Being one of five brothers isn't easy on Will Woodman. He's in the upper middle, so he's too young to be in charge and too old to escape blame through strategic use of cuteness. He and his elder brother Marty are mortified when their parents decide to drop them off at the library a few times a week. They're mortified because Spud Murphy is their town librarian, and she hates children. She makes youngsters stay in the children's area, which is in front of a single shelf of kids' books on a small square of carpet. Marty tests Spud and ends up with a very embarrassing stamp in permanent ink on his arm. The boys accidentally discover that reading is fun and quickly exhaust the children's books. When shy Will breaks library rules in search of a new book, Spud's reaction and Will's punishment are nothing like he expected. Colfer aims at a younger audience and hilariously hits the mark. Spud-er, Angela-Murphy is not a stereotypical librarian by any stretch, and young readers will hoot over Will's wry narration. (Fiction. 7-12) (Kirkus Reviews)

Will has four brothers and it's chaos in his house! If he's not being teased by his big brother Marty, he has to deal with the terrible, three-headed bundle of cuteness that is his three younger brothers. Even worse, his mother has the brilliant idea of packing Will and Marty off to the library during the holidays. She just doesn't understand! Not only is the library no fun, it's also the habitat of the legendary librarian Spud Murphy. If you put a foot wrong, it's rumoured she will use her dreaded gas-powered spud gun and you don't want that just ask Ugly Frank how he got his nickname! Eventually Will and Marty discover a love of books and that Mrs Murphy isn't so bad after all!

Will has four brothers and it's chaos in his house! If he's not being teased by his big brother Marty, he has to deal with the terrible, three-headed bundle of cuteness that is his three younger brothers. Even worse, his mother has the brilliant idea of packing Will and Marty off to the library during the holidays. She just doesn't understand! Not only is the library no fun, it's also the habitat of the legendary librarian Spud Murphy. If you put a foot wrong, it's rumoured she will use her dreaded gas-powered spud gun and you don't want that just ask Ugly Frank how he got his nickname! Eventually Will and Marty discover a love of books and that Mrs Murphy isn't so bad after all!

Eoin Colfer, the second of five brothers, was born and raised in Wexford, a seaside town in the south-east of Ireland. His first novel, Benny and Omar was an instant bestseller in Ireland, and Artemis Fowl, his first book featuring the brilliant young anti-hero was an immediate international bestseller. It was winner of both the WHSmith 'People's Choice' Children's Book of the Year and the Children's Book of the Year at the British Book Awards, and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year and the Blue Peter Book Award.

2007-08-22 Fun in a Library

Will and his brother Marty are doomed to spend their holidays in the Library. This library has a formidable librarian in Mrs Murphy, otherwise known as Spud Murphy, legend has it that she has a gas-powered Spud Gun behind the desk and she wields a mean rubber stamp.

It's over the top and cool and fun and I almost empathise with Mrs Murphy. There are some kids I'd like to limit to a small patch of carpet and throw things at when they misbehave but that really wouldn't go down well with the powers that be!

The illustrations add well to the story and it's quite charming, the way that the two boys find that reading is in fact fun and start enjoying being in the library was heartwarming, particularly for a librarian.