Strange the dreamer by Laini Taylor

Hodder and Stoughton 2017. ISBN 9781444788983
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. The city of Weep has been cut off from the world and even those that remember the stories have forgotten the city's true name. It seems that everyone has forgotten Weep. Everyone but the city's inhabitants and an orphan boy, Lazlo Strange. It is Lazlo's obsession with the city which earns him a place on the expedition to save it when Eril-Fane (Godslayer) visits Zosma where Lazlo has worked as a junior librarian for the past seven years. Eril-Fane has spent two years away from Weep searching for people with a select set of skills which will enable him to save Weep. Being the only one who can speak fluently in the lost language and a potential translator makes Lazlo a valuable member of the party - even if he doesn't see it that way. When they arrive in Weep however, none of them are prepared for the challenge that awaits; not even golden-boy Theon Nero, famed alchemist and the only person to have succeeded in making gold. How can Lazlo, a librarian, ever hope to help these people?
A whirlwind adventure this fantasy is sure to captivate any fantasy lover and I would highly recommend it to people twelve and up. Strange the dreamer highlights the importance of the imagination and reiterates that sometimes the truth is stranger than you can imagine. Dealing with grief, peer pressure, and first love, it is a piece about finding your place in the world and accomplishing your goals. Just like Lazlo, everyone should have the opportunity to realise their dreams if they only try hard enough.
Kayla Gaskell, 21