Ban This Book by Alan Gratz

From Goodreads,

-Readers, librarians, and all those books that have drawn a challenge have a brand new hero.... Stand up and cheer, book lovers. This one's for you.- --Kathi Appelt, author of the Newbery Honor-winning The Underneath

An inspiring tale of a fourth-grader who fights back when her favorite book is banned from the school library--by starting her own illegal locker library!

It all started the day Amy Anne Ollinger tried to check out her favorite book in the whole world, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, from the school library. That's when Mrs. Jones, the librarian, told her the bad news: her favorite book was banned! All because a classmate's mom thought the book wasn't appropriate for kids to read.

Amy Anne decides to fight back by starting a secret banned books library out of her locker. Soon, she finds herself on the front line of an unexpected battle over book banning, censorship, and who has the right to decide what she and her fellow students can read.

Reminiscent of the classic novel Frindle by Andrew Clements for its inspiring message, Ban This Book is a love letter to the written word and its power to give kids a voice.

-Ban This Book is absolutely brilliant and belongs on the shelves of every library in the multiverse.---Lauren Myracle, author of the bestselling Internet Girls series, the most challenged books of 2009 and 2011

Goodreads - Ban This Book

Awards and Nominations:

• Bluestem Book Award Nominee (2020)

I was recently talking with a friend about books and what book I read as a child that made me really fall in love with reading.  I thought about my elementary years and couldn't think of one.  In sixth grade, my language arts teacher read Shipwreck which was the first book in the Island series.  I really enjoyed the book and looked forward to her reading it to us.  But I think the first book that I read by myself that really made me latch onto reading was A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks.  I think I was in seventh grade and fell in love with his love story novels.  So my question to you is, have you ever stopped to think about what book made you fall in love with reading?  What book had a big impact on your life?

Ban This Book is a moving novel about a quiet girl named Amy Anne who loves the book From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  Everything is fine in fourth grade until a parent decides that there are books in the library that are completely inappropriate.  These books, including Amy Anne's favorite, is banned from the school library.  Quiet Amy decides that this isn't right or fair and starts the B.B.L.L. or the Banned Book Locker Library.  Soon kids are checking banned books out as they all take a stand to get their favorite books back into the library.  

I have decided that Alan Gratz is probably one of the most amazing humans that exist.  I've read Allies and Resist which are both books about WWII.  I had pegged him as a war and military genre writer, but he surprised me again with this book.  This book had the same vibe as Frindle.  Students decide to rise up against "the man" aka adults.  I use Frindle in my classroom because I can bring in word studies and Greek and Latin roots.  This book would be a wonderful read-aloud to discuss censorship.  The book is full of real books that have been challenged in schools across the country.  I think it is great for kids to have access to all books, but allow the parents to make decisions on what THEIR child reads.  I have friends that only allow their kids to read certain types of books while others let their kids read absolutely anything.  That being said, from a teacher standpoint, I have a slightly different approach to this.  I teach fifth grade and will put just about any book in my library.  However, I do censor what books we read in class or that I read aloud.  If I am reading a book that has cuss words in it then I do change them as I read.  As a teacher, it is a very fine line that we walk with censorship.  You want to make books accessible to kids, but you also don't want parents causing a big stink over a book that you had in your library.  I always tell students if the book makes them uncomfortable or it has something they don't like, to not read it. 

This book is about banned books, and I figure eventually it will get challenged.  It does talk about sex a couple times in the book, but very very briefly and not with much in the detail department.  I think there will absolutely be parents who think this book is "inappropriate" because it gives multiple books that have been challenged or banned for one reason or another.  I think it is opening the door for many kids to find other books that could possibly be their new favorite.  

Favorite quote from Ban This Book:

"I loved the weight of them, the feel of the, especially the hardback books with the clear plastic coating that crinkled and crackled as you opened the book."

I absolutely loved this quote because this was always me as a kid.  I would purposefully check out books that had the plastic coating because I liked the way it sounded as I opened the book and held it while reading.  I'm weird.  I know.  This book exceeded my expectations and I have definitely added Alan Gratz to my list of favorite authors.  I give it 5 big stars and suggest that everyone read this book.  It is just a really good book about finding your voice and empowerment.