Ban This Book

June 12, 2017
Fourth grader Amy Anne Ollinger is an avid reader, and when she learns that her favorite book, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, is on a list of titles removed from the school library, she decides to read the other books on the list, from the likes of Blume, Dahl, and Pilkey. Other students want to do the same, and so the Banned Books Locker Library is born. Amy Anne and two friends collect the books, store them in her locker, and organize a checkout/due date system. When their secret library is discovered, Amy Anne is suspended, the school librarian is fired, and her classmates (including the boy whose mother initiated the books’ removal) come up with a plan to get the books restored to the library. Shy readers will recognize and respect Amy Anne’s struggle to stand up for herself, and conversations about book banning, censorship, and the Bill of Rights are primed for discussion in classrooms and at home. Gratz (Projekt 1065) delivers a book lover’s book that speaks volumes about kids’ power to effect change at a grassroots level. Ages 8–12. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary.

June 15, 2017
A shy fourth-grader leads the revolt when censors decimate her North Carolina school's library. In a tale that is dominated but not overwhelmed by its agenda, Gratz takes Amy Anne, a young black bibliophile, from the devastating discovery that her beloved From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler has been removed from the library at the behest of Mrs. Spencer, a despised classmate's mom, to a qualified defense of intellectual freedom at a school board meeting: "Nobody has the right to tell you what books you can and can't read except your parents." Meanwhile, as more books vanish, Amy Anne sets up a secret lending library of banned titles in her locker--a ploy that eventually gets her briefly suspended by the same unsympathetic principal who fires the school's doctorate-holding white librarian for defiantly inviting Dav Pilkey in for an author visit. Characters frequently serve as mouthpieces for either side, sometimes deadly serious and other times tongue-in-cheek ("I don't know about you guys, but ever since I read Wait Till Helen Comes, I've been thinking about worshipping Satan"). Indeed, Amy Anne's narrative is positively laced with real titles that have been banned or challenged and further enticing teasers for them. Contrived at some points, polemic at others, but a stout defense of the right to read. (discussion guide) (Fiction. 9-11)

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October 1, 2017

Gr 4-6-Fourth grader Amy Anne is a "good girl" who does what she's told. She's used to being overlooked in her noisy family, keeping quiet at school, and not saying what she's really thinking. But when Amy Anne's favorite book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, is one of the titles banned from the school library by the overzealous PTA president, she can't swallow the injustice. When she is too scared to speak up at the school board meeting, she decides she can at least find and read all of the banned books. Soon other students are requesting to borrow them, and before long, Amy Anne; her friend Rebecca, an aspiring lawyer; and Rebecca's crush, Danny, are running the Banned Books Locker Library out of Amy Anne's locker. When the underground library is discovered, Amy Anne is suspended, and Dr. Jones, the librarian, is fired. Help comes from an unexpected source: Trey, the PTA president's son, who suggests a way to show the board what happens when one person's opinion affects access for everyone. The story of Amy Anne's personal triumph is also a celebration of literature, free speech, and finding one's voice. A reading and activity guide is included. VERDICT An excellent addition to all middle grade collections. Hand this to book lovers, aspiring librarians, or any kid who wants to make a difference.-Laurie Slagenwhite Walters, Brighton District Library, Brighton, MI

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2017
Grades 3-6 For biracial fourth-grader Amy Anne Ollinger, the school library is a quiet respite from her boisterous house, with two little siblings who often take center stage. But when her favorite book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, disappears because a classmate's mom thought it was inappropriate, she takes action by running a banned-book library out of her locker. As the stakes escalate, so does Amy's risk-taking, deepening bonds with her classmates as they fight against censorship. She even gets suspended. A school assignment about the Bill of Rights provides additional context for their efforts. While in less capable hands, the story could become didactic, here it is deeply entwined with Amy's growth, from shy and reserved to speaking up for herself on a large stage. Quick paced and with clear, easy-to-read prose, this is a book poised for wide readership and classroom use. As Amy's school librarian Mrs. Jones says, Well-behaved women seldom make history. An inspiring story about good trouble that's worth the consequences.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)