Reading guide for The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson

Reading Guide Questions

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. At the start of the novel June prefers to be alone with her books rather than to interact with her neighbors. How do her feelings towards solitude evolve by the end of the novel?
2. The library is the center of the community in the small village of Chalcot. What is the center of your community?
3. Many of June's childhood memories center around specific books such as Matilda. Did you read any books as a child that shaped who you are today? Have you revisited them since?
4. June's grief for her mother causes her to push friends away. What events and people in the book help her navigate the grief? How?
5. June has certain books she reads and rereads to comfort herself in times of stress. Do you have books (or movies or TV shows) that you return to? Why?
6. Many of the characters who spend time at the library have secrets. Whose surprised you the most?
7. For June, the library is not just a place where one can borrow books but a place to grow, learn, and change as well as make human connections. If you frequent your local library, do you make use of all the resources that a library can provide? Have you been going your whole life?
8. Have you seen small businesses and neighborhood institutions bought up by national chains in your town? How does it make you feel?
9. June and her friends must break the rules to save the library. Have you ever had to bend the rules to work toward a bigger purpose? How did it make you feel?
10. If Alex asked you for a book recommendation, what would you recommend that he check out from the library?

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Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Berkley Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.