How to Save a Library

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Author(s)

Colleen Nelson

Publisher Name

Pajama Press

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

November 25, 2025

ISBN13

978-1772783520

ISBN10 or ASIN

Casey is tired of always being the new kid at school. Now, for the first time in Casey’s life, he finally feels settled—that is until his dad’s job at the library is threatened.

Every year Casey’s life seems to be boxed up and shipped to a new city. His dad thinks moving is an adventure, but at this point Casey is so over adventure. In Armstrong's Point, Casey life finally feels stable. His talent on the soccer field has made him a natural fit with the popular kids and he loves the apartment he shares with his dad.

But when Casey discovers the local library, where his dad works, is in need of extensive restorative repairs, his future once again feels uncertain. In order to save the one place in the world that feels like home, Casey joins the Kids Community Action Network (C.A.N) where his team will compete for community funding. Unfortunately, this means working with Addison—a former friend, turned not-so-friend—who isn’t going to make it easy on him.

Award-winning author Colleen Nelson weaves together a story of heart and humor, highlighting the power of libraries to bring communities together.

Editor review

1 review

A Timely Book About Library Advocacy

February 01, 2026 (Updated: June 08, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

Casey and his father have moved around a lot with his father's job as a librarian, and have most recently landed in Cornish, where they have been for over a year. It's a great small town, and the two rent an apartment from Mr. Nakamura. Casey plays soccer with Steve and Alex, who can be unpleasant jerks at times. There is a lot of tension between Casey and his former best friends Addison and Vivienne, but the cause of this is not revealed until later in the book. When the public library needs expensive renovations, Casey is worried that his father will lose his job, and they will have to move again. To try to avoid this, he joins a school club called Kids C.A.N. (Community Action Network) that is working to win a contest that will provide $30,000 to a community project. The library is heavily used, and has a huge fan base, in part because of a duck, Daisy, who comes back yearly to nest on the roof! The only two kids willing to work with the grumpy Mr. Olivera who was "voluntold" to help? Addision and Vivienne. Luckily, Addison also wants to work to help the library, since her mother has a bakery right next door. This also makes sense, because Casey and Addison's friendship involved a lot of bonding over books. Impressed by the money making ideas that the girls have, Casey tries to play to his own strengths to earn something for the project, and approaches his soccer coach with an proposal. What if his team ran a soccer camp for younger players? Sign ups go so well that the Coach asks the girls' team to do something similar. Steve continues to be a jerk on and off the soccer field, and after a scuffle during a game leads to Casey being injured, Casey finally stands up to him. Will this be enough to repair his friendship with Addison? Most importantly, will the Kids C.A.N. group be able to win the contest and provide the money the library needs in order to keep Casey's dad employed?

Good Points

There were several threads of suspense that ran through this, and I don't want to ruin any of the twists. I liked Casey a lot; he seemed like a solid Everyboy who is trying to live his life and not irritate people around him. He is active in soccer, gets along with his dad, is a good student, and occasionally has to deal with difficult relationships. Every school has jerks like Steve, and it was good to see that he at least apologizes at the end of the book. Addison and Casey's relationship also makes sense; I wouldn't have talked to Casey under the circumstances, either, even if Vivienne was more understanding. Many libraries are having difficulties, and avid readers will be invested in saving the Cornish Library.

Readers who enjoyed this author's Umbrella House will be glad to see another book about the importance of community from her. This is a good choice for readers who want a library centered story like Sumner, Jamie. The Summer of June, Bishop's The Things You Can't Say, Tan, Amy Rebecca. A Kind of Paradise, Coats, J. Anderson. The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls.