The Astral Library

Historical fiction author Quinn (The Alice Network) turns her hand to magical realism in this charming tale about the joy of reading and the necessity of public libraries. Alix Watson, 26, struggles to make ends meet in Boston, with only $36.82 to her name and a revolving door of low-paying jobs. Finding refuge at the Boston Public Library, she stumbles across a magic portal to a place where the library’s patrons live inside a book of their choosing. There are rules: the book must be in the public domain, Alix cannot become a named character in the narrative, and the course of the story cannot be changed. Alix chooses Around the World in Eighty Days, but before she enters the book, the library comes under attack from a mysterious force. She and the librarian set out to rescue patrons trapped in other books and rehouse them in paintings, where they cannot be so easily found. The plot becomes a bit unwieldy, but underdog Alix keeps the reader invested with her boisterousness and determination. Bookworms will be enchanted. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. (Feb.)