The Library Card (Paperback)

by Jerry Spinelli (Author) "Fingers trembling, eyes on the man at the cash register, Mongoose snatched the Milky Way bar and stuck it in his coat pocket..." (more)
Key Phrases: horse poop, blue card, Miss Storytime, Walt Pintero, Dorcas Road (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
A library card is a kind of magic ticket: a passport to places distant--unknown--even forbidden. In his latest offering, Newbery Medalist Jerry 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.

The magic library card that turns up in the four separate stories in this book is a ticket to whatever each young character needs most at the time. Each story is imaginative, surprising, and well beyond the "books are good for you" theme one might expect from a tome with this title.

To the reader, it's almost Twilight Zone-y. The 12-ish kids in these stories face varied turning points as they move toward adolescence. They all find their way thanks to a mysterious blue card that seems to have materialized from nowhere.

Street kid Mongoose must decide whether to follow a friend clearly on his way to trouble or seek his own path. April, just moved from New York to an isolated farm, needs a friend. Deprived of television for a week, young Brenda must learn to handle her restlessness and figure out who, besides those goofballs on television, lives inside her head. A grieving Sonseray, barely realizing he's in need, finds comfort and a reassuring connection to his dead mother.

For many kids, the library is just that place where the Ghostbusters first got slimed. This book offers a reminder of the "real" spirits waiting on every shelf. (For ages 11 and up) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
A library card prominently features in four short stories; "Spinelli's spare writing and careful pacing reinforce the dramatic nature of events as they unfold," said PW. Ages 8-14.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590386336
• ISBN-13: 978-0590386333
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #105,980 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't let the title turn you off!, August 15, 2001

By	Annie Quaker "reader" - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Big Blue Library Card, October 1, 2003

A Kid's Review

The Library Card

In my second period L.A class my teacher Mrs. Donohue (Mrs. D short for Donohue) has us read 3 books per quarter. We have to do a critical review each quarter. Our first quarter, we have to do a critical review on the first book we read. I have to tell you some information about this book. So here we go.

My first book I read was called The Library Card. The author is Jerry Spinelli he writes a lot of different books like Loser, Stargirl, Wringer, etc. The Library Card is a story. There are different sections of it. The Library Card falls into a mystery/adventure category. This book is about to boys that are bestfriends. They always sit on top of a tall building. They go to a market and steal quite a bit of candy and sell it, to buy spray paint cans. Then they go around and spray paint things. As they do this one of the boys find a blue card in his pocket. Then he realizes that its a library card so he goes to the library and starts to check out books. Then the library card gets passed around to different people, and they use the library card.

The books have strengths and weaknesses. The strength part of the book is that at the end of every chapter it leaves sentences that make you want to keep reading. This is called a narrative hook. The weakness in the book is that when the library card gets past around to different people it kind of goes into a different story so its a little confusing. Jerry Spinelli is a great author to write books. He has adventure, drama, mystery, and so much more in his books. I think this book is a great book, if people have a chance they need to go to the library and check out The Library Card. This is a great book for readers from 5th to 8th grade because they can learn a lot from this book. They could learn that going to the library and checking out books is a great thing to do for your education.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Libraries can change lives, October 17, 2000

By	Gwyneth Calvetti (West Salem, WI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I once heard an author interview with Gary Paulsen, who as a young boy, sought refuge in the local library, soaking up the books there. These four vignettes about four very different kids and the way their lives are touched by a library card made me wonder if Spinelli was inspired by that same interview to write this book.

Each of the kids experiences alienation in very different ways, and each of the kids discovers themself and their connectedness differently, but the common thread is the library card that magically appears for each. All of the characters are very strong, and their disaffection for the world is clear. I especially enjoyed the first and the last vignette in the book. The first tells of a 12 year old boy who has been flirting with street gang behavior discovering the joy of knowledge. The last one tells of a girl who is new to her school and an outcast discovering the joy of reaching out to another in need.

Spinelli has a way with characters such as these. He captures their personalities and inner conflicts, but does so with a subtle touch of humor that allows young readers to sense that everything will be okay for the hero or heroine. As a teacher who often finds myself working with students like "Mongoose" in the first vignette, I've discovered that Jerry Spinelli's books can capture even the most reluctant reader.