O is for old

...old one or a new one. Besides, I do like to collect things, and there are more sounds than almost anything else. Why, I have everything here from the buzz of a mosquito a million years ago to what your mother said to you this morning, and if you come back here in two days, I'll tell you what she said tomorrow. It's really very simple; let me show you. Say a word--any word." 

"Hello," said Milo, for that was all he could think of.

"Now where do you think it went?" she asked with a smile. 

"I don't know," said Milo, shrugging his shoulders. "I always thought that--" 

"Most... 

Hint: both author and illustrator have a J in their names.

N is for noises

...noises bouncing around and bumping into things. It would be terribly confusing, because you'd never know whether you were listening to an...

M is for Milo

Yes, the main character's name is Milo. Remember, if you know the book, save it for the Z day! You can however raise your hand in the comments. "I know it, I know it!!! Pick me! I know the book!"

Milo peered into the envelope and, sure enough, that's exactly what was in it. "But why do you collect them all?" he asked as she closed the drawer. 

"If we didn't collect them," said the Soundkeeper as they continued to stroll through the vault, "the air would be full of old sounds and...

L is for look

"...look here," She opened one of the drawers and pulled out a small brown envelope. "This is the tune George Washington whistled when he crossed the Delaware on that icy night in 1777."

Hint: it's not historical fiction, but it IS fiction.

K is for kept

...kept here," said the Soundkeeper, skipping down one of the corridors with Milo in hand. "For instance, 

Here's a hint to the book I'm using: it's a children's book from the last century.

J is for jingles

...jingles and chimes and started down the hallway. 

"Don't you just love jingles and chimes? I do," she answered quickly. "Besides, they're very convenient, for I'm always getting lost in this big fortress, and all I have to do is listen for them and then I know exactly where I am." 

They entered a tiny cagelike elevator and traveled down for fully three quarters of a minute, stopping finally in an immense vault, whose long lines of file drawers and storage bins stretched in all directions from where here began to where there ended, and from floor to ceiling. 

"Every sound that's ever been made in history is...

I is for I

"...I seem to have a touch of static," she complained. "But what brings you here? Of course--you've come to tour the vaults. Well, they're usually open to the public only on Mondays from two to four, but since you've traveled so far, we'll have to make an exception. Follow me, please." 

She quickly bounced to her feet with a chorus of...

H is for how

...how I am."
"How are you?" he asked politely.
"Not very well, I'm afraid....