Ban This Book: A Novel

by Alan Gratz

Paperback, 2018

Status

Available

Genres

Children's Books

Fiction

Collection

Children's Circulating

Publication

Starscape (2018), Edition: Reprint, 256 pages

Description

A fourth grader fights back when From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg is challenged by a well-meaning parent and taken off the shelves of her school library. Amy Anne is shy and soft-spoken, but don't mess with her when it comes to her favorite book in the whole world. Amy Anne and her lieutenants wage a battle for the books as they start a secret banned books locker library, make up ridiculous reasons to ban every single book in the library to make a point, and take a stand against censorship.

User reviews

LibraryThing member VioletBramble

Ban This Book is a middle grade novel about censorship, friendship and family dynamics. Amy Anne is a shy 4th grader who loves to read. Her favorite book is From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler. One day Amy Anne heads to the school library to check out the book and discovers it

missing. The school librarian tells her it has been pulled from the shelf as being inappropriate for children. A parent at the school has gotten the school board to ban the book without going through the proper channels. Soon this parent has many more books banned from the school library. Amy Anne goes to the next school board meeting to protest but her incredible shyness makes it impossible for her to speak in public. Instead Amy Anne starts collecting the banned books. She brings her own copies to school. She has her classmates bring in their copies of the banned books. Amy Anne gathers the books in her school locker and starts a secret banned books lending library. What will happen when school authorities find out about the secret library?
I enjoyed this book. Everyone who loved books as a child will probably love this book. All the books discussed in the story have actually been banned somewhere in the United States. My only issue with the book was that often the characters seems more like 6th graders than 4th graders.

Show Less

24 more

LibraryThing member librarian1204

Censorship has reared its ugly head in the elementary school library , that Amy Anne uses to quietly read and to escape from her siblings and her chaotic home.
One parent has presented a list of 10 books she wants removed from the library. The school board lets this happen without using the

procedure in place for book consideration before removal.
On that list of 10 books is Amy Anne's favorite book, "From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler". Amy Anne is fortunate in that her parents buy her a copy of her own. Amy's friend has another title from the list, and then someone has another. The books are passed around from student to student and a Banned Books Library is set up in Amy Anne's school locker. The library grows, bake sales earn money to buy additional books. Another student designs alternative covers for the banned books as camouflage.

Then the parent picks out more books to be removed from the library. Resulting in the Banned Books library growing even more.

This is a librarians' perfect book. The school librarian in the story is an example of the very best. Most of the titles used for the list are older books that students today may not know (but should). The well known Julie B Jones series and Captain Underpants series are on the list, making it relevant for most children.
The reasons a book can be censored are highlighted when the children need alternative titles for their camouflaged book covers. Lots of good classroom discussions can come from that segment. A good read aloud at home or in the classroom. Always a topic that we all need to be aware and on guard against.
Read as an ARC from LibraryThing. Thank you. A book this retired librarian is proud to own.

Show Less

LibraryThing member BLBera

Ban This Book is a great story for quiet, shy kids. Amy Anne is a fourth grader who likes to read but who rarely tells people what she is feeling. Her favorite book is From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. One day when she is in the library to check it out again, she finds that it

is missing from the shelf. The librarian tells Amy Anne that a parent asked that it be removed from circulation because it is unsuitable for kids. After more books are removed from circulation, Amy Anne starts a lending library from her locker.

The book makes a stand against censorship. As Amy Anne says, "Nobody has the right to tell you what books you can and can't read except your parents." All of the books mentioned in the novel have been challenged in real life. The novel examines a variety of ways in which books influence kids at certain times in their lives, and argues that while all books are not suitable for kids at all ages, they should remain available. Even Amy Anne doesn't like or isn't interested in all of the books that were pulled from the shelves, but she champions other kids' rights to read them.

The novel shows how kids with little in common can come together and make a difference. In the process, they may find unlikely friends. Amy Anne, who starts the novel unable to stand and speak, finds her voice and makes a difference. She just had to find her passion. This is a great novel for young readers.

Show Less

LibraryThing member ansate

I love it so much I would keep it, but I love it so much I'm immediately giving it to a child.

This book does an amazing job of showing WHY BOOKS. empathy, escape, spite at being told we can't.
Parents, relax, it also does a wonderful job of walking the line of respecting PARENTS being able to

choose what their kids can't read.

I love that she's not alone. I love that the kids are all distinct and have their own goals and their own humor. I love that it's about community and rebellion.

"The next day, Mr Vaughn started a session on the Bill of Rights" I was cheering. I am cheering.

I could love this book forever just for the parents respecting things they know are hard for her, for apologizing when they mess up.

Show Less

LibraryThing member dono421846

Charming treatment on the topic of school library censorship. There are no true villains here. The lesson is that everyone usually is acting from the best of motives, but the ends do not justify the means. But there are real heroes: sometimes a person has no choice, if they are to live with

themselves, other than to stand up for what he or she knows to be important.

A quiet student best known for repressing her emotions becomes furious when her favorite book has been banned from her library. Her sole refuge in a world with annoying siblings and misunderstanding parents has been violated, and she finds herself taking steps to undue the damage. The value of books and reading wins the day! A good recruitment tool for future librarians!

Show Less

LibraryThing member rabid-reader

Alaz Gratz has written a short, powerful novel for 3rd-6th graders about censorship. Amy Anne, a quiet, shy fourth-grader, depends on the school library to for inspiration and escape. She lives in a small house with two busy parents, two dogs, and two younger sisters clamoring for attention and who

are constantly in her space, to the point that she retreats to the bathroom or the garage to do homework.

One day she arrives at school to find her favorite book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, missing from the library shelf. The librarian informs her that the book (and several others) have been removed from circulation because of complaints by a concerned parent about the morals presented in those books, without even going through the district process. She attempts to speak out at a school board meeting but fails.

Amy Anne sets out to read all of those challenged books, and begins circulating those volumes among friends and classmates. She gains new friends and learns to speak up for herself because she believes so passionately in the power of literature.

All books mentioned have indeed been challenged or formally banned in libraries in the United States, and Amy Anne comes to see that even if she personally isn't interested in a book, it may be valuable to someone else and they should have the right to read it. Only one's parents can tell you what you can and can't read.

It was a joy seeing Amy Anne and her friends struggle to outwit the school bureaucracy and how parents can learn from their children. Highly recommended.

Show Less

LibraryThing member bfister

This is a delightful book for kids who love to read, who think books are important, and who wish they had the courage to stand up for what they believe. A sharp but shy fourth grader has a favorite book in her school library that she pounces on whenever she had a chance to check it out. But one

day, when it's scheduled to be back on the shelf, it's not there. The outspoken parent of a boy she doesn't like has decided it shouldn't be in the library. In fact, a bunch of books shouldn't be in the library - a crusade that Amy Anne thinks is completely wrong, even though the school board has voted to remove those books from the library. The school librarian (wouldn't it be great if all schools had them?) has her hands tied. Amy Anne decides to take action, establishing a secret banned book library in her locker. She also is asked by the librarian to speak in front of school board. Amy Anne has to overcome her shyness to do what's right and, as in so many middle grade books, learns something about herself and the world in the process. I really enjoyed this middle grade book. It would be a good starter kit for students who might later want to read Doctorow's Little Brother - particularly if they're looking for a protagonist who has smarts but isn't comfortable taking public stands, who can't see herself leading a rebellion but does anyway. I admired the way the author avoided exaggerating the bad guys, giving perspectives a fair shake, and wove together Amy Anne's anxieties with her activism without overdoing either.

Show Less

LibraryThing member KellyReeder

A timely well written book. I immediately fell in love with Amy Anne and her fight over banned books. Amy Anne's growth in courage made this a refreshing story. As a school librarian this story resonated with me, and I feel that Gratz did a great job covering the reasons why certain books are

challenged. I would definitely put this book on the shelves of my library .

Show Less

LibraryThing member empress8411

This book! This book! Oh heavens – okay, so told from the first person pov of Amy Anne, an avid 9-year-old bibliophile, this books explores what makes us ourselves, where we find courage, and mostly, what censorship is and how it works.
When her favorite book (From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs.

Basil E. Frankweiler is a novel by E. L. Konigsburg) is banned from her school library, Amy Anne is cut to the heart. Why would someone ban her favorite book?
With a little digging and some help from her friends, Amy Anne learns than many books are banned, books that she loves, that others love. And she makes a choice – she’s going to run a Banned Book Library from her locker, freely giving out books, sharing her love of reading, with her classmates.
But this takes courage – what if she gets caught? And as more books disappear from the library shelves, Amy Anne has to decide if she can overcome her fear to speak out against this wrong.
Although meant for late-elementary, early middle-school reader, this book will appeal to all ages. If you are looking to explain censorship to young readers, this book is an excellent way to help them understand.
Note for Parents: Sex is mentioned (in relationship to why some books are banned, in particular, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume). While censorship is explained, the book also encourage parental involvement and activie engagement in the reading life of their kids, essentially saying that parents should be the one to guide their child’s reading.
I will recommend this book to kids and adults alike.

Show Less

LibraryThing member ShadowWhisp

Read in one sitting. Fantastic, invigorating, lovable, skillfully written.

LibraryThing member mzonderm

I really wanted to be able to give this book 5 stars, based on its portrayal of a courageous 4th grader who takes a stand against books being banned from her school library, and its top-notch discussions of the First Amendment and censorship. When Amy Anne's favorite book (From the Mixed-Up Files

of Mrs. Basil Frankweiler) is banned, along with several others, normally shy and reserved Amy Anne starts to stand up for what she believes in. She and her friends start gathering copies of the banned books to share with their fellow students from the "Banned Books Locker Library". Their efforts get more ingenious the more books are banned, and the conversations that are engendered because of the controversy are spectacular. This is a great book to teach about civil liberties, without having students feel like the lessons are being shoved down their throats.

Unfortunately, as good as it is in those areas, it is equally bad in others. Amy Anne's parents are completely oblivious to her feelings of frustration at home (her two little sisters are always right and she is always in the wrong), and whereas the First Amendment is very strong, due process seems not to exist at all. The portrayal of the motivations of the parent behind the book banning was weak, and those of the school board non-existent. These flaws really brought down an otherwise excellent book.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Tessa.Johnson

I LOVED this book!! When fourth grader Amy Anne finds her favorite book has been banned from the library, she goes on a mission to figure out what happened and why. Her path brings her to many other banned books and ultimately she devises a plan to help kids have access to these books, despite the

over-protective parents who want to ban a wide variety of books from the elementary school library. All of the banned books mentioned in Ban This Book are real titles that have really been banned in areas across the country.

This is a great book to get kids thinking about censorship and who has the right to decide what books kids can read.

If you're looking for a similar story for middle school readers, check out Property of the Rebel Librarian, by Allison Varnes. It's a similar censorship story with an older cast (7th and 8th graders) and more extreme censorship.

Show Less

LibraryThing member theWallflower

I don’t read too many thrillers, but this was recommended for fans of “Ready Player One”. It’s kinda longish, but it does involve some interesting concepts. Far-fetched concepts to be sure (a dead software developer somehow has the wherewithall to turn the world into an AR game, control all

the world’s money, and make autonomic cars with ninja swords. It’s like Dr. Light in Mega Man X, who despite being a hologram in a buried capsule, knows who Zero is–this guy ain’t dead).

However, like most thrillers, interesting characters get less screentime for the sake of suspense. People become talking heads for explaining and furthering the plot via investigations and news updates. They don’t have much personality.

It’s a techno-thriller, so there’s going to be a lot of focus on IT stuff. It’s not terrible writing, but it’s not great. It’s like Stephen King minus the New England color. Meant to be a bestseller thriller. I’m not sure I’d put this on a list of “If you like Ready Player One, you’ll like…” — the mood is completely different: bleak and noir — but I was intrigued enough to put the sequel on my “to read” list (but that’s because the book just ends with no resolution/the bad guys win).

Show Less

LibraryThing member jothebookgirl

The book is set in Wake County, NC in a K-6 school. A very involved parent, has gone to the school board with a number of titles from the library she feels are inappropriate for children to read. There is a challenged book reconsideration policy in place but for some reason the board takes the

opinion of the parent who says she had read none of the books but knows they are bad, instead of going through proper channels currently in place. The board tells the licensed and certified librarian to remove the books from the collection immediately. She has no recourse and complies. They have removed Amy Ann's favorite book, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Involved parent says that book encourages children to lie, steal, cheat and runaway from home. Amy Ann is not the only student upset with this wrong doing. The story evolves to Amy Ann's Locker being turned into a lending library for banned books, called the Banned Books Library Locker.
Some other books That have been banned are are available in The BBLL, are Wait Till Helen Cones, Captain Underpants, Scary Stories Go Tell in the Dark, the Egypt Game, Junie B Jones, Goosebumps and other titles frequently challenged and banned in schools. This goes on for awhile as the BBLL gets quite popular. One day Amy Ann is called to the principal's office and it's all over. But really it's just started. Now many, many students get behind the movement to get the books put back in the library. All this is surrounded with Amy Ann's struggle with home life, school relationships and everyday life of nine and ten year olds.
Amy Ann gets suspended from school, grounded at home, the librarian loses her job even though she complied with the school board. When Amy Ann returns to school, following her suspension, there is a new plan to get the board to reinstate the books. This is a good plan but is plagued with road blocks.

Weaknesses with the story is the school board so readily ignoring the book banning policy. The involved parent is highly respected in the community as she chairs many charitable foundations and was the key player in getting the little kid playground replaced with new and safer equipment. Her name is even on a plaque! The visiting author, Dav Pilkey was a fun part of the story, but not likely. And I don't think the librarian would have gotten away with it.

But this is a great read. At about page 160, you will be seething mad. Yet, the story has a satisfying and clever ending. And it is agreed, by most, that simply reading a book won't make a kid lie, steal and cheat or worship false gods.
In the last chapter, Amy Anne brings a book home from the school library, Her father exercises his parental right that has been his daughter's mantra throughout the whole ordeal. "Nobody has the right to tell you what books you can and can't read except your parents." He suggests she wait a couple years to read the book and says she'll probably enjoy it more when she's older.
I loved this book Mr. Gratz! It's a bit different from your usual writing.

Show Less

LibraryThing member DonnaMarieMerritt

Banned books. An important topic! The story was good and I'll recommend it to my fourth and fifth grade library students. I especially liked that characters jumped to conclusions about other people and their motives without fully understanding their intentions—something we should all consider.

And, it's good for readers to see that not everything is black or white. Speaking of black and white, though, I'm not sure why Gratz had to identify characters as black or white. Also, I get that the main character thought things but rarely expressed those thoughts, but I was tired of the "I thought, but I said . . ." approach by the 3rd time, let alone the 50th. Still, the biggest draw for me is that KIDS are empowered and decide to stand up to authority when it's needed.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Itzey

ALAN GRATZ is a New York Times bestselling author of a number of novels for young readers. This newest book, BAN THIS BOOK introduces young (and older readers) to award winning books that have been challenged or banned in libraries. The book will be released in time for the 2017 American Library

Association's Banned Books Week slated for September 24 - 30.

BAN THIS BOOK opens with the 9 year-old avid library lover, Amy Anne, racing to her school library to check-out her favorite book for the umpteenth time. This day, Amy Anne discovers the book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is not on the shelf.

After a complaint by a concerned parent about the moral messages several books in the library teach readers, the local library board skips protocol and has ordered the books, including From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, removed from the library shelf. The library board will hear public comment about the pros and cons of permanently banning the books at their next meeting.

But - it isn't inappropriate! . . . It's a great book! It is my favorite book!

I know, [says the school librarian]. . .Nobody but your parents has the right to tell you what books you can and can't read. I promise you, I'm going to fight this. . .You can help get it back, Amy Anne. . . .[Tell the library board] why you like that book so much. . .

Amy, a shy and reluctant public speaker, attends the board meeting but fails to summon the courage to speak up.

The librarian reminded the library board they had approved the Request for Reconsideration form and specific procedures for considering the merits of a book but they chose to sidestep the rules. The highly influential community matron's highly emotional speech won the day.

Amy Anne take matters into her own hands and begins an underground effort to keep the books available to other students. She is caught and suspended from school for three days. The librarian, having had no part in the deception, was fired. Mrs. Spenser, emboldened, goes on a rampage stripping more books off the library shelves.

Mrs. Spenser's own son devises a way to outsmart his mother and to show the library board the need to follow rules. It takes bravery and courage on the part of all the students to pull it off. As expected, all ends well.

There are many lessons for children here. Reading exposes situations in a non-threatening way that prepares their own life crisis as they grow up. They learn that even adults break rules but that rules are necessary and failing to follow them have consequences. Amy Anne shows that finding your own voice and standing up to what you believe in is important. And most importantly, free speech is a guaranteed by the First Amendment and no one but your parents should have the right to stop you from reading something.

Recommended.

Show Less

LibraryThing member BookConcierge

Fourth-grader Amy Anne Ollinger is stunned when she tries to check out her favorite book from the library, only to find it missing. Someone else must have checked it out after she returned it yesterday. So, she askes Mrs Jones, the school librarian, if she can put a hold on that title. That’s

when she learns that the book has been removed because another student’s parent complained it was “inappropriate.” And this is just the beginning. The mother has a list of books she wants removed from the school library’s shelves. Amy Anne, together with her friends Rebecca and Danny, decide to form the BBLL – Banned Books Locker Library. They get a copy of every book on the list and put in in Amy Anne’s locker, loaning them out to all the kids at school.

I loved Amy Anne. I loved how she starts out a quiet, shy girl who virtually never voices her concerns out loud, but who takes action to right a wrong. I like how she ultimately gathers her courage and marshals all her friends in the school – even those she didn’t previously know she had – to help bring the issue to a head and formulate a satisfying conclusion. After all, “for all the amazing things that books can do, they can’t make you into a bad person.” Brava, Amy Anne!

Perfect read to celebrate Banned Books Week!

Show Less

LibraryThing member Auntie-Nanuuq

School Library Books are being banned by the school board at the behest of one parent, a very influential PTA Mom. Although there is a School Board policy in place by which to review a book in question by the faculty & Librarian, it is ignored.

After the Librarian is fired and Amy Anne suspended for

keeping the banned books in her locker & checking them out to her classmates, the students take things into their own hands in order to save their right to read.

A very interesting premise & solution to a very common problem.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Elizabeth_Foster

Loved this one!

LibraryThing member deslivres5

The PTA president of an elementary school decides to ban fourth grader Amy Anne's favorite book (and my childhood favorite too!), From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, among others. She and her friends mobilize to both covertly and overtly fight against the removal of a growing list

of books from their school's library. I really enjoyed this title. It not only gives fantastic mini-reviews of some great books which are banned in this story (I'm tempted to re-read these staples of childhood literature), this juvenile novel also is about friendships and a young girl finding her voice both in her family and in her school life. Ban This Book is a 2020 North Carolina Children's Book Award Junior Books nominee.

Show Less

LibraryThing member TNAEWWF123

After Unbound, this was the second of the 2020 Nutmeg nominees I read. Without rehashing everything I said in our Blackboard thread, I felt it was an enjoyable book. Throughout it, I kept thinking how shameful it is that a book on censorship is still topical in 2020. If I could suggest a change,

however, it would be that Gratz should have written it in a way that did not make it feel like it was geared more towards librarians than kids. Still, this is a book that I would surely revisit as a practicing professional.

Show Less

LibraryThing member DianaNewman1617

Amy Anne Ollinger, fourth grade avid reader of her favorite book From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, finds that she can no longer check it out from the library because it has been banned by a concerned parent. Amy Anne has a lot to say about that...in her head. In this story Amy

Anne knows she is only a kid, but she also knows it is wrong to ban a book simply because of one person's opinion. Amy Anne and her friends decide to do something about this and create a secret banned books library out of her locker once more and more books start getting banned by the same parent. This book highlights the importance of having a voice, no matter how old you are, in the name of what is right. Amy Anne and her friends decide if these books can be banned, then so can they all. To make an important point, Amy Anne and her friends set out to ban all the books in her library, and forces those who did not take them seriously before to listen to them. This book is about the freedom to read, censorship, and the importance of standing up for what you believe is right. I highly recommend this book.

This would be a great book to promote Banned Books week, not a banned book itself, because its dedication to the importance of the freedom to read, intellectual freedom, and censorship issues would be eye opening to students.

Show Less

LibraryThing member campbell_m76

Amy Anne arrives at school one day to find that her favorite book had been pulled off the shelf and was being challenged by the parent of another student. The parent who challenges this book is also challenging several other books in the library and Amy Anne is heartbroken at her favorite books

disappearing. When given the opportunity to speak to the school board, fear takes over and she is unable to stand up and speak.

Amy Anne and her friends find a new and creative way to make sure that the books that have been banned from the library are still available to their friends and classmates. Read this book to find out what happens when Amy Anne gets herself into a bit of hot water and her creative solution to making sure that nobody can decide what a child can or cannot read (except their parents).

Show Less

LibraryThing member CarrieWuj

Perfect middle reader that encourages kids to have a voice, take a stand and have a basic understanding of the Constitution. Although this book would argue that it (or any book) cannot actually make anyone do anything. When 4th grader Amy Anne Ollinger’s favorite book disappears from her School

library she learns it has been challenged (and quickly removed/banned - semantics she argues with her principal) when the school board forgoes standard protocol. More books follow and Amy and her friends Rebecca and Danny pool their own books and money to create a locker library of the banned books to lend to classmates. Ingenious! How it all blows up and gets resolved is a testament to working together, believing in what you are doing and appreciating the Bill of Rights. “Good books shouldn’t be hidden away. They should be read by as many people as many times as possible.” (91) Gratz does his homework - all books mentioned here have been challenged or banned in the last 30 years. And guest appearance by Dav Pilkey is a wink to writer network. Dedicated to librarians everywhere!

Show Less

LibraryThing member standhenry

Ban This Book is a middle grade novel about a 4th grade girl named Amy Anne who feels like nobody listens to her and nervously sucks on her hair braids. She is an avid reader and spends loads of time at the school library. Then, her favorite book along with many others gets banned from the school

library. So, Amy Anne and her new friends start a book exchange called Banned Books Locker Library (B.B.L.L.). Will they get caught? Will they get the books back into the library? Will Amy Anne be brave enough to speak her mind? Ban This Book is about friendship, family, censorship, standing up for what's right, and lots of reading. "Good books shouldn't be hidden away. They should be read by as many people as many times as possible." Librarians will love this book for the great pro-reading message and the awesome list of books mentioned. Kids will love the suspense and humor. What kid doesn't like a book that has a chapter called Twenty-four Farts? This book is a winner!

Show Less

Fewer