library encourages patrons to leave books to share with others, the little library also fosters a sense of community among the Martinville residents. This reinforces The Magic of Books and Reading and (more specifically) the way in which public libraries benefit their communities. Unity and equality are therefore embedded in the little free library.
Just as a brick-and-mortar library might, the little free library encourages its patrons to explore new topics: Evan has never before been interested in mysteries, but with the help of the guide to mystery writing that he borrows, he realizes that he is indeed immersed in a mystery. Rafe becomes passionate about learning to grow tomatoes after obtaining an instructional book from the little free library. Thus, the little free library symbolizes the many unexpected joys that books have to offer.
Mice
The novel’s depiction of mice subverts common tropes. Neither the cat, Mortimer, nor the exterminator, Evan’s father, harm the mice. Instead, both Mortimer and Edward keep the mice safe, intentionally removing them from harmful situations or from places where they are unwanted and therefore at risk of danger. Though mice are generally regarded as pests and nuisances, Mortimer even feels sympathy for them when he realizes that they must battle the elements for food. Far from regarding them as prey, he sets out to provide food for them in an important reversal.
Throughout much of the narrative, the mice motif seems ancillary—a side detail that reveals more about Evan’s father and Mortimer than the mice themselves. At the end of the novel, however, Mortimer uses the mice to reveal the truth about the library fire. In this way, the trust he has instilled in the mice proves greatly important, as the mice help in exonerating Evan’s father. In the end, the accidental nature of the fire is made clear, and the mouse who started the fire is excused. Thus, the mice demonstrate that accidents can have tragic repercussions but that many times there is truly no one at fault. Moreover, the cooperation between the mice and Mortimer echoes the community bonds that the little free library helps reestablish; it is an instance of characters coming together in shared recognition of The Importance of the Truth.
The End of Fifth Grade
The majority of the novel takes place over the final five days of the academic school year. Evan and Rafe are reaching the end of fifth grade, which means the end of elementary school. While most of his peers eagerly await the start of summer, Evan dreads the end of the school year. He knows that this brings him incrementally closer to the beginning of middle school, which Evan fears. Evan’s anxiety about middle school is rooted in several factors. Firstly, routine and familiarity comfort and reassure him, as evidenced by the way he stops at the same tree every day on his way to school. Middle school, then, represents unknown and uncharted territory. To avoid having to cope with such discomfort, Evan clings to the present and intentionally pushes away any thoughts of the fifth-grade graduation ceremony, which symbolizes his anxiety about Growing up and Finding One’s Purpose.
As Evan becomes immersed in the mystery of the library fire, however, his fear of the end of fifth grade does not occupy his thoughts so frequently. The task of solving the mystery becomes a welcome distraction from the anxiety of the present. As Evan has more and more success with uncovering clues, he realizes that he no longer needs his “invisibility cape”—a security talisman of sorts. He comes to understand that he is capable of facing the unknown. Meanwhile, the construction of the new library gives Evan something to look forward to. In this way, Evan comes to understand that the future holds positive experiences for him and that he has the skills to conquer challenges as they arise.
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