Pages & Co. #2: The Lost Fairy Tales by Anna James

My name is Tilly, and horrifying changes are happening at the British Underlibrary. Melville Underwood is now in charge, and he wants books to be bound and bookwanderers stamped. He even wants to stop kids like Oskar and me from any bookwandering. He got elected Librarian by saying he knows where to find Enoch Chalk, but his story is sketchy. Chalk trapped my mother in a book for years, and I'd love to see him captured. Traveling to see Oskar's dad in Paris is a nice distraction, and we didn't plan to do any bookwandering. We especially didn't plan to enter an unpredictable fairy tale. However, Prince Charming has taken Oskar somewhere, and I'm getting help from Jack and Rapunzel to find him. All I really know is something terrible is going on and books are leaking magic. 

You can probably enjoy this book without reading the first one, but you'll miss the backstory of Tilly and Enoch Chalk. You'll enjoy this book if you like mashed up fairy tales. It's clear Underwood is the main antagonist this time, but his evilness goes far beyond the Underlibrary. You'll do well to remember that evil characters can't be trusted, so question everything they say. The plot follows Tilly, as she investigates her first fairy tales. You'll find characters from different stories interacting and tales that have been twisted. Gaps and emptiness pop up all over the place. These things create elements of danger and uncertainty, and the book reads like a mysterious adventure. Who is causing these changes, and why? Tilly's mother is human and her father is a fictional character, so Tilly has some unique abilities. The extent of them is unclear, and the author is only starting to shed light on them. Oskar is a loyal friend and supports Tilly, even when she makes bad choices. His family brings new characters to the story, and that may not be a totally good thing. The whole conflict within the Underlibrary boils down to freedom of choice, which might be comparable to the real-world debates within the United States. Overall, I'm enjoying the series, and it looks like the sequel will take the conflict in a new direction. Give it a shot.