Novel review

Title : Perpustakkan Ajaib Bibbi Bokken (Bibbi Bokken Magic Library)

Author : Jostein Gaarder & Klaus Hagerup

Translator : Ridwana Saleh

Editor : Andityas Prabantoro

Publisher : Mizan Pustaka 

Edition I (New Edition): March 2011

Thickness : 282 pages

Price : Rp 35.000 

Few people know that the writer of Best Seller novel Sophie’s World (1995) Jostein Gaarder ever collaborated with Klaus Hagerup in writing teen fiction.

Klaus Hagerup himself is one of Norway's leading writers whose works of many types of reading of children and adolescents. Perhaps one of the similarities in writing fiction for teenagers is what encouraged Gaarder and Hagerup to collaborate and create their new work entitled Bibbi Bokkens Magische Bibliothek (1993). Books that have never been published by English-speaking countries are now directly translated from German by Mizan into the Perpustakaan Ajaib Bibbi Bokken (Bibbi Boken Magic Library), (2011).

This Gaarder & Hagerup novel tells of two cousin lovers of books, Berit and Nils who live in different cities. Oslo and Fjaerland - Norway. To get in touch, these two teenagers sent letters to each other. Uniquely their letter is not written on a piece of paper but is written in a book sent to each other among them.

Oddly enough the letter book attracted Bibbi Bokken's attention, a mysterious woman who wanted the letters. Instead of running from Bibbi Bokken's target, Berit and Nils were like detectives quietly trailing and investigating down to Bibbi Bokken's residence. From a letter that fell from Bibbi Bokken's bag revealed that she was a bibliographer, the letter mentioned a very special book that will be published next year that has not been written even unknown who the author, the book is titled "magic library". From Berit and Nils’s investigation, it was revealed that Bibbi Boken often received book packages, they thought there must have been books in Bibbi's house, they suspected Bibbi as a book whistle. But who thought when Berit managed to infiltrate into the house of Bibbi, strangely there are no number of book in the house!

The investigation continues, day by day they discover the link between Bibbi Bokken and some important events and some figures related to the world of books. Not only Bibbi Boken who wanted their letters, it turns out someone named Smiley secretly tailed them to steal the letter’s book.

Who are exactly Bibbi Boken and Smiley? Are they in a plot that wants Berit and Nils' books? How valuable is that letter to Bibbi Bokken and Smiley so they want it so much? Did they actually grab the books? Is it really the Magic Library? Do  Berit and Nils success to find it and unveil Bibbi Boken's secret plan related to the magic library and conspiracy in the world of books? These questions will come up as we read this book and will be answered in the last pages of the novel.

The book is divided into two parts, the first part: The Book-Letter of the whole page is the contents of the correspondence between Berit and Nils. This chapter is unique because the readers are directly invited to read the letters written by these two teenagers. In the second section: Library, then this story has a plot like a conventional plot, in this chapter Berit and Nils have been in Fjaerland and met with Bibbi Boken who will unravel all the magical library's mysteries

In contrast to other Jostein Gaarder works such as Sophie’s World, Orange Girl, Rainmaster Daughter, etc. are loaded with contemplation of life. In his work with Klaus Hagerup, Gaarder presents a detective story, a mystery story like the Five Sisters stories. But the reader is not only served with the thrill of Berit and Nils investigations. The book also presents the complexities of the books’ world such as, the history of the first book, Guttenberg, literary theory, fiction theory, theories of writing, drama, film, cave libraries, bibliographers, and this book also presents a complete Dewey classification. Readers will also be invited to meet Astrid Lindgren, Winnie The Pooh (AA Milne) Anne Frank, Hans Christian Andersen, Roald Dahl, Scandinavian poets such as Jan Erik Vold, Peer Grynt, etc. In the final pages of this story, readers will also be presented on the stages of how a book is published starting from writing, editing, looking for an illustrator for books’ cover, lay out of books to printers.

In short, from start to finish the readers will be presented by the exotic world of the book as a backdrop of the adventures of Berit and Nils. Sees from the story of the book cosnpiration and the many terms and complexities of book’s world and the detailed description of the author of the library complete with his books, it can be said this book is a book of fiction about the book so that this book will certainly satisfy the taste of true book lovers .