Thursday, September 19, 2024

Book review - Not Another Banned Book

 

Title: Not Another Banned Book

Author: Dana Alison Levy

Genre: Realistic fiction

Similar books: Property of the Rebel Librarian by Allison Varnes

                      Ban This Book by Alan Gratz

Rating:

takes some interesting turns

Summary (provided by publisher): No matter what was going on in Molly's life at home, she always had book club at school. Whether she's dealing with a death in the family or her parent's breaking the news they want to move she is able to read a new book and escape life...even if it is just for a little bit. 

But when someone anonymously notifies school boards about a controversial book in the classroom, her favorite teacher Ms. Lewsiton is suspended...and book club is a banned for the immediate future. 

With weeks until graduation, Molly has never felt more lost. She knows she needs to do something--anything--to prove to everyone that the books they read with Ms. Lewsiton are more important than the adults may realize. 

With her group of friends, Molly will fight to save her book club from writing their favorite author to protests on the football field. Molly will discover that standing up for what you believe in is only half the battle...but will she find she is fully ready to make a change for readers just like her?

My opinion: My first reaction to the idea of this book amounted to "not another banned-books book." There are an awful lot of books out there about kids fighting book bans. And if that's all this was it would be worthy of a weary sigh. But Levy doesn't just give us kids protesting an unfair decision. This book looks at a lot of context, both within the school system and in the character's lives, for the situation. Really, it's less about the book ban and more about Molly's motivation for fighting the situation. It asks what things are worth fighting and when you look for alternatives. This is a more complex, introspective narrative and is well worth reading and discussing.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

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