No Shelf Control!

A Book Club for Grades 4-6

Are you in grades 4-6 & love to read & talk about books & characters? Join No Shelf Control! as we see what happens to a boy who gets a lot more than he expected in "The Picasso Curse" by Dan Gutman.

Welcome to a new school year of No Shelf Control! If you are in grades 4, 5 or 6 and love to read and have fun talking about books and characters, this just might be the place for you! No Shelf Control meets monthly for discussion and activities related to a book chosen by a librarian just for this age group, freely available through the library, and read (or listened to, if applicable) ahead of time.

Edwin Hodge gets more than he anticipated when he buys a poster of his favorite athlete at a flea market. What exactly is the paper that falls out from behind the frame? Where did it come from? Who made it? Is it worth anything? Who does it really belong to? And what should he and his family do with it? You may know author Dan Gutman from his different children’s book series: My Weird School, The Genius Files, Baseball Card Adventures, and Flashback Four. This book, like many of his others for readers your age, involves a little bit of very interesting history; in this case, the theft of the famous Mona Lisa and the life of one of the world’s greatest modern artists, Pablo Picasso.

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 September 9 meeting of No Shelf Control. The book is also available from the library’s free app Hoopla (or hoopladigital.com) as an e-audiobook (it is not currently available either as an e-book or on Libby or https://mcplmd.overdrive.com. 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.

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 other people's expectations, and navigating life, school, sports and other extracurricular activities, while expanding their knowledge of themselves and the world around them. We often use new books published within the last 2-3 years and 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.

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.

Don't have a card right now? Find out how to Get a Library Card.

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

Accommodation Requests

To request an accommodation, contact the library branch where you want the accommodation. If they are unable to help, or if you need an accommodation for an online resource or event, complete our Accommodation Request Form online or call Library Administration at 240-777-0002.

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