The Librarians of Rue de Picardie

From the bestselling author, a powerful, moving wartime page-turner based on real events

By: Janet Skeslien Charles

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Paperback | 8 April 2025 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
336 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
19.8 x 13.0 x 2.0

Paperback

RRP $24.99

$21.75

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The New York Times bestselling author returns with a moving new novel based on the true story of a New York librarian determined to bring books to the children of war-torn France. An instant USA Today bestseller.

Under what was left of the roof of the ruined cottage, a girl with pigtails perched on a pile of rubble, hunched over a book...

1918: As the Great War rages, Jessie Carson leaves the New York Public Library for the American Committee for Devastated France. Joining the women rebuilding French communities, Jessie strives to establish something new - children's libraries. She turns ambulances into bookmobiles and trains the first French female librarians. Then she disappears.

1987: Librarian Wendy Peterson stumbles across a reference to Jessie Carson in the archives. Consumed by her story, Wendy learns that she and the elusive librarian have more in common than the NYPL. Wendy's obsession leads to their paths converging in surprising ways across time.

*Published under the title Miss Morgan's Book Brigade in the US*

About the Author

Janet Skeslien Charles is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Paris Library. Her work has been translated into thirty-eight languages. She has spent a decade researching Jessie Carson at the Morgan Library, the New York Public Library, and archives across France. Her shorter work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Sydney Morning Herald, Literary Hub, and the anthology Montana Noir.

Industry Reviews

'Beautifully written... unforgettable!'

'Inspiring'

'A great book for book-club discussions

I will be thinking of these brave women for a long time to come

'A beautiful story of female courage, friendship and the power of books'

'An enthralling, emotional story rich in historical detail... Charles has done real justice to the legacy of these courageous women; this wonderful book is a gift to the reader' - Liese O'Halloran Schwarz

'A moving novel of sacrifice, heroism, and inspired storytelling immersed in the power of books to change our lives' - Patti Callahan Henry

'Bibliophiles are in for a treat' - Publishers Weekly

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