Lost and Found: Oliver Jeffers

Product Information

I'm satisfied that at least Martha found a sort of happiness now. The Library of Lost and Found helped her to let go of being the perfect daughter. It's not for me, but if you have a lot of regrets in your life Martha's journey will be one you can relate to and learn from. The Library of Lost and Found is about Martha Storm, a volunteer librarian who loves books. But she is also a people-pleaser who always puts everyone else first, before herself. That is just how she rolls. The fact is that she loves to help others but goes to an extreme as all the projects she takes on for them fills up her house. The Library of Lost and Found is a heartwarming story about family and letting go of the past to make the most of the time we have. The Library of Lost and Found WILL NOT disappoint a reader who LOVES women's lit, book clubs will have tons to discuss from sister relationships to family secrets to a woman's self-care and even a can lightly touch upon same sex relationships and British culture! It has a ton to plumb while being an easy read!! Could it really be for her? No one does things for her. She is the one who never says no and does things for everyone else.

Ahh, the charm of a library? Heaven for us book lovers, right? Martha Storm is a librarian and a touch quirky. She prefers books to people and keeps lists of how to help others in her notebook. She never feels like she belongs. Make a poster to tell people that you have found a penguin, in case anyone has lost it (see Resources below). One of the best feelings in the world came when she received a smile of appreciation, or a few grateful words. When someone said, “Great job, Martha,” and she felt like she was basking in sunshine. She’d go to most lengths to achieve that praise. There is this lovely dual narrative between the past and what happened to fracture this family and the present where Martha is learning the truth. And the secrets!! The regrets!! It has all the drama you want with a family's dirty laundry. Based on the title alone I had a feeling I would like this one, who doesn’t adore books about books and libraries after all?! They’re such fun and with a main character who’s a librarian with an interesting personality and strange family history, I was totally enthralled.The usual tropes apply here, Martha's annoying sister knows some of the family secrets but insists Martha leave well enough alone. Yeah, right. Because that always turns out well. For me it was really depressing. I won't reveal why, but I really dislike it when characters rationalize their poor mistakes. Your parents deceived you!! They USED you!! And the two loved ones who should have rectified that were TOO SELFISH to do so. Their lives mattered more than you (and all it would have taken them was a visit and the truth)!! I get it... Why waste your elderly years on anger. Move on. See your past as idealistic so that you don't dwell on what you don't have. Sigh. It's not an uplifting book to me. It was just so. Kinda confusing. Resolves were clunky, characters stilted. I wanted to keep the main character propped up. . . When Martha thought to herself (and there was LOTS of instances of her thinking to herself) she kept thinking all she did was take care of others. Well, to my thinking all she really did was think about herself - very egocentric. There were lots of honorable mentions by other characters about Martha's care for others. . .hearsay, I say! Overall I was mildly irritated with a primary character as soppy, spineless and all about the ways she'd been done wrong by every single thing in the world. I did like all the book mentions, the library environment as a healing place, but these were not enough to get me out of my cranky pants as it related to Martha. After Zelda comes on board I thought it might change. Nope. Not a bit. In fact it gets a little odder with the family crisis in the past. Into this chaos, a book surfaces that contains stories, some she made up and told her grandmother and others her grandmother made up with her. The curious thing? The book has a note in it from her grandmother, advising Martha it is for her in the hopes it will be of benefit, but the note is dated three years after Martha’s grandmother was said to have died. We also find out how she changed her life, trusted people, tried to forget her father’s negativity, and came out of her shell.

The Library of Lost and Found is a charming, sweet read. I enjoyed the mystery at its heart, and Martha was a character I simply adored. She comes of age in a way. She also comes into her own, and it’s a beautiful self-discovery. Zelda was also written fantastically well. I wished she were in my family. When librarian Martha Storm discovers an unique collection of fairy tales dedicated to her by her grandmother, Zelda, predeceasing the woman's death, her journey to investigate the origins of the book leads her to discover what caused a rift that nearly tore her family apart years ago. In the film version of the story, the boy and penguin come across an octopus. Could the children design their own sea creatures? Could Grandma really be alive after her parents told her she passed away 30 years ago? If so, what made them say that? Martha comes from a dysfunctional family in which there were secrets that are finally revealed to her. Martha used to write stories as a child and loved to share them with her grandmother Zelda. These stories are interspersed throughout the book and i found them to be an added bonus to an already entertaining read. But her grandmother passed away while Martha was still young and it’s as Zelda took Martha’s imagination with her because she has completely lost the desire to write.Cute story, and it had some touching moments but I think I'm going to put it in the decent but not amazing read category. A deeply moving, richly illuminating exploration of loss and bliss. Schulz is never anything but the very best company, speaking nuanced truths from and about the deepest reaches of the heart.” — LESLIE JAMISON, AUTHOR OF THE EMPATHY EXAMS

Sisters are not perfect. It's a working relationship that we can easily get into a rut with and not question. Much angst is explored with Martha's younger sister who knew more than she ever let on. Do you forgive and forget? The boy was delighted when they first arrived at the South Pole… Think of synonyms for ‘delighted’. Librarian Martha Storm has a problem with saying no. She cared for her parents for many years before they passed away and now she continues to put others before herself and receives no appreciation whatsoever for it, especially from her sister Lillian. In fact, it seems everyone takes advantage of Martha's kindess. As a woman it is VERY easy to relate to doing to much for others. We all do it in some capacity. Where is the line? When is it TOO much? How much should you sacrifice? Through Martha a great discussion about self-care could be explored and really help readers think about their own lives.

The boy made a mistake leaving the penguin at the South Pole. Discuss mistakes that the children might have made in the past. How did they resolve them?