Cover to Cover!

A Book Club for Grades 2-3

Cover to Cover is a NEW monthly reading, discussion & activity group for students in grades 2-3. This month we'll discuss "Lola's First Day of the Dead" by Keka Novales.

Lola Lopes Cruz has always lived in Texas. But one year, while preparing for Halloween, she learns about the holiday celebrated by her mother when she was a girl in Guatemala: the Day of the Dead. Find out how Lola manages to balance two different cultural traditions in "Lola's First Day of the Dead" from the "Hola, Lola!" series by Keka Novales. For this session, we will also have crafts available for both of these October 31-November 1 celebrations.

You can borrow a copy of “Lola's First Day of the Dead” by Keka Novales--along with a specially prepared reading guide for our group--from the Connie Morella Library; just ask at either the Circulation Desk or Information Desk for the book for the October meeting of Cover to Cover! The book is also available as an ebook on Hoopla, one of the library's free subscription apps (it is not currently available as an e-audiobook, or on Libby/Overdrive in any format). If you use an electronic version, please contact librarian Jeff Coster (Jeffrey.Coster@montgomerycountymd.gov) to request a copy of the reading guide. He can also be contacted with any questions about the program and participant eligibility.

Cover to Cover is a brand-new monthly reading, discussion, and activity group created for students in 2nd and 3rd grade. Each month, we will read a different chapter book that you can check out ahead of time from the Connie Morella Library (or read or listen to on one of our free e-book apps, if available), along with a specially prepared reading guide to help you get ready for the group's next meeting. At each session, we'll have an icebreaker activity and discuss the plot, characters, topics, settings, and themes of the book in a variety of different ways, from traditional question-and-answer discussion to role plays, think-pair-share, fishbowl, and more to encourage fun interaction among the participants. Then we'll finish with an activity related to the book--for example, a small art or craft project or interactive game--to reinforce the main themes or topics. Books will be chosen from among a variety of genres--adventure, humor, realistic fiction, science-fiction, fantasy, mystery--with a range of diverse characters in a variety of different cultural backgrounds and life circumstances. Many of the books used will be from lists of nominees at the appropriate age-level for honors such as the Maryland Association of School Libraries’ Black-Eyed Susan Award and the Maryland Library Association’s Youth Services Division’s Blue Crab Young Reader Award.

We'll start this year's program as a hybrid of a traditional book club with a shared read-aloud component. Volunteers can practice reading out loud to their peers the first chapter of the next month's book, or perhaps a short story or poems chosen for their suitability. This program is designed to support students transitioning from beginning readers and simple chapter books into the next challenge of longer chapter books with more complex vocabulary, different writing styles, and fewer pictures, but all materials chosen for use will be in the general on-level range for ages 7 to 9. 

Library Program Attendance (both virtual and in the branch) is limited to participants within the suggested age range of the program. Children attending an MCPL program under the age of 8 must be accompanied by an adult. Adults attending a program intended for children must have an accompanying child.

Questions about this program? Contact the Connie Morella Library at 240-777-0970 or librarian Jeff Coster at jeffrey.coster@montgomerycountymd.gov.

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Accommodation Requests

People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing should request English-language captioning or sign-language interpretation at least five days before the library-sponsored program they plan to attend. Contact the Assistant Facilities and Accessibility Program Manager at 240-777-0002 with all other accommodation requests.

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