Marion's Book
Three warm picture books by Brook Berg (Claire Berg) help kids care for books, explore the Dewey Decimal System, and learn what plagiarism means.
The series
Marion the hedgehog wants to be a librarian when she grows up. Across three Upstart Books titles, she learns—and teaches—the skills every young library user needs.
The real Marion
Before she starred in three picture books, Marion was a real hedgehog who found a forever home with school librarian Brook Berg.
Her story began as an exotic pet for a fourth-grade boy. When the two didn’t bond, she was given to his teacher and stayed on as a classroom pet—later with a teacher’s aide, then in a seventh-grade science room. Along the way she was called Velcro and Zipper, and she wasn’t always cared for well.
When Brook welcomed her into the school library, everything changed. Hedgehogs are insectivores that travel miles at night searching for food, so Brook’s husband built Marion a safe exercise wheel from a five-gallon bucket—regular wheels’ rungs are too wide for thin hedgehog feet. She used that wheel every night of her life. Afternoons meant a plastic ferret ball for hallway and library runs; when Brook tapped the ball, Marion would dash over and climb right in. Linked translucent boxes on a library shelf became her palace, where she could watch students choose their books. Weekends meant Brook’s house, toys, and even a little swimming pool. After nearly four years as a library celebrity, Marion died of old age.
In the books, she returns as a little girl hedgehog who wants to be a librarian when she grows up. Large, colorful illustrations by Nathan Alberg bring her adventures to life, and a photograph of the real Marion appears in the published books.
A small plush Marion was also available when the titles were first published.
In memory
1956 – 2024
Claire Berg—who wrote as Brook Berg—was born November 29, 1956, in Denver, Colorado. She died peacefully on February 21, 2024, at age 67, at her home in Lexington, Kentucky, surrounded by her family.
She began her career as a social studies teacher before earning her library media specialist degree. She wrote the Marion books while working as a media specialist in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. She later spent more than ten years as the elementary school librarian at RVES in Farmington, Minnesota, where she retired. She loved to read and spend time by the lake in northern Minnesota.
While earning her master’s degree as a library media specialist at St. Cloud State University, Brook went looking for children’s books about caring for library books for her thesis—and couldn’t find any that fit. Her thesis advisor told her to write her own, and that’s how the Marion books began. The character came from Marion, the real rescued hedgehog who lived in her school library.
She is remembered for her kindness, compassion, and unwavering love. Through Marion’s adventures, she helped young readers care for books, explore the Dewey Decimal System, and learn what plagiarism means. The books were illustrated by Nathan Alberg, a friend and local artist.
This site is maintained by her son, Jonn Berg, to keep her books available to readers, teachers, and librarians. Jonn is an author too—he credits his mom for putting him on the author road. His novel The Ash and the Seed is a clean, faith-rooted epic (“From darkness, light remains”). Learn more at jonnberg.com.
For teachers & librarians
Each title pairs a kid-friendly story with library skills you can teach the same day.
Ask your local public or school library—many collections already hold the series for circulation and classroom use.
Where to buy
These titles were published by Upstart Books (Highsmith / Demco). New stock can be scarce; used copies are widely available through major booksellers.
ISBN-13 978-1-932146-05-9 · ISBN-10 1-932146-05-9
ISBN-13 978-1-932146-31-8 · ISBN-10 1-932146-31-8
ISBN-13 978-1-932146-55-4 · ISBN-10 1-932146-55-5
Publisher: Upstart Books is part of Demco. Current Marion title pages were not found in Demco's live catalog during research; browse the Upstart brand for related library materials.
