A Book About Banning Books

Sadly, this is realistic fiction not just fiction

Ban This Book by Alan Gratz is yet another book I found in my school library thanks to our librarian, Ms. Boyle. I was curious because it’s literally a book about books - even more so, it’s a book about banning books, that’s got to be interesting. In fact, my first reaction was “that’s outrageous!” Of course, you probably shouldn’t put a murder series in a kindergarten library, but banning books sounds like a bad idea. Also, imagine you wrote a book, and then all of a sudden it was banned. Personally, I would be devastated. But this book is also a great story about a brave young girl, so let me tell you about it.

Once you ban one book, all books can be banned

9-year old Amy is the oldest child in her family, yet the least heard. Her two younger sisters always come first. Her greatest passion is reading, so when she finds out that her favorite book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (a book I also loved!), has been banned from the school library, thanks to an overprotective mom on the school board, she decides it’s time to do something, no matter how shy she is. The solution: a secret library, which lives in her school locker. Here kids (who promise not to say anything) can take books that aren’t in the school library anymore.

For a while, all is well, and Amy thrives at school. But soon, the school board finds out, and Amy is punished. Amy and her friends craft a new plan. Step one: File ban forms for all the books in the school library. Step two, present it at the school board meeting and argue that once you ban one book, you can ban all books, for the silliest reasons! But their plan falls apart only a short time before their presentation, because Amy’s little sister shreds all the forms to make them into fake hay. So then they decide to steal all the banned books from where they are being held. They succeed, but Amy makes an important discovery: one of the books that was banned by that overprotective mom on the school board was checked out by that same mom, many times, over and over, when she was in fourth grade. Still timid Amy almost chickens out showing this evidence at the next school board meeting, but with the support of her friends, they manage to show the evidence, and get all the books back. Three cheers for Amy!!!

Why I like this book, but not banning books

This book really inspired me because when I read it, I was also in fourth grade like Amy, and to me it was, and still is, a book about a girl who learns to stand up for herself. But I also liked it because I don’t think we should ban books. For example, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is about two kids who run away from home and live in the Metropolitan Museum for a while. But, come on, it’s fiction and instead of banning such a book, that parent could talk about it with their child if they are worried about them running away or breaking into the Met (sure, that’s totally gonna work out…).

Maybe some books can be confusing or give kids the wrong ideas, but adults can also help kids understand what’s right and what’s wrong, and that way children can form their own opinions and be who they want to be. In the book, Amy says: “Nobody has the right to tell you what books you can and can’t read except your parents.” It also gives kids the option to speak with other kids about it, learning about others’ opinions and having friendly debate.

I know there are some hateful books that exist and I think it might be better if they didn’t exist. For example, a book that teaches readers to commit crimes or that just tells lies. But if we ban such untruthful or hateful books, others will ban books that are truthful and kind. The problem is we can’t know who would win this race. In the end there would be no books left. I think it’s better if the books exist for everyone to see and talk about. Writing a book is like saying what you want to say, and everyone has the right to freedom of speech; I studied the American Constitution in fourth grade, it’s literally written in there.

So, back to Amy

I really liked the story about Amy. After she has that brave moment at the school board, her home life changes too. After attempting to run away after her little sister shreds the papers, her parents finally realize that they aren’t being fair. For example, if Amy’s parents asked her to set the table, she always did it, even if she had something else to do and her sisters could’ve done it. But by the end, she says, sure, but could my sisters help me? She really changes and evolves throughout the course of the novel, even in such a short time and that is a great message that we are ever-changing and evolving, and that we can be whoever we want to be: ourselves. We are unique.

Sadly, it’s not just fiction but realistic fiction

Banning books is not fiction, unfortunately. Last year, I read an article in the The Week Junior about Grace Linn, an 100-year old lady who made a quilt which had targeted and banned books depicted on it. She used it to protest against book bans in her community and I thought that was cool. All the books that were banned in this novel are actual books that have been banned in some place in the real world, and I have read a couple of them, including From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

I think this book was a great read, a great story about standing up for what you think is right and, surprisingly, also about people. For example the mom who banned a bunch of books in the first place was only trying to protect her son and all the other kids. She was overprotective and banning books is bad but I guess she meant well and she learns a lesson at the end of the book. I especially liked Amy, who is brave and kind and smart. It really taught me a lot.

Ban This Book was a really inspiring book. It would be ironic if somebody tried to ban it. I hope not - everyone has the right to learn why banning books is wrong!