11 Books Celebrating the Magic of Literacy, Libraries, and Reading
12 September, 2025 ● Written by Stefan Bachmann
Many books center characters who read. Kindly librarians, good-hearted bookish folk, and heroes who escape into stories for comfort are all familiar figures. Authors are book people, after all, and we write what we know. But when books extol the wonders of reading, they’re doing more than flattering the audience or indulging in meta-praise. For young people heading out on their own reading adventures, every story, role model, and depiction matters. Books that highlight a love of literacy help reinforce the idea that the wonder, curiosity, and opportunity in stories are for everyone, and that the places where stories can be found — whether libraries, schools, or your own imagination — are vital and worth cherishing.
So if you’re looking to refresh your shelves with titles celebrating the magic of books, we’ve selected eleven standouts, from picture books to YA, some thrilling, some heartwarming, some spooky, and some all three.
Bonus? September 8th was International Literacy Day, and September in general feels especially appropriate for all things bookish. School is beginning in many parts of the world. Libraries are being visited, sometimes for the very first time. Books and supplies are being bought. What better way to kick off the back-to-school season than with stories that highlight the imagination, discovery, and knowledge that books offer.
A Child of Books
By Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston
A little girl sails her raft across a sea of words, arriving at the house of a small boy and calling him away on an adventure. Through forests of fairy tales and across mountains of make-believe, the two travel together on a fantastical journey. Combining elegant images by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston’s typographical landscapes shaped from excerpts of children’s classics and lullabies, A Child of Books is a stunning prose poem on the rewards of reading and sharing stories. An immersive and unforgettable reading experience that readers will want to pass on to others.
Reading age: 0-6
Library Lion
By Phyllis Root, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Miss Merriweather, the head librarian, is very particular about rules in the library. No running allowed. And you must be quiet. But when a lion comes to the library one day, no one is sure what to do. There aren't any rules about lions in the library. And, as it turns out, this lion seems very well suited to library visiting. His big feet are quiet on the library floor. He makes a comfy backrest for the children at story hour. And he never roars in the library, at least not anymore. But when something terrible happens, the lion quickly comes to the rescue in the only way he knows how. Michelle Knudsen's wonderful story, illustrated by the matchless Kevin Hawkes in an expressive timeless style, will win over even the most ardent of rule keepers.
Reading age: 0-6
Digging for Words: Jose Alberto Gutierrez and the Library He Built
By Katherine Pryor, illustrated by Anna Raff
In the city of Bogotá, in the barrio of La Nueva Gloria, there live two Josés. One is a boy who dreams of Saturdays — that's the day he gets to visit Paradise, the library. The second Jose is a garbage collector. From dusk until dawn, he scans the sidewalks as he drives, squinting in the dim light, searching household trash for hidden treasure . . . books! Some are stacked in neat piles, as if waiting for José. Others take a bit more digging. Ever since he found his first book years earlier, he's been collecting books — thick ones and thin ones, worn ones and almost new ones — to add to the collection in his home. And on Saturdays, children like little Jose run to the steps of Paradise to discover a world filled with books and wonder.
With an evocative text by a debut author, and rich, stunning illustrations from a Colombian illustrator, here is a celebration of perseverance, community, and the power of books.
Reading age: 0-6
The Lady with the Books: A Story Inspired by the Remarkable Work of Jella Lepman
By Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Marie Lafrance
Inspired by true events, this is a retelling of how a woman brought a world of books to children after World War II, and changed their lives forever.
This moving picture book, written by beloved and award-winning author Kathy Stinson, is based on the real-life work of Jella Lepman, founder of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) and the International Youth Library. Lepman's collection of children's books from around the world traveled throughout Germany after World War II in the hope of building "bridges of understanding" between countries. This story of the children who survived the war offers a unique and often unexplored perspective for history lessons. It also makes an excellent choice for lessons on resilience. A portion of the author's royalties will be donated to IBBY's Children in Crisis Fund.
Reading age: 4-8
Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller
By Breanna J. McDaniel, illustrated by April Harrison
Before Augusta Braxton Baker became a storyteller, she was an excellent story listener. Her grandmother brought stories like Arthur and Excalibur to life, teaching young Augusta that when there’s a will, there’s always a way. When she grew up, Mrs. Baker began telling her own fantastical stories to children at the 135th Street branch of the New York Public Library in Harlem.
As Mrs. Baker herself put it: “Children of all ages want to hear stories. Select well, prepare well and then go forth and just tell.”
Reading age: 4-8
The Library of Ever
By Zeno Alexander
With her parents off traveling the globe, Lenora is bored, bored, bored . . . until she discovers a secret doorway into the ultimate library. Mazelike and reality-bending, the library contains all the universe’s wisdom. Every book ever written, and every fact ever known, can be found within its walls. And Lenora becomes its newly appointed Fourth Assistant Apprentice Librarian.
She rockets to the stars, travels to a future filled with robots, and faces down a dark nothingness that wants to destroy all knowledge. To save the library, Lenora will have to test her limits and uncover secrets hidden among its shelves.
Reading age: 8+
Pages & Co.: The Bookwanderers
By Anna James
Since her mother's disappearance, eleven-year-old Tilly Pages has found comfort in the stories at Pages & Co., her grandparents' bookshop. But when her favorite characters, Anne of Green Gables and Alice from Wonderland, start showing up at the shop,Tilly's adventures become very real. Not only can she follow Anne and Alice into their books, she discovers she can bookwander into any story she chooses. Tilly's new ability leads her to fun and exciting adventures, but danger may be lurking on the very next page...
When new secrets are uncovered, it's up to Tilly to solve the mystery of what happened to her mother all those years ago. From debut author Anna James comes a charming and exciting adventure about a bookish young heroine, a mysterious librarian, and a magical bookshop that will delight book lovers everywhere.
Reading age: 8+
The Night Library
By Christopher Lincoln
Twins Page and Turner know about the magic a library holds — they’ve been going to their beloved New York City public library for years, especially since their parents are always traveling for work.
But a secret mission involving their dad’s rare and valuable edition of Bram Stoker’s Dracula uncovers a world they’ve never known, featuring a mysterious Night Librarian, famous heroes (and villains) that have broken free from classic books, and an epic battle to save the library from total destruction.
Reading age: 8+
Long Lost
By Jacqueline West
When eleven-year-old Fiona’s family moves to a new town to be closer to her older sister’s figure skating club — and far from Fiona’s close-knit group of friends — nobody seems to notice Fiona’s unhappiness. Alone and out of place, Fiona ventures to the town’s library, a rambling mansion donated by a long-dead heiress. And there she finds a gripping mystery novel about a small town, family secrets, and a tragic disappearance.
Soon Fiona begins to notice strange similarities that blur the lines between the novel and her new town. With a little help from a few odd Lost Lake locals, Fiona uncovers the book’s strange history. Lost Lake is a town of restless spirits, and Fiona will learn that both help and danger come from unexpected places — maybe even from the sister she thinks doesn’t care about her anymore.
Reading age: 8+
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library
By Chris Grabenstein
A fun, fast-paced book that shows in the most literal sense how the knowledge found in books is the path forward.
When Kyle Keeley learns that the world’s most famous game maker, Luigi Lemoncello, has designed the town’s new library and is having an invitation-only lock-in on opening night, he’s determined to be there! But the tricky part isn’t getting into the library. It’s getting out. Because when morning comes, the doors stay locked. Kyle and the other kids must catch every clue and solve every puzzle to find the hidden escape route.
Reading age: 8+
Lirael
By Garth Nix
For teen readers, we recommend Garth Nix’s thrilling fantasy series for one of its settings — a massive, magical, and mysterious library — and some of its characters — librarians who are also warriors for good.
Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr. Abandoned by her mother, ignorant of her father’s identity, Lirael resembles no one else in her large extended family living in the Clayr’s Glacier. She doesn’t even have the Sight, the ability to see into the present and possible futures, that is the very birthright of the Clayr.
With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, to help her, Lirael must find the courage to seek her own hidden destiny.
Reading age: 12+
Stefan Bachmann
Editorial Director
Stefan Bachmann has worked widely in education, cultural programming, and literacy advocacy for over fifteen years. He is an internationally bestselling author of children’s books, co-founder of Foundations in Literacy, co-president of AUTILLUS, the Swiss Association of Children’s Authors and Illustrators, as well as a member of various advisory boards and committees around the world. He studied composition and theory at the Zürich University of Arts.
