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The Library Card, by Jerry Spinelli, can make a great introduction to a summer reading program. What better way to motivate kids to check out the library over the summer than these mysterious short stories with their magical library cards?

The Library Card consists of four short stories that will appeal to middle grade kids.  In each one, a found library card sets the stage for a change that is about to happen in the life of the main character.  Each story is different, each character has his or her own unique troubles, and there are surprising themes and twists in the stories, making each one an engaging read.

In one story, the main character, Brenda, is rescued from a life addicted to TV when the glowing blue card leads her to a biography of her own life away from TV.  In another one, the library card leads a homeless  teen named Sonseray to memories of his mom who died when he was young.

One nice thing about using The Library Card at the end of the school year, is that you can read one story, a few, or all four, depending on how much time you have.

After reading each story, you might want to have kids note how the library card led each character to make a connection between books and their own life.  Then, to follow up with a summer reading program, have the students keep a log of how each book that they read over the summer connects to their own life.

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