Review: Little Boy Lost (The Librarian #1) by Eric Hobbs

Little Boy Lost by Eric Hobbs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.  I'm not sure how I got on Eric Hobbs' email list, but I'm glad I did.  This book has been on my Amazon wishlist for a while now.  It showed up as a recommendation for fans of the Percy Jackson books.  I jumped on the chance to review books 1 & 2.  I need to get to book 2 so I can find out what happens.  This was a quick and enjoyable read.  Eric was nice enough to send me an autographed copy as well which I'm super excited to put with my actual books.  I highly recommend this for middle grade readers.  I think my 7 and 9 year old would really love this series.  They love watching Once Upon a Time with me on TV and seeing all the fairy tale character retellings.  I would highly recommend it for young readers who like adventure stories in a fantasy setting.

I enjoyed this book, and I'm anxious to get to book 2. Hobbs blends some of our favorite children's stories into this tale but gives them a distinct twist. Our main character Wesley finds himself on a field trip to tour a local library. Also on the trip are his best friend Taylor and worst enemy Randy. Wesley is regularly bullied by Randy and his crew of goons, while Taylor is always sticking up for him and telling him to stand up for himself. Wesley and Taylor break away from the history lesson on the tour and end up learning that the historical library is more than it seems. There are some truly magical things hiding in its walls. Randy's father is also on the trip with the class, but it turns out he wants to demolish the historical library and all its magic. While trying to stay out of Randy and his father's sights, Wesley finds himself drawn to a strange painting of Neverland. He also runs into Locke, who happens to be one of Peter Pan's Lost Boy's from Neverland. Locke is looking for the mysterious Librarian.

Wesley, Locke, and Taylor can't find the Librarian, but they do discover that Locke must get back to his own story. The kids end up in Oz and learn that once a story is written, it must not be changed. Taylor won't be swayed though and she is determined to help the Tin Man find his true love. If you know the rules of time travel, they kind of apply here, you don't mess with the timeline or it will have consequences. Eventually the kids face off with Randy and his dad to get the Neverland key back so Locke can go back. The find the Librarian and face off with the Headless Horseman. Wesley who is almost irritatingly weak throughout the story, finds his inner strength and starts to stand up for himself. He gets tired of being pushed around all the time which is a good lesson for young readers especially if they are in a similar situation with a kid like Randy. Locke heads back to Neverland, but Wes, Taylor, and the Librarian are left in the real world to deal with the mess they've made. The story ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, but not a bad one. I kind of saw it coming.

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