Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release date: 12 March 2026
Back cover blurb: London, 1939. When war breaks out on librarian Joyce Kindred's doorstep and a call for help rings out across the libraries of London, she's determined to act. Joyce knows only the world of books can offer safety and comfort to her neighbourhood-and she will make sure no one is left behind. Joyce sets up a mobile library scheme, but soon her acts of resistance go beyond sharing books. She shelters a young Jewish refugee, Adela - and it's not long before she discovers Adela has a secret that could turn their world upside down again... Occupied Poland, 1942. Dorotha knows any chance of her escaping the barbed wire fences and cruelty of the Łódź ghetto dwindles by the day. Reading isn't just an act of defiance: it's the only thing left in her life over which she has any control. And so she shares books under the cover of darkness, creating a secret library away from her captors - that is, until even that last ray of hope is taken from her... Joyce and Dorotha were once librarians, ordinary women, and best friends. The war has forced them into acts of unimaginable bravery-but will they ever find each other again?
This is such a beautiful novel. Two of my favourite things combined, books (of course) and historical fiction. It also taps into a part of the war that I wasn't familiar with, the secret libraries that were run in the ghetto's by brave volunteers.
In London, Joyce Kindred has wanted to launch a mobile library service for a number of years, but as a library assistant, has been stopped by her Library Manager, a no-nonsense woman who thinks the idea is ridiculous.
Joyce knows that books bring people comfort, and in wartime, that is something that is needed more than ever. Her Librarian friends, scattered across the country (and abroad) feel Joyce's pain. They each have a variation of Joyce's manager, who isn't necessarily prepared for the changes that war must bring.
In occupied Poland, Dorotha longs to escape the ghetto, but knows that it is almost impossible. She has had to leave her love of books behind and focus on staying alive. But she longs to be back in a world that revolves around books.
One day, her boss proposes something to her - a secret library. She thinks that she cannot do it. But knows that she must. It will help to keep her focus on something other than the depths of her despair (and others).
It is a huge risk, but she knows it will be worth it.
The Secret Society of Librarians is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.
Thank you to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.