Book Description
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.
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.
Review
I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher. Here is my honest review.
This is absolutely one of the best books I've read this year. I keep finding ways to sneak it into conversations with the people in my life.
There are so many reasons why I loved this book.
1. Amy Anne is a fantastic protagonist. I completely connected and identified with her. I love that her school library allowed her to visit everyday. It seems now, students are only allowed to go once a week and hardly before or after school. It's like the education system wants to block access to books - but I digress. Gratz writes her perfectly as a bookworm: she's an introvert yet inwardly strong, she's fairly understanding of those around her and quick to forgive once she's knows what drives those in her life.
2. The supporting characters are also wonderfully developed and complex and make this story come to life.
3. Amy Anne's favorite book is From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, which happens to be one of my most favorite books of all time as well. I remember reading it as a girl decades ago and it was the first chapter book I read aloud to my son (he was four). It's a book I quickly recommend to parents and kids alike as one to read. I cannot even fathom a single soul thinking this book is a negative influence on children.
4. I love how even though Amy Anne is 9 or 10 years old, she has already formed opinions about her world. She carries on dialogues with people in her head; she thinks this makes her weak but ultimately it gives her strength as she finds that she can voice her thoughts and opinions to those around her. While she has to learn the correct way to go about it, she definitely is a character that struggles and grows throughout the book. Young readers are going to identify with Amy Anne as she learns to speak up and stand up for what she believes in. She's a book character that you wish was real and was friends with your own child. She's inspiring. Watching her confidence grow is a magical thing.
5. Gratz tackles the concept of censorship in a direct and thought-provoking way. Since it's a children's book, it is absolutely written on their level, bringing up issues that third to sixth graders are going to easily recognize. As a parent, it is our job to guide and direct children; Gratz realizes that for middle grade readers, there still needs to be parental guidance and I respect the stance that only a parent can tell you you can't read a book. Instead of tackling issues that might give parents pause, such as the inclusion of alcohol or drug use, Gratz focuses on books that are beloved by children (and that I loved as a child) and reference bodily functions, clothing that is typically kept private, etc.
6. Amy Anne and her friends grasp the ridiculousness of the situation before the school officials do. Simple truth they come to realize: any book can be offensive to any reader. They fight back with a plan to ban every book in the library. (Example: Old Yeller - because the dog dies and that is too sad for children to deal with). The reasons they give are simple and inarguable. Gratz lays out this argument against censorship: if one book can be banned because one person doesn't like it, then any book (and thus every book) can be banned because one person takes offense. As a parent or a teacher, addressing the issue of censorship in the book can open up discussion about the world around us and whether there are lessons in the book that can be applied to our bigger world, in a way that is easy for middle grade readers to make sense of.
There are so many reasons why I loved this book.
1. Amy Anne is a fantastic protagonist. I completely connected and identified with her. I love that her school library allowed her to visit everyday. It seems now, students are only allowed to go once a week and hardly before or after school. It's like the education system wants to block access to books - but I digress. Gratz writes her perfectly as a bookworm: she's an introvert yet inwardly strong, she's fairly understanding of those around her and quick to forgive once she's knows what drives those in her life.
2. The supporting characters are also wonderfully developed and complex and make this story come to life.
3. Amy Anne's favorite book is From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, which happens to be one of my most favorite books of all time as well. I remember reading it as a girl decades ago and it was the first chapter book I read aloud to my son (he was four). It's a book I quickly recommend to parents and kids alike as one to read. I cannot even fathom a single soul thinking this book is a negative influence on children.
4. I love how even though Amy Anne is 9 or 10 years old, she has already formed opinions about her world. She carries on dialogues with people in her head; she thinks this makes her weak but ultimately it gives her strength as she finds that she can voice her thoughts and opinions to those around her. While she has to learn the correct way to go about it, she definitely is a character that struggles and grows throughout the book. Young readers are going to identify with Amy Anne as she learns to speak up and stand up for what she believes in. She's a book character that you wish was real and was friends with your own child. She's inspiring. Watching her confidence grow is a magical thing.
5. Gratz tackles the concept of censorship in a direct and thought-provoking way. Since it's a children's book, it is absolutely written on their level, bringing up issues that third to sixth graders are going to easily recognize. As a parent, it is our job to guide and direct children; Gratz realizes that for middle grade readers, there still needs to be parental guidance and I respect the stance that only a parent can tell you you can't read a book. Instead of tackling issues that might give parents pause, such as the inclusion of alcohol or drug use, Gratz focuses on books that are beloved by children (and that I loved as a child) and reference bodily functions, clothing that is typically kept private, etc.
6. Amy Anne and her friends grasp the ridiculousness of the situation before the school officials do. Simple truth they come to realize: any book can be offensive to any reader. They fight back with a plan to ban every book in the library. (Example: Old Yeller - because the dog dies and that is too sad for children to deal with). The reasons they give are simple and inarguable. Gratz lays out this argument against censorship: if one book can be banned because one person doesn't like it, then any book (and thus every book) can be banned because one person takes offense. As a parent or a teacher, addressing the issue of censorship in the book can open up discussion about the world around us and whether there are lessons in the book that can be applied to our bigger world, in a way that is easy for middle grade readers to make sense of.
I gave this book: ★★★★★
★ = I did not like it ★★ = It was okay ★★★ = I liked it
★★★★ = I really liked it ★★★★★ = I loved it
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