A Kind of Paradise audiobook

A sweet and sincere writing from a devoted librarian who made us fall in love more and more with libraries. Library is not just a place for lending books for free. Library is a sanctuary for lonesome, neglected, heartbroken and homeless human beings who have no such a safe haven.Library saved a teenage girl who thought the world ended when she was publicly punished. Library saved an old man from dying alone. Library gave a homeless person a purpose and a chance in a better life. The library gave it's town and it's community a lot that couldn't be easily forgotton, and that is why it wasn't easy for that town to leave that place without saving.It was heart warming to see how the three librarians were passionate to care about their patrons while keeping a safe and a "professional" space that wouldn't disturb the privacy of their library visitor's lives. As a librarian, it was a work that made me more proud of my profession and more appreciated to get the chance that made me a librarian. Those three librarians were an example to what i wish to be remembered and achieve.

A sweet middle grade love letter to libraries! Cozy and delightful. I may have rated it five stars had I read it sometime other than in the midst of a pandemic when libraries are closed and people are socially distancing. I was having some serious cognitive dissonance. But, it was still the sweetest!

I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library. Jorge Luis Borges When life seems overwhelming, there is something incredibly comforting about reading a crackerjack ‘middle grade’ book. The best ones always impart life lessons about growing up, but unlike adult books, they can generally be counted on to serve up those lessons with humour, charm, optimism and the satisfying sense that things will work out in the end. In a children’s book, things ‘working out’ means that the most positive human qualities count for something. Kindness, courage, standing up for the underdog - any embodiment of love, really - can be guaranteed to win out over the uglier, pettier side of human nature. Life may not always be fair, but good gets to triumph over evil every time. You played cards you didn’t have and you lost. I know it hurts, but that’s how you learn. In fact, that may be the very best way to learn. ~Jamie Bunn’s mom to Jamie. Endings aren’t there to please you. Endings happen the way they do for a reason. ~Beverly, Foxfield librarian, to Jamie. There are two main strands to this story. One of them involves the story’s protagonist, 13 year old Jamie Bunn. At the beginning of the story, we learn that Jamie has been assigned a summer’s worth of volunteering at the local library as her ‘punishment’ for breaking her school’s honour code. Over the course of the book, the story of Jamie’s mistake is slowly leaked to the reader. The other strand of the story involves the library itself - its cast of characters (both staff and ‘regulars’, all of them wonderful) and its survival. Like so many libraries, the Foxfield Library is under threat because of budget cuts. The ‘friends’ of the library make it their mission to make sure it survives, and Jamie becomes one of those friends. At the beginning of the story, Jamie feels alone, humiliated and isolated. As she becomes connected to her co-workers at the library, she starts to feel like she is part of an important community. Although Jamie’s story will draw in the readers this book is aimed at, more mature readers will certainly understand that this book is also a love letter to libraries - and an argument in favour of their importance to a community. There are two regular visitors to the Foxfield Library who are especially needy, partly because they are isolated and lonely - just like Jamie. One of them ends up getting a chance at improving his life because of the library, while the other provides an unexpectedly heroic turn for the library. “We’ve been helping him. He needs the library, and we keep it here for him. We welcome him. We didn’t need to know his story to help him.” Lenny paused, then added,”We just need to remember that everyone has one.”

A sweet middle grade love letter to public libraries!!! Excellent cast of characters.

A Kind of Paradise by Amy Rebecca Tan is heart warming, engaging. The characters are unique and the story itself kept me wanting to read more of it. It highlights the angst of not so great choices, their consequences and what it takes to overcome them. Add in a bit of librarian romance and I was hooked. I was also amazed at how Ms. Tan captured the essence, feelings and challenges of a being a 10 year old girl ~ she was truly spot on!My favorite part of this book is the library and the people who worked there. I loved how the book showed the effect the library, the books and those dedicated workers had in helping to change the lives of those who came in. On the flip side, well … I’ll leave it for you to find out what happens!My final thoughts?A Kind of Paradise is a delightful, heartwarming read. I highly recommend it ~ 4.5 Stars! I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Ms. Tan, Harper Collins and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a wonderful book about a library! I loved reading about all the characters and the daily adventures at the library. I work at a library so I appreciated all her details that she included!

*4.5This was such a cuteeeee book!! Just look at that cover...it's so pretty! (I thought it was funny that I finished reading it on August 29th, which was the same day that the book ended on.) Pretty much the only thing that I had a problem with was when they used God's name in vain.

This was a really charming middle grade story about a 13 year old girl who gets sentenced to volunteer in her public library for the summer after she makes an embarrassing mistake everyone at her school knows about. While there she falls in love with the patrons and all the library has to offer. A book to help young readers appreciate the potential of their local libraries and help fight to keep them open. Highly recommend and great on audio!

4.5 stars ⭐️ such a touching story! A beautiful reminder of how significant and magical libraries truly are!

What starts as a fairly normal teen drama book and coming of age story quickly turns into a love letter to public libraries and the role they play in a community. Highlighted through throwing more focus on the individuals that visit it. Including the lead character Jamie Bunn forced into work she later enjoys because of a stupid mistake. Overall it's a sweet book and as a public librarian I find the messages it gives wholesome and important in the current climate of budget cuts and closures.