The New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the “captivating, richly drawn” (Woman’s World) The Paris Library returns with a brilliant new novel based on the true story of Jessie Carson—the American librarian who changed the literary landscape of France.

1918: As the Great War rages, Jessie Carson takes a leave of absence from the New York Public Library to work for the American Committee for Devastated France. Founded by millionaire Anne Morgan, this group of international women help rebuild devastated French communities just miles from the front. Upon arrival, Jessie strives to establish something that the French have never seen—children’s libraries. She turns ambulances into bookmobiles and trains the first French female librarians. Then she disappears.

1987: When NYPL librarian and aspiring writer Wendy Peterson stumbles across a passing reference to Jessie Carson in the archives, she becomes consumed with learning her fate. In her obsessive research, she discovers that she and the elusive librarian have more in common than their work at New York’s famed library, but she has no idea their paths will converge in surprising ways across time.

Based on the extraordinary little-known history of the women who received the Croix de Guerre medal for courage under fire, Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade is a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, the power of literature, and ultimately the courage it takes to make a change.

“A billet-doux to books and libraries.”
— Toronto Star

“[A] compelling ode to the astonishing power of libraries and librarians. . . . Janet Skeslien Charles’s latest novel is—to borrow the words of one of her own characters—‘unputdownable’!”
— MARIE BENEDICT, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Woman in the Room

Praise for The Paris Library

“Janet Skeslien Charles is that perfect writer, able to take a true nugget of history and weave it into a tale that grips you from page one . . . A rich, glorious, life-affirming tribute to literature and female solidarity. Simply unforgettable!”
— KATE THOMPSON, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Wartime Book Club

“A vivid, enjoyable, based-on-a-true-story tale. In The Paris Library, the beloved library, its staff, and its subscribers come to life and remind us of both the horrors of World War II and the vital role books play in keeping us afloat in difficult times. Well-researched, stirring, and rich with detail, The Paris Library is an ode to the importance of libraries, books, and the human connections we find within both.”
— KRISTIN HARMEL, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Lost Names

“Bursting with remarkable characters and filled with heart-in-mouth moments . . . This wonderful book is a gift to the reader.”
— LIESE O’HALLORAN SCHWARZ, award-winning author of What Could Be Saved

“An astonishing novel of post-WWI France with the beating heart of courageous women who change the world through books . . . and a moving tale of sacrifice, heroism, and inspired storytelling immersed in the power of books to change our lives.”
— PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY, New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea

“A wonderful story about the ability of books not only to inspire, but also to rescue and restore. The characters are so richly drawn that they leap off the page . . . I absolutely loved it!”
— RUTH HOGAN, bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things

“Miss Morgan's Book Brigade is a delight of a novel from Janet Skeslien Charles, who demonstrates, once again, the critical importance of libraries, and this story feels particularly urgent in our current climate of rampant underfunding and censorship. Miss Morgan's Book Brigade is also a love letter to librarians, the benevolent curators and protectors of the literary works that form, influence, and memorialize our culture and all its many imperfections. Like her heroine Kit Carson, Skeslien Charles shows us the enduring power of books to transport readers across time and space, as well as the healing capacity of words in times of darkness.”
— HEATHER MARSHALL, #1 bestselling author of Looking for Jane

“Absolutely delightful from the first page to the last. I recommend this book to anyone who understands the magic of books, friendships, and love in the face of evil.”
— GENEVIEVE GRAHAM, #1 bestselling author of The Forgotten Home Child