Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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Welcome back! Today we're discussing the full series of Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians, by @BrandSanderson

This underrated middle-grade adventure is about a boy named Alcatraz who is part of the (kind of) magical Smedry family. They fight against the Evil Librarians who want to take over the world. There’s magic powers, flying ships, giant robots, talking dinosaurs, and giant crystal swords. Plus it’s full of whacky humour, some very clever plot twists, and some heavy emotional gut punches. This series has everything.

I’m going to review this series but also pitch it to you, spoiler free and objective, listing any strengths and weaknesses. And we’re going to see if these books will be right for you.

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00:00 Intro Song
00:22 Overview of Books
01:43 The Concept
02:51 Worldbuilding ALL the Genres
05:46 Smedry Magic
07:36 A Whole Lot of Silliness
10:52 Plotlines
14:20 Characters
15:54 The Publishing Debacle
18:18 Representation
19:27 Content Warning
19:55 Is the Ending worth it?
20:40 How much should you try?
21:23 Outro