Neel takes a sharp breath and I know exactly what it means. It means: <i>I have waited my whole life to walk through a secret passage built into a bo… - Robin Sloan

I have waited my whole life to walk through a secret passage built into a bookshelf.

Her home is the burrow of a bibliophile hobbit — low-ceilinged, close-walled, and brimming over with books.

"Hi there...Let me ask you a question...How would you find a needle in a haystack?"

The first-grader pauses, pensive, tugging on the green yarn around her neck. She's really thinking this over. Tiny gears are turning; she's twisting her fingers together, pondering. It's cute. Finally she looks up and says gravely, "I would ask the hays to find it."
...
Yes, of course. She's a genius!
...
It's so simple. Of course, of course. The first-grader is right. It's easy to find a needle in a haystack! Ask the hays to find it!

The first thing I do is change the palette. Earth tones, please.