The Talking Library

Listen to “The Talking Library” on Spreaker.

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Sofia loved books more than anything. She loved the smell of them, the feel of their pages, and most of all, the amazing adventures inside. One rainy afternoon, as she walked home from school, she noticed a small, twisty path she had never seen before. At the end of the path was an old building with a sign that read:

THE TALKING LIBRARY

Sofia’s eyes widened. Talking library? she thought. She stepped inside, and her mouth dropped open. Rows and rows of books lined the walls, and the moment she walked in, she heard whispers all around her.

“Welcome!” said a deep voice.

Sofia looked around. “Who said that?”

A bright red book on a shelf wiggled. “We all talk here! I’m Pirates of the Seven Seas. Do you want to hear my story?”

“Wow!” Sofia cried. “Yes, please!”

She pulled the book down and sat in a cozy chair. As soon as she opened it, the book whispered its tale, as if tiny voices were floating out of the pages. Everywhere she went in the library, books whispered—jungle adventures, fairy tales, space journeys, and mystery stories.

Sofia was so enchanted that she didn’t notice the rainstorm outside turning into a thunderstorm. Suddenly—BOOM! The power went out, and the lights flickered off. Sofia ran to the door, but it was stuck. She was locked inside!

She felt a bit scared until the books whispered, “Don’t worry, Sofia. You’re safe here.”

But then another voice cried out. It was coming from the very back of the library.

“Oh no!” it wailed. “My chapter is missing! Without it, my story is broken!”

Sofia hurried to the back and found a golden book glowing faintly. The title was The Magical Adventure. The book was shaking.

“My most important chapter is gone!” the book said. “It’s the chapter where the hero finds the treasure. Without it, my story will never be complete.”

Sofia took a deep breath. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you find it. But I can’t do it alone.”

At that moment, characters from other books began to pop out of their pages! There was Captain Bella from the pirate book, Sir Cedric the Knight from a dragon story, and Luna the Fairy from a fairy tale.

“We’ll help too!” they said.

The books whispered, “The missing chapter must have blown away during the storm. It might be hiding somewhere in the library.”

Sofia and her new friends began to search. Captain Bella used her spyglass to look high on the shelves. Sir Cedric moved heavy books aside with his strong arms. Luna flew up to check between the rafters.

Suddenly, Luna called out, “I see a fluttering page stuck in the ceiling fan!”

But the fan was too high up for any of them to reach.

Sofia thought hard. “Luna, can you sprinkle some fairy dust to lift me up?”

Luna smiled and sprinkled sparkling dust over Sofia. Slowly, Sofia floated up like a balloon! She carefully reached out and grabbed the page.

“I got it!” she cheered, floating back down.

But when they looked closer, they saw the page was blank.

“It’s empty!” Captain Bella frowned. “Where are the words?”

The golden book whispered sadly, “Without its words, the chapter can’t tell its story.”

Sofia thought for a moment. “Maybe the words are hiding too. What if we call them back?”

Sir Cedric raised his sword and said boldly, “Words of the story, come home to your page!”

Luna fluttered her wings and added, “Magic words, please return!”

Sofia held the blank page tightly and whispered, “We believe in you. Come back.”

Suddenly, glowing letters began to swirl through the air like little fireflies. They landed gently on the blank page, filling it with beautiful words.

“It’s back!” the golden book cried happily. “Thank you!”

Sofia carefully tucked the page back into the book. As soon as she did, a golden light filled the room. The missing chapter told its tale in a warm, whispering voice. The hero found the treasure, and the story was whole again.

The books all clapped (well, as much as books can clap), and the characters gave Sofia a big hug.

“You were brave and clever,” Sir Cedric said.

“Thank you for saving my story,” the golden book whispered.

Just then, the sun peeked through the windows. The storm had passed, and the library door creaked open.

“It’s time for you to go home,” Luna said gently. “But remember, you can visit us anytime.”

Sofia smiled and waved goodbye. As she stepped out into the fresh morning air, she looked back at the Talking Library and whispered, “I’ll be back soon.”

And she kept her promise, returning many times for new adventures with her magical book friends.

The End.

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Follow-Up Questions:

• What was the name of the special book that lost its chapter?
• How did Sofia and her friends get the missing words back onto the page?
• Which book characters helped Sofia during her adventure?