Banned Books Week 2019

Banned Books Week

Censorship Leaves Us in the Dark

September 22-September 28, 2019

I have read and loved numerous books which have been challenged over the years. When I was a kid I read everything in my tiny school library. I want to thank my parents, teachers and librarians for never ever restricting what I read. 

This year I read not just books that are banned or challenged but started by reading a book about banning books. 

Property of the Rebel Librarian by Allison Varnes-- Middle Grades Fiction


Seventh-Grader June Harper is more of a band geek than a rebel. She accepts her parents' strict rules: no dating, no cell phones, G-rated movies, early bedtimes, band practice after school. Mr. and Mrs. Harper have been extra hyper focused on June ever since her older sister Kate left for college. June looks forward to visiting the school library every day before school when the librarian, Ms. Bradshaw, helps June choose a new book. June loves reading more than anything. She loves being taken away to worlds that don't exist outside the imagination, meeting new people and learning new ideas. Which is why it comes as a horrible shock when her parents forbid her from reading a book they deem inappropriate. What's worse is when they learn June got the book from the school library! The Harpers take away June's books and force the school to confront their policies on reading material. Ms. Bradshaw is put on leave and the school enacts new rules about approved reading. June is miserable! As days goes by without the school returning books, June becomes more and more miserable, despite the coolest boy in 8th grade wanting to date her. Then she discovers a Little Free Library in her community and suddenly reading is fun again. It turns out June isn't the only middle schooler who misses the library and she becomes the Rebel Librarian, a superhero helping kids subvert the rules in the name of freedom to read. How long can she keep it up before she's caught and what happens then?

5 stars for the message about freedom to read! Minus a star for the boy drama and lack of authentic boy voice.

The plot is gripping. I could not put this book down. I was right there with June feeling everything she felt. I was appalled at the actions of the parents, administration and school board. You think that could never happen in real life but I'm certain the story is based on different schools around the country that have tried these draconian tactics. I wanted to stand up and cheer for Joan at the end. I did not like the boy drama at all. Middle School boys are a)not that cool, b)don't talk like these characters or act like these characters and c)don't like girls their own age (unless boys have changed a lot since I was a kid). I also don't think the boy drama was necessary to the plot. It teaches kids how to choose the right partner but it also skews the audience older.

I want to pause and say thank you to my parents and teachers for never ever censoring what I read! The only comment I've ever gotten "What are you reading?!" from my Dad came when I was in my 30s and reading an old CLEAN Regency romance because the lame publisher wanted to make the cover titillating and of course the dress styles of the day show lots of bosom. I'm proud to have read many of the books on June's list and many others that have been banned and challenged. I wasn't even aware some of these books had been banned. I will provide a list at the end.

June is my superhero! She's a great kid. I'm not sure I would be so brave. I would just go to the public library or decide that if the books are deemed inappropriate I won't like them. That us, until I learned her parents censored ! (yes, seriously! Why? Because Anne serves Diana red current wine at tea and gets Diana drunk.) Then it would be full on rebel! Like June, I don't understand banning books the kids have already read! While I do think it's up to each child's parents to determine what that child reads, I don't understand why the parents didn't pre-read books before giving them to her and why they chose to censor books they HAD read. Some of these books were written for their age group and are enormously popular. Other books are classics and considered "quality literature." I would be so proud of June if she were my daughter! She's smart, brave and a good kid. Ms. Bradshaw is also my hero. A newly minted librarian, she has made a huge difference in June's life and is a nurturing adult who can be a mentor and friend without the uncoolness of being a parent.

The principal is weak and caves in to ONE set of parents who are very involved in the school. The school then turns into a totalitarian regime, which is ironic because the Honors English class is reading The Crucible, which is in fact not about the Salem Witch Trials of 400 years ago but about events that happened only 60ish years ago. The principal doesn't seem to know what the play is about or it would not be allowed! The PTSA doesn't seem to include the S- the students but randomly makes decisions based on what June's dad says. The school board is completely awful. They're anonymous adults who are for the establishment. This is a weak part in the novel but the end shows that the adults are not ALL 2D drones working for the man.

The other kids are all either super awesome or really awful. Boys have come between June and her bff Emma. Emma is interested in Matt but she sure seems interested in Graham too and Graham is showing interest in June. Emma's behavior towards June is pretty awful, especially when the boys are around. I was surprised at the reason June listed for why she chose to hang out with Emma in the first place. Graham is a spoiled rich kid, a former bad boy who wants to reform because his parents have bribed him. I think he's interested in June because she's a good girl who will go a long way to rehabbing his image. Like June I think he comes across as too slick and his jokes aren't funny. Graham is not someone I would want to date. Matt, on the other hand, is a very nice boy. When he's older he'll be a swoony hero in his own romance someday but for now he does NOT sound like a middle school boy!

Minor characters include Abby Rodriguez, an older girl who would never look twice at June. Abby is really cool and I like her a lot. Madison, June's former bff, now frenemy, is justified in holding a grudge against June but she is apparently rude to everyone. I feel kind of sorry for her and feel she could be a cool, edgy character. Colby is another unrealistic cool boy who loves to read.

Overall, I find this book is a must read for tweens and adults. Read it together and figure out an understanding. Parents, you have to trust your kids and the adults who look after them at school.

I don't know why this town doesn't have a public library. They could have gotten all or most of these books at the public library unless their parents cut up their library cards.

June's Library
The Crossover
Six of Crows
Doll Bones
Blubber *
Poppy Mayberry, The Monday
Sticks & Stones
Matilda *
Because of Winn-Dixie *
Better Nate Than Ever *
Coraline
The Graveyard Book
George
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library
The Outsiders
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
EngiNerds
A Snicker of Magic
Rules
Number the Stars *
Bob
Bridge to Terabithia *
Pax
The Lightning Thief
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone *
Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
Holes
The Secret Horses of Briar Hill
Goosebumps Boxed Set
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry *
Wolf Hollow
Brown Girl Dreaming

*read

other titles mentioned

Wishtree
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Beezus and Ramona
Lily and Dunkin
Old Yeller
Twilight
The Crucible
Anne of Green Gables
Monster
Junie B. Jones Boxed Set
The Little Prince
The Hobbit or There and Back Again
The Velveteen Rabbit