BUP

Mystery Book Club: Good Girl, Bad Girl
2026-05-26 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Connie Morella Library, 7400 Arlington Road, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Come join the Connie Morella Mystery book club! We will be reading mysteries, thrillers and whodunits together every month. This May, we will be discussing Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham.
A girl is discovered hiding in a secret room in the aftermath of a terrible crime. Half-starved and filthy, she won’t tell anyone her name, or her age, or where she came from. Maybe she is twelve, maybe fifteen. She doesn’t appear in any missing persons file, and her DNA can’t be matched to an identity. Six years later, still unidentified, she is living in a secure children’s home with a new name, Evie Cormac. When she initiates a court case demanding the right to be released as an adult, forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven must determine if Evie is ready to go free. But she is unlike anyone he’s ever met–fascinating and dangerous in equal measure. Evie knows when someone is lying, and no one around her is telling the truth.
Meanwhile, Cyrus is called in to investigate the shocking murder of a high school figure-skating champion, Jodie Sheehan, who dies on a lonely footpath close to her home. Pretty and popular, Jodie is portrayed by everyone as the ultimate girl-next-door, but as Cyrus peels back the layers, a secret life emerges–one that Evie Cormac, the girl with no past, knows something about. A man haunted by his own tragic history, Cyrus is caught between the two cases–one girl who needs saving and another who needs justice. What price will he pay for the truth?
Copies of the book can be picked up at the front desk at the Connie Morella Library, or you can borrow a digital copy from our online collection here.

Toddler Storytime at Connie Morella Library
2026-05-26 10:30 - 12:00, 2026-05-19 10:30 - 12:00, 2026-05-12 10:30 - 12:00, 2026-05-05 10:30 - 12:00, 2026-04-28 10:30 - 12:00, 2026-04-21 10:30 - 12:00, 2026-04-14 10:30 - 12:00
Get up and get moving at storytime! These 20-30-minute programs are full of a diverse collection of books, songs and fun activities. They are designed to introduce your child to the culture of reading and help develop your child’s language skills. Children are encouraged to engage with the stories and activities, and their grownups are encouraged to participate in the program along with children. ​
Space is limited! FREE tickets are available on a first come, first served basis at the Information desk beginning 30 minutes before the program. Toddler Storytime occurs at 10:30 and 11:15.

"Our Earth" Book Discussion Club
2026-05-23 15:30 - 17:00
Come, share your ideas and learn more about environmental topics in this space for thoughtful exchange, around fiction and non-fiction books.

Starting from a common base to have real discussions about the environment, this book discussion club is a great way to deepen ideas, have respectful debates while listening to the points of view of others and broaden our understanding and vision on this important topic. Together, we may discover new forms of commitment and imagine new sustainable and desirable horizons.
This month’s selection is Fen, bog & swamp: a short history of peatland destruction and its role in the climate crisis, by Annie Proulx. “From Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Proulx – whose novels are infused with her knowledge and deep concern for the earth – comes an urgent and riveting history of wetlands, their ecological role and how the loss of them threatens the planet. Fens, bogs, swamps and marine estuaries are the earth’s most desirable and dependable resources, and in four illuminating parts Proulx documents the emergence of their systemic destruction in the pursuit of profit and the consequent release of their stored carbon. Wide-ranging and idiosyncratic, Proulx’s explanation of wetlands takes readers to the fens of sixteenth-century England, Canada’s Hudson Bay Lowlands, Russia’s Great Vasyugan Mire and America’s Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and introduces the nineteenth-century explorers who launched the ravaging of the Amazon rainforest. Proulx was born in the 1930s, a time, as she says, when ‘in the ever-continuing name of progress, Western countries busily raped their own and other countries of minerals, timber, fish and wildlife.’ Fen, Bog & Swamp is both a revelatory history and an urgent plea for wetland reclamation from a writer whose passionate devotion to observing and preserving the environment is on glorious display.” — Provided by publisher.
A limited number of copies will be available at the Check Out Desk, or you can borrow a digital copy from our online collection here.

Middle School Book Club: The Secret Battle of Evan Pao
2026-05-20 18:30 - 19:30
Middle School Book Club welcomes ALL readers in grades 6, 7, and 8 for a monthly meeting and discussion of books chosen by a librarian just for this age group and read ahead of time. Anyone ages 11-14 is welcome!
If you are in grades 6, 7, or 8 and love to read and have fun talking about books and characters, Middle School Book Club is the place for you! Over the course of the school year, we’ll read books with a wide range of genres—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 5 years and acclaimed titles from such award programs as the Black-Eyed Susan Tapestry. 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 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. The book for May 20 is THE SECRET BATTLE OF EVAN PAO, by Wendy Wan-Long, Shang.
Please contact children’s librarian Joe Farmarco (joseph.farmarco@montgomerycountymd.gov) with any questions about the program and participant eligibility.

LEGO Construction & Duplo Too!
2026-05-20 16:00 - 17:00, 2026-05-13 16:00 - 17:00, 2026-05-06 16:00 - 17:00, 2026-04-29 16:00 - 17:00, 2026-04-22 16:00 - 17:00, 2026-04-15 16:00 - 17:00
Each Wednesday, join us in the meeting room from 4:00pm-5:00pm for a session of building with LEGO and Duplos! We supply the LEGO and Duplo pieces, and you supply the imagination!
This program is for children ages 3 years old and up. Parents/caregivers MUST accompany children under the age of 8 during the program.

Cover to Cover: Gracie Under the Waves
2026-05-19 16:15 - 17:15
Readers in Grades 2-3: Join us this month to discuss “Gracie Under the Waves” by Linda Sue Park, a story of unexpected friendship, adventure, and discovery on a snorkeling vacation in the Caribbean.

Gracie Kim loves snorkeling. She researches and talks her parents into booking an affordable family vacation to an island in the Caribbean Sea near the world’s second-largest coral reef. What happens to her then is a roller-coaster of thoughts and emotions, as she experiences joy, wonder, pain, disappointment, fear, and courage while dealing with her highly active younger brother, Ben; a family of scientists who work in preserving and studying the reef; and the wonders and dangers of the ocean.
Join us for Cover to Cover on May 19 to discuss “Grace Under the Waves” by Linda Sue Park, which you can borrow from the Circulation or Information desks at the Connie Morella Library, along with the specially prepared reading guide. Just ask for the May book for “Cover to Cover!” You can also borrow electronic versions of the novel through the library’s free apps: as either an ebook or e-audiobook on Libby (or online at mcplmd.overdrive.com), or as an ebook or e-audiobook on Hoopla (or online at hoopladigital.com). If you use an electronic version, please contact librarian Jeff Coster (jeffrey.coster@montgomerycountymd.gov) for a copy of the reading guide prepared specially for our group.

Piano Recital
2026-05-17 16:00 - 17:30
Learn some interesting facts about the lives of great composers who lived and created in the 20th century while enjoying the performances of local teacher Elena Migunov and her students presenting solos, duets and two-piano compositions of works by Eric Satie, Pietro Mascagni, Camille Saint-Saens, Dmitri Shostakovich, John Williams, and others. This is the fourth annual celebration of classical piano with Ms. Migunov, her students, and the Connie Morella Library. Recommended for ages 5 and older.

Water N' Kids
2026-05-16 14:00 - 15:00
Being safe in the water starts with you! May 17th is Water Safety Day and May 17-23 is National Safe Boating Week. Join members of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary as they show how to be safe in the water. Topics discussed will include swimming safety, rip currents, wearing proper life jackets, basic boating safety tips, and clean marine environment.
This program is targeted toward elementary aged students. Registration is required.

Beyond the Board
2026-05-14 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-04-09 17:30 - 19:30
Join us for a night of puzzles, board games, card games and more! Light refreshments will be served.

Whether you’re new to puzzles and tabletop games or are looking for people to play with, join others in a relaxed evening of gaming at the library. Feel free to use one of the puzzles and games in our collection or bring your own with you!

Read to a Dog
2026-05-14 16:00 - 17:00
Read to a Dog develops reading skills and confidence as you share a book with a dog. Bring your own book or choose one from our collection!
This program is targeted to children 5 years old and up who have some ability to read aloud on their own. Sign up at the Information Desk up to 30 minutes before the program, for a 10-minute one-on-one reading session. First come, first served. Every second and fourth Thursday of the month. Located in Meeting Room 2.

Bethesda Reads: Crossing to Safety
2026-05-14 10:30 - 12:00
Interested in joining? The Book Club meets the second Thursday of each month from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm. We’ll talk over the book Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner.
The book chosen for this month’s discussion is Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. This story follows the enduring friendship between two couples: the Morgans—young, gifted, and full of dreams yet lacking prospects—and the Langs, wealthy and generous enough to share their good fortune. Beginning in the 1930s as struggling professors in Wisconsin, their lives intertwine across decades of triumphs and trials. Through themes of marriage, ambition, compromise, and the quiet resilience of human connection, the narrative reflects a timeless truth: holding fast to what truly matters, even as the years slip away.
Copies of this book will be available at the check out desk, while supplies last.

Nightly Fiber Friends
2026-05-12 17:00 - 19:00
Do enjoy taking a break and knitting or crocheting? What about embroidery? If so, join us and relax in a group of fiber enthusiasts! Feel free to bring your projects and work on them in a laid-back setting. We meet in the evening on the 2nd Tuesday and 4th Thursday of every month from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.

Happy Birthday, American Girl!
2026-05-10 11:00 - 16:00
The Changnon Family Museum invites you to explore a pop-up exhibit inspired by the “Happy Birthday” books of the Historical Characters. Join us on the back lawn for a themed picnic to follow!

In honor of American Girl’s 40th anniversary, Blake Changnon and The Changnon Family Museum of Toys and Collectibles invite you to explore a special pop-up exhibit inspired by the beloved Happy Birthday books of the Historical Characters.
This mini museum brings to life the first seven Historical Characters’ birthday stories. Through rare and original artifacts from the museum’s collection, visitors will discover how birthdays were celebrated across different times and places in American history, and how these moments welcomed readers into each girl’s world.
Just as American Girl has spent 40 years inviting children into the past through story, this exhibit celebrates the birthday books that first introduced readers to each girl—and the worlds they have been returning to ever since.
This exhibit is hands-off to protect these fragile, one-of-a-kind items from the museum’s collection. Visitors of all ages are welcome, as long as museum etiquette is observed; however, we recommend this experience for ages nine and up.
Come celebrate history, storytelling, and the magic of first introductions—American Girl style.
Attendees are invited to join us for a picnic on our back lawn featuring light refreshments after they see the collection. Please bring your own picnic blanket.
This exhibit is independently curated and is not affiliated with or endorsed by American Girl or Mattel.
Registration is required for this event, and will open on April 26, 2026. Registrants will have the opportunity to view the collection and walk through the exhibit. Groups will be contacted prior to the event with an assigned fifteen minute time slot to walk through the collection. Requests as to timeslots will be honored when possible, but are not guaranteed. As part of County Government, MCPL does not collect personal information other than for the purpose of providing programs or services.

LEGO Construction and Duplo Too!
2026-04-29 16:00 - 17:00, 2026-04-22 16:00 - 17:00, 2026-04-15 16:00 - 17:00

My First Book Club
2026-04-09 16:15 - 17:15
Children in Grades K-1 can practice their reading skills through group reading, activities & games based on beginner reader books. Each session will focus on a different theme. Caregivers must attend.

My First Book Club is a reading program designed to provide students in grades K-1 a unique opportunity to improve literacy and language arts skills through group reading, discussion, and related activities. Participants should be attending kindergarten or first grade, or the equivalent, but do not need to know how to read independently yet. This program does not teach kids how to read but rather serves as a fun and interactive way for beginning readers to practice reading aloud, listening to others read, and talking about stories and characters and language arts concepts, such as theme and setting.
Each session will focus on 1-2 short books with related discussion, activities, games, and/or crafts. You do not need to read the book(s) ahead of time! Copies of the books will be provided by the library at the event, and everyone will have the choice to volunteer to read aloud, including adult caregivers and the librarians. Questions and discussion topics will be carefully structured to promote skills such as reading comprehension, word recognition, pronunciation, and vocabulary-building.
My First Book Club can serve as a transition for kids ages 5-6 who have advanced from typical library pre-school Storytimes but might not yet be ready for elementary school programs like a traditional book club. Key goals are to get them excited about reading on their own and show them how to find books and use various learning resources that are available from the library and the librarians. The program is inclusive: regardless of a child’s initial reading abilities, the goal is to help them improve their skills and confidence by engaging with the reading materials and other kids in a supportive learning environment.

Bethesda Reads Book Discussion Club
2026-04-09 10:30 - 12:00
Interested in joining? The Book Club meets the second Thursday of each month from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm. We’ll talk over the book Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan.

The book chosen for this month’s discussion is Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan. A historical thriller by the Pulitzer and National Award-winning author that tells the riveting story of the Klan’s rise to power in the 1920s, the cunning con man who drove that rise and the woman who stopped them.
Copies of this book will be available at the check out desk, while supplies last.
