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When Alcatraz and Grandpa Smedry make a pilgrimage to the Free Kingdom city of Crystallia, the Smedry home base, Alcatraz is shocked to see that he is, in fact, a legend. When he was a baby he was stolen by the Evil Librarians, and his mother, a Librarian herself, was behind the whole scheme. Now, with his estranged father, who is acting indeed strange, Bastille, who has been stripped of her armor, and Grandpa Smedry, who is, as always, late to everything (that's his Talent), Alcatraz tries to save a city under siege. From who? Why, the Librarians of course!

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From School Library Journal

Grade 6–8—Fresh from his victorious campaign in Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones (Scholastic, 2008), Alcatraz anticipates a triumphal return to his ancestral home. However, all is not well there. A deputation of Librarians, led by the fearsome She Who Cannot Be Named, is demanding that the realm of Mokia be handed over as a concession for ending their longstanding war, and Alcatraz suspects that the delegation is part of a more sinister Librarian scheme. Meanwhile, his friend and ally, Bastille, is facing disgrace as a result of their previous adventures and has lost her title of full Knight of Crystallia. Something is seriously amiss in Crystallia as well. With the help of a "recovering" Librarian and a hero-worshipping Prince, Alcatraz and Bastille must try to uncover the plot before the Librarian brute squad gets them all. As in his earlier adventures, Alcatraz frequently "breaks page" to address readers with side comments, instructions, and, occasionally, complaints and insults. Character relationships depend heavily on the previous books, although good and evil roles are less rigidly defined this time around. Alcatraz's changing perception of his parents is particularly interesting. He begins to sense love from the Librarian mother he has feared and hated, even as he grows concerned that his father may pose an unexpected threat to the Kingdoms. The rather complicated plot can be challenging to follow, and plenty of threads are left dangling for yet another sequel. Beneath the wild humor, there are surprisingly subtle messages about responsibility and courage.—Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL
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About the Author

Brandon Sanderson is the author of the Mistborn Trilogy and Elantris, which Orson Scott Card called "the finest novel of fantasy to be written in many years." Alcatraz Smedry Versus the Evil Librarians is Brandon's first book for kids. He writes and plays with swords in Provo, Utah.