The thing is, even picture books ( Where the Wild Things Are, The Lorax and The Giving Tree are some examples) have been banned, and I don’t think it’s anyone’s place except a parent to decide whether a book is appropriate for their own child/children. But as I was reading it, I realized how important it is for younger readers to know their voices matter. Never once did my mom question my choices.Īt first, I wondered at author Alan Gratz’s choice of younger main characters - most fifth- and sixth-graders would probably pass this book by on principle. As a child, I spent countless hours at the library, checking out boxes of books at a time. The thought of someone telling me which books I can and cannot read makes my blood boil. With the help of friends she sets out to make a point by getting every single book in the library banned.īan This Book resonated with me not because I’ve experienced censorship with books but because I have not. But it isn’t until she gets caught that Amy Anne really finds her voice. At first it’s just a few friends who are borrowing books but pretty soon kids from all grades are coming to her for reading material. So Amy Anne does what all mild-mannered girls would do - she sets up a banned books library in her locker. A parent has been hand-selecting books she sees as dangerous for young people and getting the school board to ban them.

It’s been pulled from the library all together, and it’s not the only book. When Amy Anne arrives at her school library to check out her favorite book, it’s not on the shelf. Amy Anne can totally relate to running away and hiding in a museum.

And recently that book is From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. There’s nothing Amy Anne likes to do more than escape into a good book. Though intended for middle readers, this novel will resonate with book lovers of every age.Īt the center of Ban This Book is Amy Anne, a shy and soft-spoken fourth-grader. If ever there was a book where you should ignore the suggested age, it’s Alan Gratz’s Ban This Book.

BAN THIS BOOK, by Alan Gratz, Starscape, Aug.

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