No Shelf Control!

(Grades 4-6 Book Club)

No Shelf Control is a book discussion & activity group just for students age 9-12. This month we'll discuss "The Labors of Hercules Beal" by Gary Schmidt and its connection to ancient mythology!

The ancient mythological hero Hercules famously had to perform twelve tasks—each thought to be completely impossible—as punishment for a crime he committed. Seventh-grader Herc Beal—despite his superhuman namesake—is actually the smallest kid in his class at a new school and seems the least likely to be able to accomplish a similar feat as part of a school assignment. If you like Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, or ancient mythology, or stories of kids overcoming great obstacles, join us in reading award-winning children's author Gary B. Schmidt's "The Labors of Hercules Beal," currently a nominee for the 2025-2026 Black-Eyed Susan award for best children's novel!

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 January 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 the Libby app or mcplmd.overdrive.com 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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