Title: The Midnight Library
Author: Matt Haig
Genre: Fantasy
# of pages: 288
Reading Level: 6th
Summary: The Midnight Library follows Nora Steed in her journey from rock bottom to rediscovering her love for life. After an exceptionally bad day, Nora decides to end her life. Despite her best efforts, Nora lands in an in-between place called the Midnight Library. Guided by her elementary school librarian, Nora is given the chance to live in every possible life she could have had and is currently living. The only thing she has to do is find a life she feels is worth living. The Midnight Library is a novel for anyone who feels stuck or like they have no control over their life. It serves as a reminder that “Love and laughter and fear and pain are universal currencies,” (HAIG, 2023) and is proof the grass is greener where you water it.
Genre: The Midnight Library falls into the science fiction/ fantasy category as it explores the possibility of alternate worlds and parallel timelines. Every life that Nora tries is through the eyes of a different version of herself.
Reading the Novel: I could see The Midnight Library being read as a class, but I feel like this would be a book I would recommend to a student who may be having a hard time. It has received some criticism for moonlighting as a self-help book, but there are so many passages that could cause a shift in perspective for a student who feels as though they have no sense of agency in their lives.
Teaching the Novel: This novel explores mature themes, such as suicide, but I think the message of the book is more important than the cautionary tale that comes with discussing these things with students. The Midnight Library is set at a 5th-6th grade reading level and the vocabulary used throughout the book is easy to grasp. It was a quick and enjoyable read for me, so I think this novel will work for students who may be at a lower reading level than their counterparts.
Cross Curriculum: The Midnight Library could be a fun book to discuss in a science class as it revolves heavily around the idea of parallel timelines and universes. I am not familiar with science standards throughout Georgia, but I am not sure that there would be a standard that relates specifically to this. However, it could be an engaging way to get students engaged in the book to try to determine if alternate timelines could really exist.
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