Off the Shelf

Secrets of the Blue Hill Library Book #6

by Emily Thomas

When the mayor of Blue Hill visits Anne to talk about a new tax proposal that will soon go before the town council, she's excited about the possibilities. The additional funding could provide more library resources and programs, as well as pay some of Anne's dedicated volunteers. But when popular children's books begin vanishing from the shelves, Anne discovers that it is just the tip of an iceberg of political intrigue involving the proposed levy. Can she find out who is behind the scheme and expose their plans before it's too late?

Meanwhile, Ben befriends Joey, a new boy at school, who spends an increasing amount of time at the library and begins frequently staying overnight with Ben's family. As Anne observes Joey's unkempt appearance, she soon realizes there is more to his story thanb meets the eye.

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery

277 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Emily Thomas was born in London, and has lived there most of her life – except between the ages of 13 and 18 when she lived in Maldon in Essex on board a Thames Sailing Barge, with her family of seven assorted siblings and stepsiblings and two warring cats. Emily also works as an editor of many different kinds of books, including children’s and young adult fiction. She now lives in Brixton, with no pets and a lot of books.

Reviews

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 4 out of 5]

About this book:

“When the mayor of Blue Hill visits Anne to talk about a new tax proposal that will soon go before the town council, she's excited about the possibilities. The additional funding could provide more library resources and programs, as well as pay some of Anne's dedicated volunteers. But when popular children's books begin vanishing from the shelves, Anne discovers that it is just the tip of an iceberg of political intrigue involving the proposed levy. Can she find out who is behind the scheme and expose their plans before it's too late?
Meanwhile, Ben befriends Joey, a new boy at school, who spends an increasing amount of time at the library and begins frequently staying overnight with Ben's family. As Anne observes Joey's unkempt appearance, she soon realizes there is more to his story thanb meets the eye.”


Series: Book #6 in the “Secrets of the Blue Hill Library” series. Reviews of #1 Here, #2 Here, #3 Here, and #5 Here! (The fourth book has not been reviewed yet.)


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are quoted & talked about; Prayers; Church going & sermons; Talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Many mentions of God & trusting Him; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, a reverend, sermons, & Sunday school classes; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; A few mentions of those in the Bible; A couple mentions of a missionary; A mention of acting like Jesus; A mention of a godsend; A mention of blessing others; A mention of a prayer chain.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: A couple mentions of people saying others’ name like a curse; A bit of eye rolling; Many mentions of (possibly) stolen items, stealing, thefts, & thieves; Mentions of WWII, escaping the Nazis, & prejudice; Mentions of car accidents, deaths, & injuries; Mentions of illegal activities; Mentions of threats, being bullied, & bruises; Mentions of falling off a roof & injuries; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of rumors; Mentions of a husband who left his wife & their divorce; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a suicide threat; A mention of throwing up; A mention of spankings;
*Note: A mention of a car brand.


Sexual Content- A few mentions of a high school sweetheart & a broken heart; A mention of seeing a couple kiss;
*Note: A mention of being told to butt out.

-Anne Gibson
P.O.V. switches between them
266 pages

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
While this mystery did feel a bit more “adult-ish” than the previous ones only because of the political parts and Anne missing her husband more in this one than in the previous books (which made me want to give her a hug!), it was still a good read.
I thought it was neat that a new character who is introduced in this book has a sister who lives in China working with orphans.
Overall, it was another good mystery in this series! :)


Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...


*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne is still running her library and the mayor talks to her about helping to get a town levy passed.It would help him get reelected and give money to the library. She noticed that 4 children’s books are missing and the mayor is afraid that will cause problems getting the levy passed because people will think the town isn’t careful with it’s money. The plot all worked out but it seemed really odd that 4 missing children’s books would cause anyone to think that way. It is also odd all the work Anne does to find the books, calling all the patrons that had been in the library, going to people’s business and garage sales looking for the books.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the next book in the Secrets of the Blue Hill Library series. I love this series since it is about a woman who was given her great aunt's Victorian home with the plan to turn the lower half into a library and she and her kids live in the upper half. First I would love to live in a Victorian home AND I can't imagine living a library in my home.

Each book has it's own mystery and this one had to do with missing children's books. They always keep me turning pages.

[Jacquie Stricklind · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a hard book to put down! I have worked in a library and it is so frustrating to not be able to find books that are checked in and supposed to be on the shelf. Anne is missing several children books, who took them and why? Meanwhile the mayor wants Anne to get people to come to the library and hear him speak about why they should vote on a tax levy, and also vote for him in the next election. What secrets are the mayor and his wife hiding, and his opponent what is he hiding? Also, Anne gets a threating message about her children's safety. Anne hopes with God's help and her friends the mystery will be solved. Really a God book!

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one takes a bit more concentration and attention to details than the average cozy mystery and there are more characters. There is quite a lot going on. My favorite character in this story is Ben. He is such a trooper and showing maturity in his thinking.

[Val · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Anne but she really needs to get her priorities (her kids) straight. I love a good mystery too but really she's pushing the limits.

[Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great mystery that kept me turning pages! I love the faith content in this book. No romantic plot which is a bonus for me. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

[Flora Camille Lynette Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!!

[Jeanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guideposts publishes really good series of cozy mysteries involving consistent characters, and the Blue Hill Library series is no exception. The characters are believable and the kind of people that one would like to have as friends and neighbors.
The plot in "Off the Shelf" is believable, with a trail of suspects that lead the reader in various directions and - surprise! - the culprit will not be the person you might expect.
Authors used in this series all go by the Emily Thomas name, but are very good mystery writers, many of whom have written in some of Guideposts' other series.
Awesome! Young adults and adults alike who enjoy family-oriented, well-written cozy mysteries will enjoy this book, I highly recommend it!

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anne Gibson is the librarian of Blue Hills. She set up the library in an old house that her Aunt Edie had left to her. In the time since she returned to Blue Hill from New York City, the library has become a great place to gather for meetings of all kinds. Currently on the agenda is a meeting of the mayor of Blue Hills to discuss a levy that will benefit not only the library but the whole town. As Anne and her volunteers clean up after the meeting they discover four books missing from the children's room, four popular classics. As Anne seeks to find the missing books, the mayoral race heats up and rumors as to conspiracies abound.

[Linda Husvar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this Guideposts mystery from the "Secrets of Blue Hill Library" series. Librarian Anne Gibson could not imagine why four classic children's disappeared during an Easter party. I loved Anne's sleuthing skills as she tried to solve the mystery. The author kept me guessing about who would take the books and why. Who would have imagined that it involved political misconduct in a small town? The characters in this faith-based novel were believable as the plot unfolded. I highly recommend this book to those who like clean, cozy novels.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great story in the Secrets of Blue Hill Library series. Takes on ID theft in ths story.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. As always the team who writes these books did an amazing job portraying the plot and writing the book in general. I am glad the series has twenty-six books so I won't be sad the series ended for a long time. I love mysteries but I am not very good at figuring them out. This book had me guessing until the last few chapters. I hop you all enjoy the book as much as I did.