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Review: The Library of Unruly Treasures

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The Library of Unruly Treasures
Written by Jeanne Birdsall
New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2025. J Fiction, 345 pages.

Gwen MacKinnon has no reason to believe she is special. Her own parents are terribly negligent and preoccupied. But when she is sent to the Boston area to stay with a relative she's never met before, everything starts to change. First, Gwen finds love and warmth in her great uncle's Matthew's home. Then Gwen makes an astonishing discovery. The local children have a "shared imagination" of tiny, winged creatures who live in the town's beautiful old library. These Lahdukan emigrated from Scotland and have been cared for by generations of MacKinnon girls. Only children under six years old can see them. Except Gwen realizes she can see them too. This reveals her destiny as a Qalba, a caretaker of the Lahdukan. This previously ignored, neglected girl grows in bravery, confidence, and self-assuredness as she leads her clan of fantastic creatures to a new home.

This is a well-written, sweet book that holds realism and fantasy with equal regard. I loved the unfolding of the Lahdukan culture. Lahdukan are dignified, intelligent, sophisticated creatures with rituals and prophecies. The immediate love Gwen has for them and the deep reverence they have for her is really unique and touching. The Library of Unruly Treasures would be a great read for someone who likes fantasy grounded in emotional truth, or for anyone who believes in the worth of unwanted girls.
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