Either it was a really good book or she’s just a slow reader.

Whichever may be the case, a woman recently returned a book to the Epsom Community Library in Auckland, New Zealand that she had checked out a few years ago – 60, to be precise.

The checkout slip on the book includes the date of Dec. 17, 1948. The woman was then a child who checked out the book, then her family moved from the area, according to an April 29 UPI story.

A library representative explained, “"She told me she had checked out the book as a child and been meaning to return it for years. She seemed a bit embarrassed but I was pleased because she said she had read and enjoyed the book many times over the decades and that made me happy – that the book had been in a good home and loved."

The library will not charge her a fee, since children are not charged late fees. Had she been an adult when the book was check out, the late fees would now amount to $17,000.

Share this content with your peers!