The Legend of the Last Library by Frank L. Cole

The Legend of the Last Library pictures a dystopian future without books or paper, and one intrepid reader who holds the key to restoration.

The Legend of the Last Library by Frank L. Cole. Shadow Mountain, 2024, 280 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 10-15

Since her archaeologist parents died in a cave-in, Juni’s guardian is her grandfather, but as his health declines, Juni (short for Juniper) has felt their roles reversed. The pair have barely enough credits to feed themselves and pay the rent, much less afford therapy and medicine. The government issues credits instead of paper money because there’s no paper, owing to a devastating blight long before that wiped out all trees. No paper means no books. Juni was taught to read by Grandpa Edgar, but there’s little occasion to practice it: “Why read when you could uplink from the Global Database of Learning?” Each child receives a personal Syncron upon starting school—an ear device that uses audio, images, and vibrations to stimulate different parts of the brain. Thus, “a Syncron could uplink information in a fraction of the time that reading would take.”

In spite of, or perhaps because of, all the electronic substitutes, paper in any form is valuable. The government will pay handsomely for it, though no one questions why. Desperate for extra credits, Juni has taken to sneaking out to scavenge for it, though being on the streets at night is risky with patrols of the government’s fierce mechanical dogs about. It’s on one of these excursions that she meets Kobyn, a boy on a mission, who knows a lot more about the Great Blight than she’s ever dreamed. Is it possible that everything she’s been taught about their paperless world is a big lie? Even more: could it be true that she holds a vital key to revealing the truth?

One objection that came to my mind is that paper can be made from rags or other plants besides trees. But setting facts aside, the narrative moves swiftly and the scenario should give readers something to think about. Is it possible some massively centralized government could seize control of all knowledge? Is electronic information (which can be easily altered) as reliable as physical books? With the future of AI an open question and “authoritarian tendencies” a constant political topic, young readers may want to start thinking about these things earlier and valuing their reading time more. As an extra bonus, the author has included a secret message decodable by looking up the ISBN numbers at the beginning of each chapter. (Those electronic devices do come in handy after all.)

Bottom Line: An absorbing, fast-moving adventure set in a dystopian future that’s not inconceivable.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Review: Evan Miller Is Walking Down examines similar themes from a Christian worldview.
• Reviews: The Unwanteds, a series for middle-graders, pictures a future of separation between desirable qualities and those less so. And don’t forget the classic MG dystopia, The Giver. For a lighter touch, see our review of Your Pal Fred.
• Reflection: See our three-part post on dystopian fiction, beginning here.

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