The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams by Mindy Thompson

What does all the magic in the world matter if it can't save the ones you love?

It's 1944 Sutton, NY, and Poppy's family owns and runs, Rhyme and Reason, a magical bookshop that caters to people from all different places and time periods. Though her family's world is ravaged by World War II, their customers hail from their past and their future, infusing the shop with a delightful mix of ideas and experiences. The shop runs on a set of rules handed down from one generation of bookseller to the next, with their cardinal rule their most strict: shopkeepers must never use the magic for themselves.

But then Poppy's brother's best friend is killed in the war and her brother wants to use the magic to save him. Young Poppy is caught between her love for her brother and loyalty to her family, all the while knowing that her brother's actions could have devastating consequences that reach far beyond the bookshop, feeding an insidious, growing darkness.

Hardcover,  30 pages

Published October 26, 2021

 by Viking Books for Young Readers

4/5 stars

This was another one of those middle grade books that did some serious damage to my TBR, a book about books, that only stands to reason.

Taking place in 1944 in  Sutton, New York, the setting for Poppy‘s family and the bookstore that they run. But the bookstore is different than your average bookstore, it is magical in that you see people from different places and different time. Which all seems normal for Poppy.

Told from Poppy‘s point of view it also uses the shop Rhyme & Reason as a character, a character with feeling and emotions that it isn’t shy to express them.

When Poppy‘s brother tries to rearrange history, after the death of his best friend, things really go haywire in the magical world and young Poppy is left in charge to try to right the wrongs her brother does.

This was a fun read, it was unique in it’s story and it had authentic characters, characters with a wide range of emotions. There were times that I felt maybe the story might’ve been a bit too twisty for the target audience, the dark vs light and rules I had to pay attention to.

I did love all the references to other middle grade books from different eras. Yes I googled and yes my tbr has expanded, thank you very much Mindy Thompson.

All in all a fun story that I think would be geared more towards the girls than the guys. Also while I love the cover this book had more serious undertones than the whimsical feeling from the cover.

This book was part of my 2025 reading off my shelf challenge and is book #26.