Librarian on the Roof! A True Story

When RoseAleta Laurell begins her new job at the Dr. Eugene Clark Library in Lockhart, Texas, she is surprised that the children of the town think the library is for adults. She vows to raise the money for a children’s section and spends a week living and working on the library roof, even surviving a dangerous storm. With the help of the entire town, RoseAleta raises over $39,000 from within the community and across the country.

Today if you look through the front window of the Eugene Clark Library, you will see shelves stacked full with children’s books and tables and chairs just the right size. You will see artwork on the walls, and a row of busy computers. Best of all, you will always find crowds of children who love to read and learn inside the walls of the oldest library in Texas.

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  • 9780807592908
  • September 2010

Reviews

  • Vibrant cartoon-style illustrations depict RoseAleta’s weeklong vigil on the roof of the stately domed building. Caution: dramatic perspectives depicting the 50-foot drop from the roof are not for acrophobes…This will work well with groups, whether they are children, legislators, or future librarians.

    - Booklist

  • A laughing new librarian with “eyelashes as long as bird feathers” arrives at the creaky, almost-100-year-old library in Lockhart, Texas, and, to her surprise, the children do not use it because they say it’s for grown-ups!…Based on a true story, this will be popular with librarians and their readers.

    - Kirkus Reviews

  • King’s writing is clear and often witty, and she does a credible job of capturing Laurell’s determined and forthright personality, as well as the drama and excitement of this unusual approach to fund-raising. Gilpin’s hand-drawn, vibrantly colored cartoon illustrations enliven the story, particularly the spread that depicts the woman being hoisted to dizzying heights.

    - School Library Journal

Awards & Accolades

  • 2012-2013 Show Me Readers Award Nominee List (Missouri)

Illustrator

Stephen Gilpin

Common Core

RL.K-1.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9,10 RL.2.1,2,3,5,6,7,10

 

  • Accelerated Reader Points: 0.50
  • ATOS Level: 3.60