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J. C. Gilbert

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The Secret Library: A New Keeper Kindle Edition

by J. C. Gilbert (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.1 494 ratings

Book 1 of 6: The Secret Library

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A bookish girl. A secret library. A thousand portals to a thousand worlds. One choice: face fear, or let it dominate.

For Alex Reed, the world is an awkward place and books are her only escape. But when she is selected by a mysterious library to be its new Keeper she discovers that some books are not for the faint-hearted.

Now Alex must balance her new adventures through the pages with the incomparable obstacles of being an anxiety-riddled teenager. All this might be completely doable, if only Hank would do as he was told.

Book One of The Secret Library Series.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07S86J37C
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tardigrade House (May 22, 2019)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 22, 2019
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1509 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 320 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #421,525 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #318 in Teen & Young Adult Coming of Age Fiction eBooks
- #2,447 in Coming of Age Fantasy eBooks
- #4,064 in Coming of Age Fantasy (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.1 494 ratings

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J. C. Gilbert

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A connoisseur of sense and nonsense in equal measure.

J. C. Gilbert is a New Zealand based author and psychologist who loves to write whimsical and satirical adventures in wonderful worlds. When he is not writing, he is usually by the sea-side listening to a book or dreaming of his next adventure.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5

494 global ratings

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Clark

Enjoyably adventurous journey

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2020

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No spelling errors or incorrect words noticed, which is a plus.
I like the adventure without the violence so many stories seem to pivot around. So far other than a cat biting a fairy or some such thing this story has had none. I look forward to completing the story, in part at least. I tend to not buy books so I will most likely not read the rest in this series, but feel somewhat sure they would also be enjoyable.

6 people found this helpful

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Judith Newman

Secret Library

Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2020

Verified Purchase

Interesting book with a few unexpected twists. Not sure I liked the way the magic was presented, but it did a great job at showing a girl progressing beyond her fears and gaining victory over her fears. Good for young adults to indulge in for a couple of days read.

Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2020

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Didn't live up to the hype but still an enjoyable read. I can't rave about it like some, but everyone sees/feels things differently. This author has great potential so I will likely read the next book in the series.

One person found this helpful

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Angel

Moving adventure

Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2021

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I could not put this book down , I gobbled every page while escaping to the library. Great character's , relatable to all readers. I loved the entire adventure and how the mystery kept me going .....what is going to happen next. I recommend this to all adventure speakers out there,all solitary people out there and all book lovers who can not escape the world fast enough.

One person found this helpful

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Kris Vee

Secret Library has Endless Volumes

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2020

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The Secret Library , Well written. Easy read.
Alex has a secret that could cost her more than her life, it could cost her her one and only friend. Alex tries to control her life in school, home and now her job as the Keeper. Author JC Gilbert weave a story within a story; A place where two worlds collide. Readers are taken on a whirlwind ride as the author opens new worlds and dangerous situations. The characters change and grow as new situations confront them. This would make a great read outloud as the voices of the characters can be heard. An interesting concept of a Secret Library with endless volumes!

5 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Unexpectedly Wonderful

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2021

Verified Purchase

I borrowed this book using Kindle Unlimited because Amazon suggested it based on other things I've read and the title caught my eye. I was very annoyed once I read the first few line as I realized it's a YA novel but those few lines were interesting enough that I decided I would read a little further. If I didn't like it, I could return it. I read it all in one sitting.

Alex's anxiety is so strong, it's got a name and a bit of personality. Unfortunately for her, that doesn't stop her entire way of life being thrown upside down by discovering a book that transports her to The Great Library where all stories in the universe need her to become the new Keeper. Alex has to choose between returning to her old habits of running away and hiding or riskin life and limb both in her regular life and lives accessed via The Library.

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Steve H

Reluctant Girl Begins Her Journey as the Keeper of a Secret Library

Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2020

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Alex is afraid of everything except for reading. After finding a special edition of Alice in Wonderland, she begins reading it and ends up in the Secret Library as its keeper. Different books call to her and she ends up in different realms. As she duels with "Hank", her internal anxiety creation, she begins to change into a much different and better person. I found the book to be light reading, but enjoyable.

One person found this helpful

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Brad Friedlander

Interesting Concept, But Seemed Too Immature

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2020

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This is probably best appreciated by a preteen. I found it difficult to stay fully engaged even though the concept had a lot of appeal. Mostly, I kept waiting to get fully drawn into the story and the characters.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Loretta Paul

Happy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 8, 2021

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Can’t wait to read

Alien Customer

Loved this!

Reviewed in Canada on January 24, 2020

Verified Purchase

Do you love books so much that you want to read a book about reading books? Then this is what you need to pick up next. A New Keeper is a young adult fiction novel about a girl who feels out of place in a world filled with anxiety. She has only one friend, and although that's great, she daydreams about what it would be like to have a group of friends to have around. She names her anxiety Hank, and she learns a valuable lesson to anyone struggling with it in this book.

Following a young girl named Alex, it shows her life as she goes from just an anxious high schooler, to the new keeper of a library located just outside her world. Like, literally. It's in it's own dimension. And that's not even the craziest part. The keeper of the library is a massive gorilla that can talk.

Though I'm not a teenager anymore, I still really enjoy reading young adult fiction, because it's just an easy fallback for me. I feel like young adult fiction is just something that's usually a solid, easy read, and this book is no different. I really enjoyed this from start to finish, and after I immediately added the second book to my wishlist. I also really enjoyed the cover, because the colours just work so well together.

The only thing I would say I expected to be different, would be the books inside the book themselves. I was expecting a bunch of different adventures in one, but that seems like something that's being saved for the other books in the series. This book contains one solid adventure through a book wish a surprise ending, and Alex's real life outside of the library.

I'd say if you're looking for something that you can almost guarantee will be a good read, then this book is for you. Check it out if you get the chance.

Thanks for reading!
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

Kindle Customer

A great read

Reviewed in India on February 16, 2020

Verified Purchase

I thoroughly enjoyed it very much. This is story about a girl named Alex and her anxiety Hank in form of hedgehog. This story truly depict everything about a person who suffer from anxiety. Also it's a bibliophile dream to work in a library because they are magical , they are portal to another world . But what happen when this became real, a real magical library came into existence and Alex is it's keeper who sucked into through a book . Like books title Alice in wonderland this story also has a touch of Alice story . Both go on to their own adventure to different world where they encounter unique things.

This story is really intresting and I am happy that I got this book for free when it is on sale . Definitely going to read next story of this series .

In between story sometime everything gets a little slow but it's worth it .

Rec - A bibliophile

Elisa

I enjoyed it

Reviewed in Australia on March 16, 2020

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A good story and an entertaining read

One person found this helpful

Love Reading

Worth Reading

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 23, 2021

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This story was a veritable roller coaster and involved a lot of strange creatures from the mythological world as well as normal human beings. I liked Alex as she was a thoughtful and caring person with abilities that could have wreaked havoc and caused harm.
I must admit I enjoyed the story although I think it was meant for readers much younger than myself, but it was great to be taken into a mysterious world for a time.
Alex wasn't a perfect heroine and had a great many social inadequacies to overcome. Shy and inhibited she struggles with the normal everyday life of school and home. When she discovers The Secret Library and becomes The Keeper, she must find the strength and courage to overcome an evil force. Helped by her friends Lilly and Darcy it is a compelling story and could very well lead to reading number two in the series. Highly recommended.

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The Secret Library: A New Keeper Kindle Edition

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J. C. Gilbert

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