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Banned Books Challenge

The very cool Steph Su is hosting a Banned Books Challenge. I don't have time to read a ton of books for this challenge, but I wanted to take part because I think it's an important challenge. Books are challenged all the time and when they are, they take away great books that readers need all because one person (or a group) decided they knew what was best for everyone. If a parent doesn't think a book is right for their child, it might annoy me and I might roll my eyes, but as long as they understand that that decision is for their child only, and not an entire population, I'm OK with that decision. Readers have all sorts of reading ability, taste, maturity, and they can decide what book fits them best. And on one should decide for an entire population what is OK and not OK to read.

So I'm taking a stand against banned books and participating in the Banned Books Challenge. The challenge runs from now until October 15.

My goal is to read three challenged or banned books. I'm starting with The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, because this book was
recently banned from a school in my state. And yes, I went and bought a copy and and happy that there are people asking to read it at my library-and we have a waiting list. Funny how when you ban a book to prevent people from reading it, it just makes people want to read it more.

Comments

  1. Thank you so much for participating, Sarah! I'm looking forward to reading Part-Time Indian as well. What an unpleasant shock that some of the banned books are the best ones of their genre out there. Still, like you said, challenges made to ban books do give the books attention. So from a publicity standpoint, any attention is good attention... right? Hooray for reading banned books!

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  2. Oh no! That makes me so sad! The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is so wonderful - my absolute favorite.

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  3. I haven't decided how I'm going to participate in the challenge itself but I was happy to share the awesome information with everyone on my blog too. :)

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  4. This challenge is such a great idea! I teach a Y.A. Lit class and for their final exam they choose a trimester long project that they'll present during our exam time. One of the projects is to read and research banned/censored books. It's horrible that Part-time Indian is on the list now. I LOVE that book; I laughed and cried while reading it.

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  5. Be sure to head on over to my blog and add your name to the Ban This! list if you haven't already!

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  6. It's so funny you mentioned Part-Time Indian! Sherman Alexie is coming to my library in October for my library's All City Read. The book we're reading is The Absolutely True STory of a Part-Time Indian. I LOVE the book and cannot wait to meet him.

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About Me

Hello! My name is Sarah and I am a Youth Services Manager who works with kids, tweens and teens. I love being asked about great books to read! I started my blog in 2008 as a way to keep track of what I've been reading and to use a reference tool for reader's advisory and it's grown into much more than I could have ever anticipated. In addition to book reviews, I also enjoy posting audiobook reviews, booklists and my adventures in being a librarian. 2017 Library Journal Mover and Shaker Committees: 2021 Newbery Committee 2018 Odyssey Committee 2016 Caldecott Award 2013 Michael L. Printz Committee- Fabulous Films Committee I have also served on the Cybils, Missouri State Library Association Readers Selection Lists, and as an Audies judge. Presentations :  I have offered various presentations at local, state and national libraries and conferences. Topics have included:  What's New in Children's & Teen Literature Engaging Teens in Reader's Advisory Gee