TEMPE, Ariz. — Diary of A Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball was lost. After 16 weeks, the Tempe Public Library had given up on seeing it again.
The kid's book series is very popular and they only had one copy. After 16 weeks, librarians were ready to charge the last person who checked it out for the cost of replacing it.
It wasn't the expense it was that the library had one less book to lend.
"16 weeks at that point, which is a pretty healthy amount of time," Librarian Jessica Jupitus said. "And then magically, it came back."
Call it holiday magic, because no one really knows how the book ended up back at the Tempe Public Library.
Well, physically they do. It was sent via the US Postal Service. But where it had been in the 16 weeks since it left Tempe is anyone's guess.
When the librarians opened the envelope, they found the book and a note.
"I found this book in the seat back pocket of an airplane," the note said, in curly handwriting. "I'm sending it back to you because I believe it is yours based on the inside sticker. Happy Holidays!"
"Some good Samaritan found it and looked inside and clearly loves libraries the way we do," Jupitus said. "So they sent it back."
It costs about $10 to ship the book back, plus the time to write the note, go to the post office and mail it. And in all that work, the sender never put down a return address. Only the name "Megan. The envelope was postmarked from Colorado.
So the book rode in a plane from someplace to someplace...for who knows who long, until "Megan" found it.
"So Megan in Colorado, thank you so much for sending back our book," Jupitus said.
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