Common Sense Media Review
By Lucinda Dyer
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Captivating tale about lives that could have been lived.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY begins with a suicide. Thirty-five-year-old Nora Seed has wanted to die for quite a while, believing she's of no use to anyone and a disappointment to all. Nora has a degree in philosophy but has been (until she was let go) working in a music store. She called off her wedding two days before the ceremony, and her beloved cat has been killed. Nora decides there's no point at all in continuing to live. After her overdose, she is welcomed into an enormous building with book shelves instead of walls by her beloved school librarian, Mrs. Elm. She explains that between life and death, there's a library filled with books containing lives Nora might have led; choices she regretted not making. She'll now have a chance to experience those lives. There's her life as a country pub owner's wife and a chance to live in Sydney, the home of her best friend, Izzy. She becomes an Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer and motivational speaker, a glaciologist in the Arctic, and a rock star who's just broken up with a famous American movie star. But none of these much-wished-for lives turns out to be the right one. Nora tries dozens more (chess champion, a life without social media, vegan powerlifter) and then finds what she thinks might be her perfect life. But is it?
Is It Any Good?
This thoroughly engaging, sometimes humorous novel effortlessly blends a bit of fantasy with a serious and thought-provoking storyline about choices and regrets. While The Midnight Library was written for an adult audience, there's a strong message for teen readers about the importance of seeking help if they're battling depression or having thoughts about harming themselves, and a message about appreciating the life they have rather than dwelling in "what ifs."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the most important lessons Nora learned in The Midnight Library. Is there a lesson from the novel that you can apply to your own life?
What are the lives you might like to live in the future? Is it important to have dreams about what could be in your future even if they don't come true?
If you had a Book of Regrets, what are two things you'd write on the first page?
Nora grows from despair to appreciation of her original life. Would things be different if you practiced gratitude for your life, even with its imperfections? How might it help you to appreciate what you have rather than focusing on "what ifs"?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Literary Fiction
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic )
- Character Strengths : Gratitude
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Viking
- Publication date : January 29, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 18 - 18
- Number of pages : 304
- Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : April 15, 2026
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