Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern (FIC Hal)

In Riverton, New Hampshire, in 2010, Kit is the reference librarian at the local public library.  Riverton is a mill town fallen on hard times but Kit doesn't mind.  No one here knows her past or asks her any questions which is just fine with her.  The last thing she wants to do is talk about her past.

When 15-year-old Sunny is caught trying to steal a $30.00 dictionary from a local bookstore (it needed to be hardcover and she only had $12.00 with her), she is "sentenced" to do community service for 40 hours a week all summer long - at the local public library.  The child of parents who have lived "off the grid", Sunny is eager to learn more and meet more people.  She is assigned to "work" with Kit.

As Sunny and Kit gradually become friends, they notice the continued presence in the library of Rusty, a late 30-something who lost everything in the crash of 2008 and comes into the library every day to use the computer.  Pretty soon, Rusty has become part of the regulars.  He, Kit and Sunny are drawn to one another as each struggles to move beyond their past and into an unknown future.

Unlike most books set in a public library, this one really captures what it's like - the regulars, the staff (OK, there are some stereotypes there!), the atmosphere and the importance of a public library to its community.  The library and the people who inhabit it are as much a part of the story as the three main characters.  Watching Kit, Sunny and Rusty move closer to each other and find a kind of family was time well spent.