Celebrate Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week is here! I hope you will celebrate the freedom to read this week by reading a banned book. ALA is hosting a virtual Read Out so I decided to join in the fun and celebrate by reading one of my favorites, A Wrinkle In Time.

I also wanted to re-post my review of Sarah Ockler's novel, Twenty Boy Summer, since it was recently banned in my community and Sarah will be visiting my library this week.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Genre: Contemporary

Release Date: 6/1/09

About the Book: Frankie, Anna and Matt have always been inseparable. Then one summer changed everything-Matt and Anna become something more. They spend a month sneaking out and sharing a summer romance-until the tragic accident that Matt dies in.

Now, a year later, Anna is joining Frankie and family on their first summer vacation without Matt. Frankie is convinced if they find a boy every day, Anna will have a summer romance. Anna still keeps her and Matt a secret and she's not sure she's ready to let Matt go.

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: A perfect book for readers wanting summer romance with something deeper. The story deals with loss, grief, and letting go without being bogged down in those issues. Sarah Ockler does something amazing-she manages to tie together something tragic with the sweetness and happiness of first love. I don't know how she pulls it off, but it all comes together in a great story that has many layers and readers are in for a treat.

The memories of Matt made him feel like a real character, although I would have liked a few more Matt moments, because he seemed so sweet. But I also liked Sam and enjoyed Anna's burgeoning relationship with him. One of my favorite quotes of the book, “What is the statute of limitations on feeling guilty for cheating on a ghost?” really sums up Anna for me. She's unsure of how and when to let go of Matt, but she also opens herself up to falling for someone else. I think that makes her a great character.

Frankie could be annoying and I wish we could have seen more of her pre-Matt self. One of things I liked is that everything doesn't tie up in a neat little bow in the end-the characters still have some growing to do, which I think makes the book more satisfying and realistic.

A great read-I read this one in one sitting. It has a light breezy feel to it at times, but it also has depth. I would recommend to fans of Sarah Dessen, Nicholas Sparks, and Ann Brashares.

How are you celebrating Banned Books Week this week?

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Rummanah AasiSeptember 25, 2011 at 10:42 PM
"A Wrinkle in Time" is also one of my favorite childhood reads! I'm planning on reading a banned book a week during BBW. I always find the reasoning of the challenge/ban interesting because it's almost always tackles the same issue that people are arguing against it.
GreenBeanTeenQueenSeptember 25, 2011 at 10:50 PM
Rummanah-We got a book in from ALA that had a big list of challenges and bannings. It listed all sorts of titles for all ages and why they were challenged. It was a very interesting book to browse through! You're right-most of the time the book is tackling the issue people are arguing against. A Wrinkle In Time shows a fight between good and evil, but that often gets overlooked when people are challenging it. Much like Harry Potter!
Christina TSeptember 26, 2011 at 5:24 AM
I am sorry to hear that Twenty Boy Summer was banned where you live. I loved that book and can't believe people have a problem with it.
Christina TSeptember 26, 2011 at 5:25 AM
Whenever I see a banned book, I secretly hope that it will make teens want to read the book even more. Sometimes the whole mystique of why the book was banned will draw people to read a book they might have overlooked otherwise. I know that is how I felt when I was a teen :)
Pam (@iwriteinbooks)September 26, 2011 at 3:04 PM
You know, I haven't read this book because it's not really my style but ever since the banning buzz on it I feel like I need to just for culture sake!
MichelleSeptember 29, 2011 at 7:04 PM
This is one of the first books I read when I started blogging YA. I enjoyed it but see so much advancement in the realistic fiction field. I liked her book Fixing Delilah even better.

GreenBeanTeenQueen

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