Why I Hate the StoryMobile

School libraries from all over the nation are probably hunting me down as I write this.  My kids have an awful habit of taking out books from the library and either losing them or never opening them at all.

The worst is when they lose them AND never open them at all. 

When we were about to move to Pennsylvania, I received a handwritten note from the school librarian (who was new to the district) that we owed them just over $14.00 for an unreturned book named "I Spy Golden Treasures."

What?!  $14.00?!  For a book with hardly any words and ripped pages?  A book that has been passed from student to student for the past decade?  I'll donate ten newer, more educational books I have cluttering up my house before I pay $14.00 for a book that wouldn't sell for 10 cents at a used book sale.

Obviously I was annoyed.  Semi-outraged.  I was clear to my kids after the last overdue book debacle that I didn't want them checking books out anymore.  NO MORE BOOKS.  Read them all you like in the library.  But please, do not check them out unless you plan on reading them AGAIN at home.  Which happens one out of every fifty times my kids bring home library books.

Naturally I hunted high and low for this "I Spy" book.  I never found it.  I also never paid the $14.00 because we moved and I totally, completely forgot.  I did, however, dump a bag of fabulous books for the librarian on our way out of New York.

I'm hoping it calmed her down.

Along with our old school library, our old local library is probably looking for me as well.  A few summers ago I decided to be mom of the year and get all my kids library cards.  I made this grand plan to visit the library twice a month, returning and checking out books.

We all checked out books that first visit.  I returned 90% of them.  We never went back.

Then a hurricane struck and flooded the town.  The library was condemned due to mold, and relocated a few weeks later to another facility.  Naturally, the 10% of the books I forgot to return never went back to the library.  I didn't even know where the new library was.

And then, a year later, we moved. 

Oh, and when we were unpacking?  I found a $70 Math textbook from our old school district.  It's embarrassing to even share all this, I feel like a felon. 

On the first day of preschool this year, the teachers excitedly shared that the Storymobile would be visiting twice a month.  I almost cried. 

Just what I need; more unread borrowed books and librarians hunting me down for something my kids never even look at. 

In case you're wondering how the Storymobile is going for us, this was in my daughter's backpack today.  Even worse?  The books were in the backpack, hidden under all the sweatshirts and other stuff that have collected inside.

Serenity now.  It's going to be a long year.