Alex Sullivan: The Librarian Who Stayed in the Fight

Alex Sullivan: The Librarian Who Stayed in the Fight Alex Sullivan gets one of my favorite early moments in The Library. Drake Mathers has decided the books need to be out of the building by Monday. She's asking for a little more time because there are hundreds of first editions to move, and he keeps reducing the whole thing to his construction schedule. He even sits in her chair while telling her how it's going to be. She finally tells him to get his greedy ass out of it and out of her library. It's still hers until Monday. Spoilers for The Library #1–5. It's a good introduction because she has every reason to be intimidated. Drake tells her he's worth two billion dollars. She needs his cooperation, and he doesn't seem remotely interested in giving it. But she cares about what happens to the books, and she's willing to say exactly what she thinks of him. Then Sela and Thomas accidentally turn the library into something neither adult could have prepared for. Storybook characters start appearing in the building. Some help. Others arrive armed and ready to hurt people. The argument about clearing the books out becomes a much more immediate problem of surviving what has come out of them. Alex gets caught in that with Drake. Pecos helps rescue them from the gunmen, and later she helps Drake escape after the Witch's attack brings a bookcase down on him. She remains involved as the battle gets worse, rather than disappearing once the children and the more spectacular heroes take over. Her clearest moment comes near the end. Drake has jumped in front of Baba Yaga's attack to protect Sela and is down on the floor. A zombie goes after him. Alex hits it with a fire extinguisher and saves him. He thanks her by name. It's a straightforward rescue with whatever she has available. Around her, Hercules is wrestling monsters and Robin Hood is shooting arrows. Alex doesn't suddenly need a secret magical identity to matter in the same fight. She sees somebody in trouble and does something about it. Once the characters return to their books, the library is a wreck. The ending brings Drake back to the conversation he handled so badly at the beginning. This time he agrees to help Ms. Sullivan put the place back together, with Sela and Thomas working alongside him. She wanted time to save the books. She ended up helping save the family of the man who wouldn't give her any. I'm glad the story leaves her with help restoring the library after everything she went through to keep it.