Selected by the UK Book Trust in 2019,
"My Special Bookstore Story" from a Book-Loving Girl

The children's story "The Bookstore Has Disappeared!", which depicts the friendship between Millie, a girl who loves books, and Grandma Minty, the "walking book encyclopedia" and owner of Minty Bookstore, has been published by Charlie Books.
At the local independent bookstore, Minty Bookstore, there is a 'book reading time' hosted by Grandma Minty.
And Millie, who never missed a single moment during that time.
Millie is a girl who loves Minty Bookstore and books so much that she even thinks of becoming an employee at Minty Bookstore when she grows up.
Then one day, Grandma Minty and Minty Bookstore disappear without telling Millie.
Millie spends her days in turmoil, having lost the things she treasured more than anything else in the world.

"The Bookstore Has Disappeared!" depicts the loss of a child who has lost not only his favorite book in the world but also the bookstore owner who knows books better than anyone else, and his determination to get them back.
It also allows you to feel a sense of accomplishment when you achieve what you want through your own efforts.

This book is an autobiographical story written by the author, who is the owner of 'Storytellers. Inc.', a small bookstore in a seaside town in the northwest of England.
The author, who says that a bookstore is like a treasure chest filled with endless adventures and various treasures, has been running a bookstore with his mother for eight years.
So the episodes in this book are depicted so vividly that it seems as if they were the author's own experiences.
"The Bookstore Has Disappeared!" was selected as the '2019 Book Trust Book of the Year' by the British reading promotion organization 'Book Trust (www.booktrust.org.uk)'.


“What good are glasses if there are no books to read in this world?
“Minty Bookstore is irreplaceable!”
A tearful story of a girl's struggle to keep her precious bookstore from being lost.

The main character, Millie, is a girl who loves books.
I visit the neighborhood's oldest bookstore, 'Minty Bookstore', every day and look forward to Grandma Minty's reading time.
He also saves up his allowance to buy books he likes, and cherishes the books he buys with his allowance, placing them on the bookshelf in his room.
For Millie, Minty Bookstore is a precious place that cannot be exchanged for anything else.
But Millie worries about the bookstore that is getting older day by day and Grandma Minty whose hair has turned white, unlike the photo from when she was young.
I'm worried that my favorite bookstore will turn into something else, like an eyeglass store.
And when the bookstore disappears as he had worried, instead of lying down and crying in frustration, he actively devises a plan to find a new owner for the bookstore.
The author vividly portrays Millie's struggle to reclaim the lost bookstore.
This delicate portrayal of Millie was possible because the author is a writer who also runs an independent bookstore.
It is thanks to observing and breathing together with the children who always come to the bookstore to play.
What's interesting is that while writing this book, the author identified with Millie, who is trying to save the bookstore at all costs, rather than with Grandma Minty, the owner of the bookstore.
There are many difficulties in running an independent bookstore, and there is anxiety that the bookstore might disappear at any time, like Millie.
Thus, the author published the English version of this book on June 13, 2019.
It was released to coincide with 'Independent Bookshop Week', designated by the British local government.
So, this book can also be called 'Operation to Save Independent Bookstores Around the World!', which is a metaphor for 'Minty Bookstore.'



Reading a book starts with exploring a bookstore!
In a bookstore that is like a heart-pounding treasure chest
Find the sparkling treasure

To me, a bookstore is like an exciting treasure trove.
Even though I run a bookstore myself, I try to visit different bookstores whenever I go to a new place.
Because you never know what book you'll discover.
I hope that after you finish reading this book, there will be a bookstore you want to rush to right away.
?From the author's words

Millie calls Grandma Minty, the owner of the bookstore, a "walking book encyclopedia" and always orders new stories from her.
Books with bears, books with pirates, even stories about ponies and even stories with aliens.
I travel all over the world, listening to and reading endless stories, crying out loud and laughing out loud.
For Millie, a world without books is like darkness.
This book does not describe in words each and every one of Millie's emotional changes.
Instead, illustrator Kirsty Beautyman, who was named 'Picture Book Author of the Year' in the UK in 2017, magically brings it to life in color.
The scene where Millie reads a book with Grandma Minty and chooses her favorite book is brought to life with bright colors.
On the other hand, the scenes after the bookstore disappears are mostly expressed in gloomy gray tones, and just looking at the picture represents Millie's state of mind.
By changing the colors in this way, we can visually show the dire situation that Millie is facing, and help children understand emotions such as frustration, sadness, and joy.
"The Bookstore Disappeared!" shows how books influence our lives through the main character, Millie.
It also tells us that the words and pictures in the book can foster limitless imagination.
So, a bookstore filled with countless books cannot help but be a sparkling treasure chest.