Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Pages: 288
Intended Audience: Adult
Genre: Mystery/Adventure
Notes for Parents: There’s nothing that should concern parents

The Back Cover

The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco web-design drone—and into a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But Clay learns that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. The few customers come in repeatedly to borrow impossibly obscure volumes, all according to some elaborate arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. Soon, Clay has embarked on a complex analysis of the patrons’ behavior and roped his friends into helping him figure out just what’s going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, they discover secrets that extend far beyond the walls of the bookstore.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

An Alex Award winner (YALSA's Alex Awards honor ten books written for adults with special appeal to teens), this book was also a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for First Fiction and was named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, The Los Angeles Times, and The San Francisco Chronicle.

What’s good?

This quirky adventure is intelligent, imaginative, and easy to read. Packed with pop culture references and an old world mystery, the story is both a tribute to books and a nod to technology. Great characters – a wonderful blend of young and old, hipsters and geeks – and a clever plot make this an amusing romp for booklovers and computer nerds alike.
Best Part: Mat’s Matropolis.

What isn’t good?

The one thing the story really lacked was tension. Solutions to problems came easy to the characters thanks in part to the vastness of the internet, but also to millionaire Neel and his limitless access to cash and to Kat, whose job at Google gave them limitless access to technology. Everything they needed was always quickly and conveniently available, requiring a high dose of suspended disbelief for the reader.
Worst part: I often got lost in the computer jargon.

Recommendation þþþoo

In the end, this is a simple story about the complex relationship between old knowledge and new technology. There are no surprises, no big emotional moments or fast-paced chases, and yet it’s an enjoyable adventure with fun characters, feel good moments, and plenty of charm. Recommended.

Sloan, Robin. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. New York: HarperTeen, 2011.