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The Library Card

3.41 of 5 stars 3.41 · rating details · 1,675 ratings · 200 reviews

Mongoose, Brenda, Sonseray, and April have nothing in common...until a mysterious blue card appears as if by magic and begins to change each of their lives. None of them guesses it at first, but that strange blue card will be their ticket to the past--and to a future that they never imagined. In stories that range from humorous to heartbreaking, Newbery-award-winner Jerry...more

Hardcover, 176 pages

Published April 1st 1997 by Scholastic

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Jul 30, 2010 Cara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, male-protagonist

For as long as I can remember I have been a library-goer, so that in and of itself had me wanting to read this book. As a kid I can remember the smell of books and running my hands through the spines and wondering what stories they held. Ahhhh...memories.

The book revolves around how a library card changes the life of four kids: Mongoose, Brenda, Sonseray, and April. Mongoose experiences what it's like to grow apart from a best friend, Brenda finds herself again, Sonseray finds some sort of solac...more

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Apr 01, 2009 dirt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People giving kids standardized tests

Scholastic Signature needs better cover art.

1 like · like · see review

Mar 22, 2009 Sir Runcible Spoon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jerry Spinelli’s The Library Card.

Four short and separate stories about lives changed by the sudden and mysterious appearance of a blank blue library card. Mongoose and Weasel the Taggers, Brenda, Sonseray on a tear and April Mendez the Mushie and Nanette the wielder of the razor’s edge. Taggers, a girl who once dumped a plate of spaghetti on her head and whose favorite color is yellow. One angry, mean and motherless boy. A hijacked bookmobile and two girls looking for a future. A bug and the sp...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Ryan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. "Spinelli is able to convey the message with humor and tenderness and with a fast-talking immediacy about the preteen scene." - School Library Journal

A library card is a kind of MAGIC TICKET, A PASSPORT to places distant--unknown--even forbidden. Spinelli takes that idea and spins it until the story, its characters, and all of us are dizzy, and offers it as a prize to young readers up for the ride.

A reminder of the REAL SPIRIT of LIBRARIES. Also somewhat SURREAL or magical.

The magic library ca...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Ayrinne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Primo (e non ultimo, a questo punto) libro che leggo di Jerry Spinelli (ma è un nome d'arte??).
E' composto da quattro racconti uniti non da un filo rosso, ma da un cartoncino blu. Una tessera della biblioteca.

Il primo racconto, Mangusta, è il migliore, soprattutto in termini di scrittura. Ha il giusto mix di sentimenti e mi ha messo una tristezza addosso allucinante. Donnola e Mangusta sono due grandi amici, hanno dodici anni, stanno entrando nell'età difficile. Invece di soffermarsi sulla lor...more Primo (e non ultimo, a questo punto) libro che leggo di Jerry Spinelli (ma è un nome d'arte??).
E' composto da quattro racconti uniti non da un filo rosso, ma da un cartoncino blu. Una tessera della biblioteca.

Il primo racconto, Mangusta, è il migliore, soprattutto in termini di scrittura. Ha il giusto mix di sentimenti e mi ha messo una tristezza addosso allucinante. Donnola e Mangusta sono due grandi amici, hanno dodici anni, stanno entrando nell'età difficile. Invece di soffermarsi sulla loro sensazione di non essere né carne né pesce, accolgono con spirito positivo la fine dell'infanzia e decidono di autodeterminarsi in base alle loro scarne idee svuotate da ogni realismo ed esperienza. Ma il passo è più lungo della gamba, almeno per uno dei due, Mangusta, meno spaventato dal proprio disagio e forse più pronto ad assumersene il peso. Mentre Donnola strombazza il suo menefreghismo e se ne convince sempre di più, anche a causa dell'ammirazione degli ingenui compagni di scuola, che si convincono della sua convinzione, Mangusta non chiude la porta al nuovo che avanza. Mollare la scuola a 16 anni, farsi una macchina da copertina, è qualcosa di troppo lontano cronologicamente parlando e forse lui ha bisogno di guardare di più all'oggi che al dopodopodopodomani. Inseguendo una tessera della biblioteca blu, che compare continuamente come per magia, conosce la biblioteca. In biblioteca conosce IL libro, quello destinato a cambiare il corso della sua vita, ed ogni lettore sa a cosa mi riferisco. Qui Spinelli è bravissimo a raccontare di come, effettivamente, la sua vita prenda una piega differente da quella verso cui era indirizzata e della sofferenza di Donnola, smarrito di fronte all'atteggiamento dell'amico e sempre più solo. Mentre Mangusta timidamente tenta di trovare sé stesso nelle emozioni che gli procura la curiosità che sente nascere in lui e di scoprire se altri ne provano di uguali, Donnola si arrabbia senza rendersi conto che non è l'amico che lo sta abbandonando, ma che è il suo stesso comportamento ad essere respingente. Quell'aurea di gloria della quale si ammantato si è già afflosciata, e in più, il suo migliore amico di sempre è ormai lontano anni luce.

Il secondo racconto, altrettanto pregnante e con un'idea meno classica ma più immediata, si intitola Brenda, e parla di una ragazzina teledipendente alle prese con un problema non da poco: una crisi d'astinenza. E' stata indetta dalla scuola "la settimana dello spegnimento della tv", i suoi genitori l'hanno presa seriamente e lei la vive con la massima angoscia e frustrazione. Comincia a combinarne di tutti i colori, si attacca al frigo e mangia di tutto, ruba al padre il binocolo per spiare gli anziani vicini che guardano quiz televisivi, marina le lezioni per rinchiudersi in uno sgabuzzino con un vecchissimo apparecchio rotto, maneggia un'antenna tentando di recepire i segnali di trasmissione cerebralmente. Finchè non si ritrova in mano la tessera blu della biblioteca, e nel cuore la sensazione che sarà essa a salvarla. Una volta giunta in mezzo agli scaffali trova un libro con sopra il suo nome, comincia a leggerlo e si rende conto che parla della sua vita. Si appassiona, ride, partecipa, si commuove, e riflette anche un po' sulla bambina protagonista, su quanto poco si ricordi di lei e di ciò che fosse o le piacesse. Arrivata all'età in cui la piccola Brenda del libro scopre la televisione, solo pagine bianche. Non c'è altro, e lei, che vorrebbe proseguirne la lettura... comincia a vivere. Alla piccola Brenda piaceva il giallo? Si fionda in un negozio di vestiti e comincia a comprarne di gialli. Si scatena per riscoprirsi, dopo tanti anni di esistenza passiva, con la madre trafelata al seguito, ed ogni sera torna in biblioteca, soddisfatta nel verificare che il segnalibro che delimita le pagine scritte da quelle bianche, dev'essere spostato un po' più in là, perché finalmente qualche nuova pagina può essere scritta.

Gli ultimi due racconti li ho trovati meno riusciti, un po' perché virano troppo al tragico mancando di un umorismo riequilibrante, un po' perché scritti in maniera più dispersiva, un po' perché mi è preso un attacco di sonno.

Il terzo Sonseray, parla di questo ragazzo disperato, sbandato, emotivamente solo al mondo, che grazie alla lettura ad alta voce di una volontaria della biblioteca può finalmente rivivere un ricordo che lo lega all'amatissima madre scomparsa: è molto triste e disorienta.

La quarta storia, intitolata April Mendez, non parla tanto di April quanto di una conoscenza che fa la ragazza, con una punk-emo-hippy-dirottatrice di bibliobus-per amore. April, che un po' si annoia, si è appena trasferita, ha difficoltà ad ambientarsi, si sente sola e sempre desiderosa di fuggire, rimane subito attratta da questa darkettona e quasi la costringe a sbottonarsi con lei. Le regala la sua tessera della biblioteca (perché April che ama leggere la considera il suo possedimento più importante) e Nanette (così si chiama la metallara) adopera il nome per rintracciarla e scriverle. Le due cominciano questa stramba corrispondenza dove Nanette che ama atteggiarsi a dura insulta April ed April tenta di consolarla. Ma le due si piacciono e le differenze si appianano e l'amicizia che riescono a instaurare sarà per loro fonte di grandissima consolazione.

Tutto sommato considero questa raccolta una valida lettura per ragazzi, migliorabile in alcune cose, eccelsa in altre, ma per i libri composti da racconti è sempre un po' così. (less)

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Apr 07, 2012 Darlene rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hardback, library, young-adult

I have moved around a lot in my life. In every town I settled in, one of the first things I would do, even before driver's license, is search out the library and get a new card. Once I had my card I felt like I was a REAL person.

I believe in the magic of books, in the knowledge you can gain from books, in the friendships developed in books and because of books.

I have loved other books by Jerry Spinelli.

That said, I was hugely disappointed in this book. It didn't hold my interest. I have ADD and...more I have moved around a lot in my life. In every town I settled in, one of the first things I would do, even before driver's license, is search out the library and get a new card. Once I had my card I felt like I was a REAL person.

I believe in the magic of books, in the knowledge you can gain from books, in the friendships developed in books and because of books.

I have loved other books by Jerry Spinelli.

That said, I was hugely disappointed in this book. It didn't hold my interest. I have ADD and this was the hardest I have worked in a long time to keep reading. I kept hoping I would grow to like the characters and plots in this book, but I couldn't relate to any of them.

<(view spoiler)[>

Have books been important to unsavory characters? Of course. Juvenile Delinquents can still find what they need at the library, even when we may think they need something else. Twelve year old taggers need books, too. I'm glad one of them found his niche.

To those that are anti-TV I say there is more than one way to keep your mind busy. If you read a book and visualize what is happening, you are, in a sense, watching your own TV. Everyone from writer to costume designer to go-fers are employed to bring a story to life. No, not all shows are for all people. Not all books are for all people. Thank goodness there is variety out there for all of us. As a writer, I find TV fascinating, movies made from books, even more so. I love seeing how another sees, interprets. I think the school assignment that prohibited TV was set up by close minded people. They saw things their way and couldn't understand the 'stupidity' of others. Whether you are teacher or student, that outlook gets you no-where near understanding each other. Just because you are a teacher and know yourself as an adult, doesn't mean that the student and the family they live in is less than you. So saying, that the student character is so hooked in her TV-world so that she doesn't remember her own life is a way of putting students into a box... what understanding and growth can come of it? (And switching habits from TV/couch-potato to mall-money-spender is better?) I don't think the author gave this scenario enough imagination toward the assignment. A better assignment would be to have the student do a blog or vlog about their TV/reading habits and what they get from those habits. And the whole school should be a part of that experiment. Maybe a kid wouldn't be breaking windows of the other homeless peoples' car if he could find a "mother" to relate to on a TV. Maybe a Mongoose would find the amazing facts and more on Discovery, and with that kind of presentation a certain Weezer might be enjoying his friendship while doodling in their art journals.

Bookmobiles have been the home away from home for many of us. As I said I have made friends in books and because of books. Books-to-go are even more fun. Sad that libraries don't have the check out cards in the books any more. I have met cool people on those cards. I have enjoyed interesting friendships with the librarians in both stationary and mobile libraries. It didn't surprise me that the driver was so smart. But it might have been more fun to see a friendship develop between the driver/librarian and the pierced teen.

Maybe my biggest problem is that I don't like short stories, no matter how related they may be. I like getting into the depth of character and plot. These stories kept me on the outside looking in. (hide spoiler)](less)

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Oct 10, 2011 Amy added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, fiction_j, books-about-librarians

Can a library card have a transformative effect on someone's life? Yes, according to the four short stories that comprise this book. "Mongoose" is on his way to becoming a troubled youth, but then he finds a mysterious blue card that leads him to the public library - and a world of knowledge that eclipses his would-be life of crime. Brenda is addicted to TV, and is devastated when she has to go a week without it as part of "The Great TV Turn-Off." After several days of sulking (and compulsive ea...more Can a library card have a transformative effect on someone's life? Yes, according to the four short stories that comprise this book. "Mongoose" is on his way to becoming a troubled youth, but then he finds a mysterious blue card that leads him to the public library - and a world of knowledge that eclipses his would-be life of crime. Brenda is addicted to TV, and is devastated when she has to go a week without it as part of "The Great TV Turn-Off." After several days of sulking (and compulsive eating), she, too, finds a mysterious blue card. Her trip to the public library leads her to find her own biography, which is completely blank starting with when she became addicted to TV. This inspires her to live fully and joyously, and returns to the library to find that her biography is filling out nicely. Sonseray is homeless and surly. His idea of a fun afternoon is terrorizing shoppers at a local mall. After fleeing the scene of one such outing, he finds himself at the public library. The librarian at the front desk presents him with the mysterious blue card, and while he scoffs at it at first, he soon finds a book he has been looking for since his early childhood. This book is the one connection that he has to his long-dead mother, and finding it helps him to feel closer to her. Finally, April Mendez has just moved to a mushroom farm from New York City. She misses her old neighborhood, particularly the public library. One morning, she goes for a walk, hoping to find something interesting beyond the confines of the mushroom farm. She is almost run over by a passing bookmobile, which, after recovering from her shock, she gladly scrambles onto. She meets a surly runaway named Nanette, and they begin a correspondence that helps both of them cope with their individual circumstances.

I didn't love this book at all. In the appending material, Spinelli comments that he wrote the book on a suggestion from his editor. He didn't say that he has an abiding love for libraries, and that's why he wrote it. If that were the case, the book may have been better. As it is, it comes off kind of like something he wrote because he had to. Some of the characters were better than others, but I totally didn't buy either Mongoose or Brenda. Their transformations were way too radical and way too rapid. Plus, in the story about Mongoose and Weasel, Spinelli uses what I think is supposed to be urban black dialect. It wasn't convincing, and it makes me uncomfortable when white people try to step into those shoes. At best, it's inauthentic; at the worst, it's downright insulting. This is definitely not a must-read Spinelli novel.(less)

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Apr 08, 2010 Jeff_§of2014 added it · review of another edition

Shelves: grade-8-ir-shelf-seniorita

This book is about four teenage kids who all face everyday challenges. Mongoose has a bad influence from his friend, Weasel. Brenda has a problem with watching too much TV, Sonseray has a negative attitude, and because of that he finds himself moving around in a lot of places with his uncle, and April moves also, and meets Nanette. All of them faces a conflict that almost every average teenager or person faces at least once in their life time, but one card would change their lives forever. Even...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-books, magical-realism

I would recommend this book to kids between 9 and 12, but only if they are reluctant or struggling readers. Children who already love books and love learning may find this book repetitive and dull because they already know the magic and miracles that can happen because of books. They may still like the book because the characters are well-developed and easy to connect with, but it will not be as engaging or have as much of an impact on avid readers as it would on those who do not like books.

Tha...more

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Oct 03, 2011 Shannon Obrien rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book 'The Library Card' by Jerry Spinelli is an amazing book. It gives a different approach then many other children's novels I have read in the past. 'The Library Card' gives four very different settings of what happened with the blue library card. Two out of the four stories stuck out the most to me. The first story was about two young boys about the age of 12 who were on the path of becoming punks. One of the boys, Weasel was more of the leader and Mongoose was more of the follower they...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Taunalee Clark rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-lit-13-25

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Library Card tells the story of four kids: Mongoose, Brenda, Sonseray, and April. Each has their own personal set of trials. Mongoose is friends with Weasel, and together they set out to put their name on the world. They steal candy and sell it to buy spray paint, then they graffiti their "names" all over town. But when Mongoose discovers a little blue library card, he discovers an insatiable hunger for knowledge. Brenda is a TV addict, and when her school sponsors a tv-free week, Brenda goe...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Laurie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: elementary

Parents need to know that this book follows a group of four young strangers who are struggling through life for very different reasons, and that some of them serve as better role models than others -- at least initially. One, an inner-city dweller, spends his spare time spray-painting graffiti with a friend. Another is grappling with his mother's recent death.
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Positive messages

This book follows a group of four young strangers who are struggling through life for very different reasons

Positive r...more

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Apr 26, 2009 PurplyCookie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens-books, short-stories

I loved my library card. It was all creased and smudged and spilled on, and the corners were rounded and furry. But it was the only official card I have ever had, and the reason it was so beat-up was because I carried it with me everywhere, because I never knew when I might need it. My mother said it was a good thing I had it too, letting me bring books home, because otherwise I would never leave the library, because I couldn't stop reading.

In the opening piece, "Mongoose", two shoplifting 12-y...more

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Jun 21, 2011 Kimberlee rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: youth-fiction

I read this book last summer when I led a book group for my sons and some of their friends. This book had some very risky themes for children: homelessness, foul language, dropping out of school, death, vandalism etc. So I would recommend pre-viewing this book if you plan on introducing it to your child(ren). I found that this book was a great way to bring many of these topics up in conversation.

The book is a series of short stories all revolving around a mysterious library card. For each child...more

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Dec 22, 2008 Telka rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 7th-grade-ir-books-deborah

The Library Card was about four different points of views of these kids who had these conflicts in their lives. But there lives start to change when they find a library card that turns out to be magical...
I decided to connect this book to the world. That is because people deal with conflicts or big problems in their life, and usually they get something or someone to help them. But in this book, the library card helps them remember what is important in their lives.
I decided to rate this book...more

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Aug 28, 2011 Lindsey Hench rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jerry Spinelli's "The Library Card" was a clever tale about different children who find out how magical reading can truly be.

This witty book offers an insightful opinion on the benefits of reading and how reading can transform lives. While encouraging reading in the youth, it also has some interesting and suspenseful moments. The book, broken up into four main short stories, stars four different main characters. In each of the short stories, the main characters find themselves in turmoil with e...more

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Aug 29, 2011 Joshua rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book is about kids with complete opposite backgrounds and messed up childhoods. The change in the kids lives revolves around is a library card that changes the life of four kids: Mongoose, Brenda, Sonseray, and April. The blue magic library ticket is the passport for the four kids to another dimension that involves the past, future and imaginary lands. The four kids are challenged to survive and also challenged to find themselves. Mongoose experiences what it's like to grow apart from a best...more

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Oct 07, 2010 Christina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I first read The Library Card, I thought that it would be great for elementary school students...As I read, I changed my mind and thought that the book would be better for middle school students..After I finished reading the book, I realized that the book is geared for high school students. I say this because at the end of the book, we read about Nanette, a character who used a razor to slit her wrists. Nanette also had a relationship with a boy who wanted nothing to do with her..Not that J...more

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Mar 29, 2012 Cheryl in CC NV rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: to-enjoy-again

One of Spinelli's more intense works. And one not to be missed. I'm a huge fan of this author - though I'm not entirely sure about the value of the Tooter Pepperday series.

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Jun 13, 2012 Liz Batt rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-literature-class-1-12

The Library Card includes 4 short stories about young people whose lives are changed for the better by a library card. The four young people's whose stories are told are Mongoose, Brenda, Sonseray, and April Mendez. Each of them have completely different stories and lives and the only thing they have in common is this almost magical blue library card that seems to appear when they need it most.
Due to the fact that these are short stories I never really felt a huge connection to any of the chara...more

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Apr 09, 2009 Josiah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The stories in this book are written with a caring sensitivity and lightness of touch, all combined into one, that could have only come from the pen of the great Jerry Spinelli. The sense of magic working behind the scenes is very apparent yet transparent, able to be seen only as a benevolent force working behind the scenes. As always, Jerry Spinelli scores big once again with this volume, lovingly constructing a sense of feeling that pulsates with energetic truth, wrapping around the reader an...more

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Mar 18, 2009 Bellezza rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2009

This book was deeply moving to me. While it was far too advanced for my third graders, many of them did appreciate it as we closed the cover today. The library card is a 'magical' card, of sorts, which finds its way into the lives for four separate, troubled teens. Each one is left comforted by what the library card has given it: a passion for books which turns one boy from becoming a drop out like his best friend, a reunion with his deceased mother (even if only through the book she always read...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Stephanie Mason rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Four different stories, four different characters, one library card. I liked the concept, although I'd have liked more depth to each story. Basically, four different youths are struggling with something and the answer to their problem is the library. It might be just the delving into books in general, or a specific book, but each was able to resolve the conflict when a mysterious blue library card appeared. A few of the stories were so vague, it was difficult to understand until nearly finished...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Nicolas Robles added it · review of another edition

This was one book that I actually did enjoy through my reading. I have heard about it before but was past the age where i wanted to read it. Basically it puts you in a few different scenarios with different people and it talks about just how they don't enjoy school or reading and fill their time with other things. With each one the person happens to stumble upon a library card and out of curiosity they start to read. It just shows kids how books can be exciting and is a good way to spend time be...more

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May 04, 2009 Bonnie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, reviewed-books, recommended

I read this book aloud to my students in year 2000. The rating is based on their reaction to this book. Although it appears to be recommended for 11+ years, my grade 4 students loved the four stories about the four conflicted individuals. When Mongoose, Brenda, Sonseray, and then April find the blue library card, it affects each of them in a different way. Perhaps somewhat unbelievable, but so too, was what happened in real life: the class wanted access to more Jerry Spinelli books!

Recommended,...more

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Sep 07, 2010 Mr. Graham rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens, contemporary

The Library Card was a huge surprise and disappointment. Some of Spinelli's books start out slow and boring, but they usually come together in the end. I enjoyed very little of this book, but I kept reading based on what I know of Spinelli. This book did not come together at the end. The plot, or plots, were weak. There was no real resolution, no payoff, at the end. I understand that some readers might find bits and pieces of themselves in the characters, but that could have been accomplished by...more

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Apr 27, 2013 CLM rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrensbooks, 20th-century, library, united-states

Four stories about teens or preteens who are angry or lonely or confused (or all of the above) but find a library card which transforms their existence. That makes it sound better than it is and as if there is more about the library than it contains. I think I would have liked this better if the four characters had met and become friends in a fifth story.

I used to conflate Jerry Spinelli and Gordon Korman in my mind, perhaps because both are Scholastic authors and I began reading their books at...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Ranae rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Library Card is a book broken into four sections. Each section demonstrates the influence a librarian has on young readers. The first section is about a boy who reminds me of my nephew Chais. The child is a rough and tumble kid and has lots of rough and tumble friends. Mongoose is the boy in the first section of the book. Mongoose and his friend have a lot of free rein. Mongoose happens to find a library card lying on the ground. He picked it up and decides to keep it. Mongoose decides to ch...more The Library Card is a book broken into four sections. Each section demonstrates the influence a librarian has on young readers. The first section is about a boy who reminds me of my nephew Chais. The child is a rough and tumble kid and has lots of rough and tumble friends. Mongoose is the boy in the first section of the book. Mongoose and his friend have a lot of free rein. Mongoose happens to find a library card lying on the ground. He picked it up and decides to keep it. Mongoose decides to check out the library. While at the library he meets a librarian who introduces him to a book he enjoys. Mongoose checks it out and really does enjoy the book. After he finishes the book, mongoose starts taking part in school. Mongoose find the knowledge he learned from the book made learning more fun for him. He enjoys school more and more and hangs out with his friend less and less. All because a Liberian cared and helped mongoose find a book he enjoyed. This is the librarian I want to be!
In the section of the book we meet Brenda. Brenda has a library card never uses it, but decides to use it one day. Brenda stopped in at the library and found a book that mirrored herself. Oddly, she left the book in the library and return often to find out more about herself. This gave her more confidence in herself and became a more confident girl.
The third section introduces us to Sonseray. Sonseray is troubled and does thing with out thinking. His mother died when he was young. Sonseray lives with his uncle. His uncle moves when Sonseray gets in too much trouble they move to another town. One day Sonseray ducked into the library to get out of trouble. He just happened to duck into story hour. The Liberian allowed the children to choose the books she would read. In her pile of children's books she finds an adult book. The librarian was fearful of an outburst from Sonseray. Sonseray sat quietly and listened to the stories. After story time Sonseray talked the librarian into reading to him for a long time. He then checked out a book that his mom used to read to him and another child. The librarian knew that he would never return the book.
In the fourth and last section of the book we meet April Mendez. April was forced to move from New York to a mushroom farm. April hated it at the farm. She did not have a library to go to, it was stinky, and the kids at the school call her mushy. One day she was out walking and saw a large vehicle with the word book on the side. April got the large truck to stop and stepped aboard. She quickly found the bookmobile to be hijacked. April and the hijacker begin talking and soon April volunteers to be the flower girl in the hijacker's wedding. The Liberian on the bookmobile has April give the high jacker, Nanette her address and makes Nanette promise to write to April. The librarian on the bookmobile tells April that Nanette needs a future. And overtime the two girls exchange letters. A good friendship begins to develop through writing letterers. At one point in time April wonder who is giving who a future. A librarian who cares gives to girls a future.
In each of these cases the librarians played an important role in these kids lives. They were open to the children's life events. Each librarian was accepting to the children's home lives and willing helped each child to improve each child's lives. Studies show that children need one caring adult in their lives that so that the child can grow up and be successful.
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Jul 19, 2009 Victoria rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A must read for anyone who believes in the power of books to transform lives.

One part fantasy, one part character study, this book follows the lives of four seperate teenagers, each one touched in some strange way by a simple, mysterious blue library card that finds its way to each one.

Mongoose is a juvenile deliquent, goaded along by his friend into spray painting walls and ditching school. But when Mongoose finds a book of amazing facts about the world around him at the library, he realizes th...more

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Aug 13, 2010 Denise rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a book suitable for a 10-12 year old but I enjoyed it non-the-less. The book is made up of 4 short stories. The first three I felt were most appropriate to the theme the fourth not so much. If you have a couch potato for a kid that never picks up a book then the second story titled "Brenda" is a must read--it is about a girl that her class has decided to "turn off the TV for a week" and the withdrawal symptoms Brenda goes through. It was a really cute story.

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About Jerry Spinelli

When Jerry Spinelli was a kid, he wanted to grow up to be either a cowboy or a baseball player. Lucky for us he became a writer instead.

He grew up in rural Pennsylvania and went to college at Gettysburg College and Johns Hopkins University. He has published more than 25 books and has six children and 16 grandchildren.
Jerry Spinelli began writing when he was 16 — not much older than the hero of his...more

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