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The Library Card

(2004, Fiction - Short Stories, Written by Eileen Spinelli)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 8, age appropriate for kids over 9; suggested age 9.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    A mysterious library card affects four lives.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 9 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Lots of bad behavior: shoplifting, vandalism, tagging, mooning, mouthing off to adults.
  • Violence:

    A threat with a razor blade.
  • Sex:

    Not an issue.
  • Language:

    Not an issue.
  • Consumerism:

    Numerous candy brands mentioned.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    A reference to a mother who died of a drug overdose.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About The Library Card

Parents need to know that this book follows a group of four young strangers who are struggling through life for very different reasons, and that some of them serve as better role models than others -- at least initially. One, an inner-city dweller, spends his spare time spray-painting graffiti with a friend. Another is grappling with his mother's recent death.

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the power of books, reading, libraries, and librarians and the affect they can have on even the most difficult lives. Have you ever read a book that changed the way you thought about your life? What about it spoke to you?

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Our Members Say

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See all 6 member reviews

Most Recent Reviews

  1. Parent Reviewer
    I rate this title off for age 7 and give it 1.0
    My concerns are:
    • Negative message

    Great handbook for delinquents!

    Hated this. Angry it was given to my 3rd grader. For all of the questionable youth activity: Repeated Shoplifting and Vandalism, Defying all teacher, adult and parenting relationships, quitting/skipping school, cutting, hijacking and hitchhiking to name only a few! All with no real consequences... Poorly strung together, it is more of a handbook for delinquency than shining example of how books can save people. Forget about any sense of morals or authority figures helping troubled kids!

  2. Parent Reviewer
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 3.0
    My concerns are:
    • Negative message

    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

    Good book for middle grades

    This book was so-so. Overall it has a positive message about the value of books/the library - however that positive message is only inferred so the reader must be mature enough to recognize it. This book also has some mature themes - it infers that one of the characters may be suicidal, a couple other characters shoplift and vandalize. Another character is homeless and lives in a car with his uncle. These dark themes tend to overshadow the positive message. Additionally, the imagery and figurative language used by the author is somewhat complex and the reader would need to have the maturity level to comprehend it.

  3. Parent Reviewer
    I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it 1.0

    Better books written regarding the value of library cards.

    The book was chosen for our Mother/Daughter Book Group (ages 8-12). It was a disappointment. As a librarian I think stories could have been written in a more positive way regarding library cards.

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 3.0

    Eh...

    This book wasn't the best. It didn't make that much sense, because none of the stories connected in any way except for them all finding a library card at some point. This wasn't one of Jerry Spenelli's best...

  5. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 4.0

    Amust read book for everyone

    These incredible stories are amazing! It a is all about 4 childrene and how there lives get affected by this library card. I really liked the book !! You should all read it. It's great!!

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