Mary Anne and the Library Mystery by Ann M. Martin

Author:Ann M. Martin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2014-12-26T16:00:00+00:00

On the way from school to the library two days later, I was thinking about how much I loved my new job. I felt involved in it, and, except for my worries about the fires, very happy. It was still cold and gray outside, and I still missed Logan and Dawn and Mallory, but I wasn’t bored anymore. Helping with the Readathon was keeping me awfully busy. Even when I wasn’t actually at the library, I often found myself thinking about the job, figuring out how Norman Hill could find more sponsors, wondering which book Charlotte might want to read next, or trying to come up with a book Sean could get excited about.

As I neared the library, I noticed that the demonstrators were outside again. I had thought (okay, I had hoped) they had given up on getting those books banned, but I guess the cold weather had just kept them away for a while. Now they were back, and shouting as loudly as ever. “Protect our children!” they yelled. “Keep Stoneybrook clean!” A couple of them smiled at me as I hurried by: a woman in a bright green knit cap and a man carrying a sign that showed a book behind one of those red circles with a slash through it.

I smiled back. I didn’t want to seem unfriendly, even though I didn’t agree with what they stood for.

“You seem like a nice young lady,” said the woman with the hat. “Maybe you’d like to take one of these lists and look it over. We have a petition you can sign, if you agree that these books are dangerous for the children of Stoneybrook.”

I took the list and smiled again, but I didn’t say anything. I would never sign a petition to ban books, but that didn’t mean I had to be rude. I made my way through the group of demonstrators and went into the library, giving the list a quick glance. The last time I’d seen it, I’d only noticed To Kill A Mockingbird. This time, I spotted some titles that really surprised me: Huckleberry Finn was on the list, and so was The Grapes of Wrath. I always thought those books were classics. What could be wrong with them? I also saw Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson, which is a book I loved. I couldn’t remember anything terrible about it.

I shoved the list into my jacket pocket as I entered the children’s room. A lot of kids were there already, and Ms. Feld and Miss Ellway both looked busy. Ms. Feld was simultaneously talking on the phone, repairing a ripped book jacket, and checking out a stack of cassettes for a harried-looking mother with a baby in her arms. Miss Ellway was at the checkout desk, where a line of four or five kids, including Sarah Hill and Byron Pike, waited to take out books. “Oh, Mary Anne,” she said. “I’m glad to see you. These two boys here need some help finding books.

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