The Library Card

by Jerry Spinelli

Book Overview

From the Newbery-award winning author of Maniac Magee.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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0590386336
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.5" x 0.5" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Reading Can Change Your Life.

Jerry Spinelli is one of the best writers of young-adult fiction currently writing. His ideas connect not only with his main target audience, but with many adults as well. His writing style is full of vivid images and he uses unusual vocabulary words that force readers to grow in their language skills. THE LIBRARY CARD is basically a novella written around four different stories tied together through a mysterious blue libary card. The first revolves around a boy named Mongoose and all the pranks he pulls and trouble he gets into with his friend named Weasel. The second focuses in on a girl named Brenda who is obsessed with televsion. The third story is about a homeless teenager named Sonseray who lives in a car with his uncle near a junkyard. The final story in the book is told as a first-person narrative from a girl named April and tells about moving to a Philadelphia mushroom farm and being hijacked on a bookmobile. Each story is unique in and of itself and the main characters have very little in common. However, each story illustrates the power of reading and how reading really can change a person's life.

Library Card

THIS BOOK IS THE WORLDS BEST BOOK SINCE MOLLY MOONS INCREDIBLE BOOK OF HYPTNOTISM!!!!!!!!!!!!! This book is awesome because, after every story, there is a moral. This book showed me that the things that things that seem horrible, turn out to be the best thing for you. It changed my life the same way it changed Mongoose, Brenda, Sonseray, and April Mendez.The thing that I thought was interesting was that the libraryian was always in the story. Sure when they went to the library they saw her, but she's also deeper everywhere. Think about it.

^_^

Ignore the other reviews, because they are not accurate.1. The book was far from boring.2. It wasn't hard to follow, there was definitely a plotline for each chapter.3. I think it was great how each chapter ended, because it left you wanting more. To me, that is a brilliant way of writing. Keep in mind that these are mostly little kids who didn't like the book.Silly kids.They probably don't like it because it's about a library card.:PI think Jerry Spinelli is an awesome writer.We even share the same last name, which is weird considering we're not related and that I live in Canada.Anyways, he is one of my favourite authors, read and buy all his books, you won't regret it!

Don't let the title turn you off!

What sounds like a boring topic actually turns out to be a wonderful series of four individual stories, about four different young people whose lives are about to change because of the mysterious appearance of a blue plastic card.Mongoose lives in the inner city. With his good friend, Weasel, he writes graffiti all over the neighborhood. Weasel eventually drops out of school -- Mongoose has found a strange blue card that opens up a world he hadn't even dreamed of...Sonseray lives in a car, with his uncle. They travel from city to city, often leaving earlier than his uncle wants because of Sonseray's anger over the early loss of his mother. But that funny blue card shows up mysteriously, leading him to a nice cool library with more than central air conditioning.Brenda loves television. Her life evolves around her favorite shows -- until one week, when she has to participate in her school's Great TV Turnoff. How will she ever survive? That blue card pulls her so far away from the television, she may never return.And April Mendez, who loves to read. Stuck in a funny farm... when her family moves, she meets Nanette, a tough runaway teen who loses April's library card! Some strange blue card shows up -- April eventually gives it to Nanette and -- well, things really change.My almost 10 year old son and I read this. He is NOT an avid reader, which is why I am always reading WITH him, and he surprised me by begging to read the next story after we finished each one (he had to wait a whole day for each story!)Very different, high quality story that gives a message without being at all preachy.

The Best Book In The World

The Library Card is a great book. This book has three cool stories in it. The first story is about two trouble making kids called Mongoose and Weasel. Mongoose and Weasel are best friends ,until the library card comes in. It changes mongoose's life. This a very interesting book I reccomend it.