Blog Tour book review - Don't Check Out This Book

Title: Don't Check Out This Book
Author: Kate Klise
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Operation Frog Effect by Sarah Lynn Scheeger
                      Friendship Over by Julie Sternberg
Rating:

easy to follow

Summary (provided by publisher): Is the sweet town of Appleton ripe for scandal?
Consider the facts:        
Appleton Elementary School has a new librarian named Rita B. Danjerous. (Say it fast.)       
Principal Noah Memree barely remembers hiring her.      
Ten-year-old Reid Durr is staying up way too late reading a book from Ms. Danjerous's controversial "green dot" collection.       
The new school board president has mandated a student dress code that includes white gloves and bow ties available only at her shop.  
Sound strange? Fret not. Appleton's fifth-grade sleuths are following the money, embracing the punny, and determined to the get to the funniest, most rotten core of their town's juiciest scandal. Don't miss this seedy saga!

My opinion: Censorship, especially in schools, is a popular topic for middle grade fiction these days. Interestingly, this book is just as much about corruption in local government as it is about censorship. It focuses a lot of attention on the school board president's abuse of her position for financial gain and to push her moral agenda. The pun based names and the novelty of the format are amusing. My biggest criticism of this book is that it casts adults as both the protagonist and antagonist. While it is the children who reveal the truth behind what is happening at their school, the librarian and school board president hold these key roles. I'd have preferred to see the kids in more prominent roles. Use this book to start a conversation with young readers about censorship, responsible leadership, and effective protests.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley