Book Review: The Cat Who Saved the Library

Book #10 for 2025: The Cat Who Saved the Library by Sōsuke Natsukawa, 2.5/5 ★
224 pages / releases April 2025 / available for pre-order here

Goodreads blurb: Thirteen-year-old Nanami loves reading. The local library is a home from home and books have become her best friends. When Nanami notices books disappearing from the library shelves, she’s particularly curious about a suspicious man in a grey suit whose furtive behavior doesn’t feel right. Should she follow him to see what he’s up to? When a talking tabby cat called Tiger appears to warn her about how dangerous that would be, together they’re brave enough to follow the frightening trail to find out where all the books have gone. Will Nanami and Tiger overcome the challenges of the adventure ahead?

My Review: What childhood bibliophile wouldn’t want to be led through a magical portal to rescue missing books, especially when the obtuse grown-ups in charge can’t see there is something wrong?! The Cat Who Saved the Library is, in some ways, a love story to the enduring power of reading and the connections we make with books as readers. Unfortunately, this theme is overshadowed by quite a lot of philosophical moralizing. The first book felt more purposeful in direction on the theme of grief, but this book was a little less sure of it’s footing. I found the majority of the characters rather unlikable, including Nanami’s father and supposed best friend. The highlight of the story was when Rintaro, the protagonist from book one, shows up. I additionally struggled with the dissonance between how severely Nanami’s asthma is portrayed and the physicality of her role in the some of the climatic scenes. I struggled to get through this book and while it does have some hidden gems, and I’d talk all day about the necessity and power of books and libraries, The Cat Who Saved the Library just didn’t work for me.

*Thank you to the publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.
CW: severe asthma, parent loss (prior to story)