No Shelf Control

Grades 4-6 Book Club

Calling all readers in grades 4-6! No Shelf Control is a book discussion & activity group just for students age 9-12. This month we'll discuss "The Lost Library" by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass.

Evan and his best friend, Rafe, spend the summer after fifth grade trying to find out the story behind the sudden appearance of little free library—guarded by a big orange cat named Mortimer—in front of the building that used to be the town's library before something happened that no one will talk about. "The Lost Library" by award-winning and critically-acclaimed children's chapter book authors Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass features a little bit of mystery, a lot of curiosity, some local history, a bit of fantasy, and a great friendship. It should provide plenty of material for a great discussion and some fun activities in this month's meeting of No Shelf Control! 

You can borrow a copy of the book, 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 November meeting of No Shelf Control. The book is also available in electronic formats from the library’s free services: on Hoopla as an e-book or e-audiobook; and on Overdrive or the Libby app as an e-book or e-audiobook. 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.

If you are in grades 4, 5 or 6 and love to read and have fun talking about books and characters, No Shelf Control is the place for you! Over the course of the school year, we’ll read books from a wide range of genres—realistic fiction, mystery, humor, science fiction, fantasy, adventure—featuring characters your age and themes such as friendship, family, overcoming adversity, confronting challenges, sorting through conflicting values, and navigating life, school, sports and other extracurricular activities, other people’s expectations, and their expanding knowledge of themselves and the world around them. We often use new books published within the last 2-3 years and acclaimed titles from such award programs as the Black-Eyed Susan. Each session’s interactive discussions and hands-on activities will relate to the major topics and themes of the book in a fun and engaging way. Each month, you can borrow a copy of the assigned book (with a specially prepared reading guide just for our group) from the Connie Morella Library. You can also access many of the titles as e-books or e-audiobooks through the library’s free app, Hoopla and Libby. 

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.

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Have questions about this program? Contact the branch at 240-777-0970, or librarian Jeff Coster at jeffrey.coster@montgomerycountymd.gov.

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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