goodreads | The Librarian (Book One: Little Boy Lost)

Title: The Librarian (Book One: Little Boy Lost)
Author: Eric Hobbs
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 200
Date read: December, 2011

Wesley Bates thinks his life pretty much sucks. He's landed at the bottom of his school's popularity ladder, and bully Randy Stanford seems to be waiting around every corner.

The troubled teen thinks he's found a way to escape his real-world problems when he stumbles upon strange doorways in Astoria's local library that seem to lead into the extraordinary worlds from all his favorite books. Oz, Neverland, Wonderland -- they're all a reality with Wesley's new discovery. Wesley teams with best friend Taylor Williams to embark on a great adventure, both ready to leave the drama of middle school behind.

But the two kids quickly find themselves embroiled in a centuries-old battle for the library and the magic hiding within. Now, fighting alongside the eccentric old man who's vowed to protect the building's power, the pair must help ward off an attack by a shadowy group with a strange tie to Wesley's nemesis, forcing Wesley to face the fears he's been dodging... and one of the most terrifying bullies of all time!

I'm hard pressed to say exactly what I think of this book. The plot was spot-on and right up my aisle. I loved the idea of being able to visit different books, and even - ala "The Eyre Affair" - influence the plot enough to change endings.

I wasn't too impressed by the writing though. It seemed unfinished somehow. Had this been a draft, I would have said it had great potential, but I think the editors did Eric Hobbs a disservice by not getting him to polish it off properly.

So 4 stars for the plot, and -1 for the writing. I'm intrigued enough to want to read the next book in the series though.