Children's Books discussion

Hi all, post here about banned and challenged middle grade and young adult books you have read. Please put your reviews in spoiler tags (so that those who have not read the titles can choose whether or not to peruse your review).

Also, I think it would make sense to only have "read" challenged and banned books appear on this thread (and please make sure the books have actually been challenged and banned).

For banned and challenged YA and MG books you are interested in reading, it would be better add them to a different topic which I will be setting up soon.

Forever . . .

According to the ALA, one of the most frequently challenged and banned books by Judy Blume.

(view spoiler)[PERSONAL MUSINGS ON A CONTROVERSIAL FAVOURITE

I do have very many fond memories of Judy Blume's Forever. It has (ever since my first read at around age fourteen or so) been a novel to appreciate and read over and over again, especially since it is still considered so controversial that an unfortunately high number of ranting parental ignoramuses (often the puritanical religiously fanatic types) continue to desire the book to be universally banned, namely that they want not simply their own children, their own teenagers to NOT be allowed to read Forever, but that they basically strive to undemocratically and dictatorially deny (like a bunch of Nazis or Stalinists) ALL children, ALL young adults across the board, the basic right of freedom of choice, the freedom to read. And please do bear with me if this review of Forever might not be as coherent and as "organised" as some of my other offerings (as I often have issues posting about my personal favourites and with many of the latter, I actually am much happier and more comfortable presenting general musings and personal reactions).

Now I remember first reading Forever in the early 80s when I was in junior high school (in Calgary, Alberta, to be exact). It was all the rage in my class and since many of our teachers and parents were categorically against us reading Forever at school (or at all), it of course not only made Forever incredibly enticing, it also naturally made us clandestinely take copies of the novel to school, not only to read it on the sly so to speak, but of course also to allow those classmates who were not allowed to read Forever at home the chance to do so at school (and I did get my first dose of respect from my erstwhile rather bullying classmates when they realised that I had actually managed to entice my mother to purchase a copy of Forever for me). But well, my mother truly believed that Forever was simply a novel about first love (and I definitely made sure not to mention in any way that Forever was considered quite massively controversial by many, including the majority of my teachers, because while my parents were generally not all that worried about my reading choices, as Germans of the immediate post WWII generation, they also at that time still had the unfortunate tendency to consider books deemed controversial by especially one's teachers, to be at best potentially problematic).

And yes, I do strongly (and with a sense of annoyance that has indeed lasted for decades) remember how everyone (from my teachers to even many of my classmates) were constantly talking and pontificating about all of the sexuality presented and featured by Judy Blume in Forever and especially the fact that Michael had named his phallus, almost as though the whole book, the whole novel was only, solely about sex, sex, and more sex. But to be honest, when I finally did read Forever, I really did not understand (and still do not quite understand) what all of the fuss was about. For Forever is most definitely NOT primarily about sex, it is about two teenagers falling in love, engaging in their first heavy duty relationship, and while sex is an important part of that relationship, it is by no means the only theme presented in the novel. In fact, I think the main points of consideration in Forever are the many interpersonal relationships, Katherine's relationship with Michael, her relationship with her friends and immediate family, and also importantly, the loving and sweetly nurturing, emotionally sustaining relationship Katherine has with her grandparents. And the silly and yes, majorly and utterly frustrating part about all these so-called do-gooders who wanted to and still often continue to want to ban and/or censor Forever, is that their rantings somehow made (and continue to make) the novel appear as though it was (it is) some pornographic trash, when Forever is, in fact and for the most part, a tender and compassionate love story about teenage relationships, feelings, school, personal choices (puberty and all the ups and downs this can easily cause for both girls and boys).

Now after perusing a number of “comments” from individuals and special interests groups desiring to universally and categorically ban and censor Forever (and many of these unfortunately being nothing but rather offensive and braying rabid tirades) one of the main points of contention on which the latter always seem to harp like a bunch of squawking seagulls, is the possibility (and for them actually the absolute probability) that the sexuality, the sexual relationship between Katherine and Michael could (and generally would) entice especially female teenage readers into similar such relationships. But personally, I for one more than realised after reading Forever the first time, that my teenaged self was not in any way ready or even willing to engage in that kind of emotional, heavy and problematic sexual relationship, or any intense interpersonal non platonic relationship for that matter (and yes, even with those very few boys at school whom I actually found physically and emotionally attractive and interesting). The candid way Judy Blume describes in Forever the ups and downs of Katherine and Michael's relationship, the massive responsibility required to prevent unwanted pregnancy (condoms, but particularly how the use of birth control pills is really seen as the sole responsibility of the woman, of the girl), and in particular Erica's cousin Sybil (an actual teenage pregnancy), this all made teenaged me totally realise that I absolutely wanted and needed to wait more than ANY sex education class, than ANY adult preaching abstinence, than ANY condemnation from conservative church groups could even remotely have achieved.

But yes, when I was recently rereading Forever for something like the tenth time or so, I immediately did notice that while I am still absolutely loving and engaging with Katherine as a character, I do tend to now find Michael (and actually many if not even most of the presented teenaged male characters, including Michael's friend Artie) more than a bit lacklustre, basically stock-like, stereotypical, rather flatly conceptualised, less nuanced and developed, and thus also much less interesting and intriguing than particularly Katherine and her best friend friend Erica (and indeed, even Erica's cousin Sybil appears more fleshed out in Forever, and no pun is intended here). And I am not sure if this is a relevant or even a correct (and acceptable) observation, but I have actually always had somewhat of a feeling that Judy Blume often seems to do a better job depicting, writing about female characters than male characters, that her literary girls (such as Katherine, Margaret, Deenie, Rachel etc.) are on the whole more nuanced and wholly believable than the majority of her male characters. And even as much as I have always enjoyed reading about Peter Hatcher and his annoying little brother Fudge in Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, I actually do tend to now think that Peter's nemesis Sheila Tubman is a much more interesting, more nuanced, albeit I agree, also massively and painfully annoying and infuriating character. Therefore, in Forever, both Michael and by extension his often depressed and lonely friend Artie are not nearly as complex and interestingly depicted, presented as Katherine, Erica, and even Katherine's kid sister Jamie. And then, when a basically flat and cardboard like character such as Artie is described as having tried to commit suicide, you do end up with a bit of a potential problem. For Artie is simply not developed enough as a character; there is just not enough to him (and not enough of a backstory), and Artie’s suicide attempt in Forever, it thus does have the unfortunate tendency to feel a bit as being at least somewhat a tacked-on afterthought (which I actually find more potentially problematic and unnerving in and of itself than ANY of the scenarios in Forever dealing with sexuality and love making).

Now my original copy of Forver was a white paperback with a girl's picture encased in a simple locket as its front cover (but unfortunately it fell apart due to multiple rereadings), and in the more recent, more current paperback version I have now (and am reviewing) one can see that the cover image has two sets of legs on a bed (Katherine's and Michael's, I assume). And personally, I do tend to find said particular cover rather, no actually very much unfortunate and problematic, as it strengthens the presumption that the whole and entire plotline of Forever is about what goes on in the bedroom, that the novel is ONLY about sex, when it so clearly is not (it is about Michael and Katherine falling in love, and later falling out of love, and sexuality is simply part of that equation).

And yes, with regard to the general themes and issues presented in Forever, I tend to actually think that Katherine and Michael for the most part have a much healthier relationship than what is depicted in many more recent YA novels, certainly a lot healthier and normal than many of the rather shallow romances featured in series like Sweet Valley High and especially (and creepily) Twilight. They are perhaps a little too much into each other, but that is not abnormal and actually rather common in teenage romances. Neither Michael nor Katherine are (and fortunately) depicted as being either monsters of depravity or paragons of virtue; they are just a pretty standard teenage couple experiencing their first heavy duty relationship (I think Michael is perhaps a bit more emotionally immature, as well as being a bit more sexually experienced than Katherine, but that is rather standard as well, unfortunately). Katherine and Michael thus (at least in my opinion) certainly do not have an inherently unhealthy relationship in Forever; they have a relatively standard and normal teenage romance type of relationship, a love that in the end proves not to be as long-lasting, as forever as both protagonists originally and fondly thought and hoped. Furthermore, I am (personally) unfailingly glad that Judy Blume has written Forever realistically, that she has not attempted to make either Katherine or Michael into some kind of teenage role models. Sometimes you just want to (and need to) read a realistic story, an account that also does not shy away from showing the ups and downs, the problems and joys of being a teenager and experiencing love, lust and hormones. And this was (indeed) one of the main reasons I enjoyed Forever so much as a teenager (it presented an interesting and engaging narrative, spoke realistically to me, and covered areas and issues about which I would have felt massively weird and uncomfortable approaching and asking my parents, areas and issues that my parents also likely would not have enjoyed discussing with me either).

Furthermore I would like to just again reiterate the following once more. While I personally very much consider Forever a wonderful and in many ways even an important novel, I do recognise the fact that it is controversial and that many actually despise Forever and consider it majorly anathema. But while I can both understand and even albeit a bit grudgingly appreciate this, I can NOT and will NOT accept in any manner, in any way, those individuals, those so-called special interest groups who (that) have over the years challenged the novel and attempted and also often succeeds to have Forever removed from library shelves, or not allowed to be read in class or at school, period (hide spoiler)]

Bridge to Terabithia

According to the ALA challenged (and also banned) almost as much as Forever and while I did not really enjoy the novel, I really cannot understand the mindset of those wanting this novel banned.

(view spoiler)[I do know and realise that Katherine Paterson won the 1978 Newbery Award for her 1977 middle grade novel Bridge to Terabithia, that it is considered both a classic of American children's literature and is for many seemingly also a cherished childhood favourite (and yes, also a novel which nicely demonstrates that friendship between boys and girls is not only possible but can also be textually rendered and achieved without hints of sexuality).

However, and that being said, when I had to read Bridge to Terabithia in 1978 (for grade six English), while I did find Katherine Paterson's depictions of Jesse and Leslie's developing friendship sweet and satisfying, I also still today very vividly do recall absolutely despising and often really wanting to scream about much of Paterson's presented text and many of the themes and contents encountered in Bridge to Terabithia and this primarily and especially because of the frequent instances of pretty horrible emotional abuse, such as for example the constant fat shaming comments and jokes, and which unfortunately my sixth grade teacher also tried to repeatedly use on me (according to her philosophy of toughening me up and to supposedly inspire me to try to go on a strict diet when she realised how much this all was textually bothering me, since I had major body weight issues as a tween and a teenager and that of course I textually noticed these while we were reading Bridge to Terabithia in class), something for which I of course will not and cannot actually blame blame at Katherine Paterson. But certainly, the fat shaming scenarios and comments present in Bridge to Terabithia and that my teacher was rather using these passages as a verbal attacking tool towards and against me and my own body weight, this naturally did not at all endear me to Bridge to Terabithia and to make me in any way enjoy Katherine Paterson's narrative all that much (and sorry, while reading Bridge to Terabithia in 2022 has in fact calmed down some of the reading outrage I felt in 1978, I still really do find the fat jokes a major source of discomfort and one that also will not go away and which I also do not want to go away either).

And furthermore, when we read Bridge to Terabithia in 1978, for me personally, Leslie Burke's death was not only a totally traumatic reading experience that felt almost ridiculously senseless and gratuitous to and for my twelve year old self but that Bridge to Terbithia also left me with recurring nightmares and the fear of drowning (and which no one really took seriously), and that yes, revisiting Bridge to Terabithia in 2022 has brought back those same feelings and fears and equally my frustrated childhood anger at how my teacher used the fat shaming aspects of Bridge to Terabithia against me. And while as an adult, I absolutely understand and appreciate why and how Katherine Paterson won the Newbery Award for Bridge to Terabithia, my inner child (and my memories), they still really do rather despise too much of Bridge to Terabithia for me to conssider more than a two star rating. (hide spoiler)]

A Wrinkle in Time

Madeleine L'Engle is often challenged and banned, and strangely enough both by the ultra religious who consider her work against Scripture and reinterpreting Christianity and by the ultra secular who consider her work too religious, with in particular A Wrinkle in Time repeatedly on the ALA's most banned list.

(view spoiler)[Now I know and appreciate that Madeleine L'Engle won the Newbery Award for A Wrinkle in Time in 1963 and that for many of my Goodreads Friends A Wrinkle in Time equally seems to be a personal favourite. But well and for me, having read A Wrinkle in Time for the first time after previously encountering A Wind in the Door (the first sequel of L’Engle’s Time Quintet series), sorry, but I in particular do find Meg and Charles Wallace Murray, as well as their mutual friend Calvin O’Keefe much more positively rendered by Madeleine L’Engle and as such also much more personable, much more approachable for and to me emotionally in A Wind in the Door, and that this has certainly and in my humble opinion also not really all that surprisingly somewhat limited my personal reading pleasure with regard to A Wrinkle in Time.

For indeed while I generally from page one onwards of A Wind in the Door did totally enjoy my reading time with Meg, Charles Wallace and Calvin, the same has unfortunately not all that much been the case with those same three characters as they are made to appear by Madeleine L'Engle in A Wrinkle in Time, with for example Meg Murray being shown as annoying, whiny, and believing that her issues are somehow much more weighty and severe than EVERYONE ELSE’S. Yes, Meg’s father is missing, but she has a loving and supportive family, and honestly, how much she, how much Meg constantly focusses everything on herself and only on herself (at least for much of A Wrinkle in Time) it sure does not make her into a so called kindred spirit for me. And Charles Wallace Murry, with his ridiculous for a four year old’s smugness and inherent arrogance (and even though Charles Wallace has definitely matured by the end of A Wrinkle in Time and has also in my humble opinion understood his own faults and that self assurance can easily lead people astray) just kind of leaves me rather annoyed.

So no, I just do not really like Meg Murry, Charles Wallace Murry and also Calvin O’Keefe with his feeling ashamed of his mother because she s not some kind of fashion plate enough as characters in and of themselves for me to consider Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkls in Time with more than three stars. As even though there is a lot of change and maturation encountered in A Wrinkle in Time, for me personally, in particular Charles Wallace Murry’s self satisfied arrogant demeanour and that this gets both him and his companions into a very dangerous and perilous scenario, it sure does drive in particular my inner child more than a bit batty. (hide spoiler)]

Lois Lowry's Anastasia Krupnik series is also listed by the ALA as being amongst the most challenged, and frankly, I really do not understand why (but of course, Anastasia having a mind of her own and being clear about not liking her teachers and her parents being academics and artists with a pretty liberal parenting style would infuriate some if not many, and sadly, this often means undemocratically wanting bans for everyone). Have so far read two novels of the series.

Anastasia Krupnik

(view spoiler)[ I really do not know why I did not read this particular Lois Lowry novel (or the entire Anastasia Krupnik series for that matter) as a teenager, when the series was current, when it was just published. For I do so love and appreciate mature little Anastasia with a vocabulary much better than mine and self-direction enough to make her own decisions and lists (which are also always kept up-to-date). And Anastasia Krupnik’s parents, they indeed are equally wonderful, giving their daughter lots of space and consideration, even with the new baby coming (and yes, there is most definitely also some personal envy speaking here, as my parents were not even remotely as understanding and yes, as forgiving and commiserative when I was Anastasia's age).

Now my very favourite part of Anastasia Krupnik is probably the sharing of the poem Anastasia had taken so much time writing. And since her teacher actually had given Anastasia an F and explained that she had not followed directions, I can definitely thus completely understand why this teacher originally ended up on that hate-list. But I guess I can though, at least to a point, also realise and even appreciate that Anastasia did in fact not follow the exact directions of the assignment (in so far that the poem was supposed to rhyme). But was that failure worth an F, a total failing grade which basically says that her efforts were both wrong and totally unacceptable? I mean, why did the teacher not give Anastasia at least a C; an F just seems so totally mean spirited in the extreme. That being said, at the end of the novel, at the end of Anastasia Krupnik this very same teacher is then actually revealed to be a genuinely nice and caring person (albeit one with perhaps not all that much imagination, but still a comisserative and genuinely pleasant individual and not a monstrosity worthy of hatred and ridicule). And personally, I also so appreciate that her father not only has Anastasia read her poem aloud to him, but that he loves her verses and is not afraid of telling Anastasia that her poem is indeed good (that the father is not above giving praise when and where praise is due and even if it goes against the teacher), and that he, that Anastasia’s father also explains that it is the teacher who cannot understand poetry (but in retrospect, I also like the fact that Dr. Krupnik is able to commend Anastasia's poetic effort without actually being nasty towards the teacher, that he strives to show his daughter that her teacher is not trying to be deliberately mean, but that she simply has a limited and limiting understanding of lyricism, of the fact that poetry does not have to mean rhyming couplets and the like). And I guess I should also perhaps admit that when I first read Anastasia Krupnik, my initial reaction (especially towards the scene where Anastasia shares her supposedly failed poem with her father and the fact that he is not only accepting of her, but offers praise while also allowing himself to be openly critical of her teacher) was both intensely positive and congratulatory, but also one of serious and almost tearful envy (as my own parents would NEVER have acted this way, would ALWAYS have taken the part of the teacher in no uncertain terms, and were generally only interested in my endeavours and issues when there were issues, and potential problems, as parental praise was seen as promoting possible boastfulness and egocentrism).

But sadly, Anastasia Krupnik and actually the entire series, is also a continuous resident on the list for frequently banned and challenged books in the USA, often because of the fact that curse words are used and presented. Now I really do not think that there is anything all that problematic about these so called four-letter words, as they are used realistically and are also not over and gratuitously used. And yes, a university student might well use these types of words and expressions in class, during a lecture, which is perhaps why Dr. Krupnik should probably not have taken Anastasia to visit his class (I myself teach at the university/college level and students do use inappropriate language at times, which is why the few times students have wanted to be able to take their children to class, I have said that this was not such a good idea). Now if the swear words used in, featured in Anastasia Krupnik had been overused and gratuitous, I might have had somewhat more of an issue with this, but as it stands, they just make the narrative more realistic and immediate. And really, the idea of some "enlightened" parents wanting to ban, to remove this book (or the series) from library shelves etc. simply because curse words and references to alcohol consumption is presented, is simply and utter horrid and laughable (so what if off colour words are used, or that Anastasia's father drinks beer and lets her sip the foam, oh wow, how anal and silly these holier than thou book banners and book burners are, book banning and censorship is NEVER acceptable).

But indeed, I guess I was and perhaps also do even remain a bit shocked at the name Anastasia originally chose for her baby brother. For I kind of naively thought it was going to be some kind of a complicated name like her own, such as Theophilus or perhaps some literary name she had read in a book, or had heard her parents discuss. And personally, at age ten, I would not even have known what it meant (and I will not reveal the actual name, as that would be a massive spoiler, except to say that it is rather sexual in nature and tone), and would also not have wanted to ask my parents what it meant either (and when I was ten, we had just moved to Canada from Germany, so I actually doubt that either of my parents would even have known what it meant any more than I would have; they knew English, but would not likely have known much vernacular and slang).

And finally, as someone with a rather odd and difficult to pronounce first name (Gundula), I can certainly much relate to Anastasia at the beginning of Anastasia Krupnik not really liking her name and actually having some rather major issues with the same. Now I personally love her name and that she was named for Anastasia Romanov (and I also much appreciate my own name now), but having a unique name can definitely be a real hassle at school and can also lead to both inadvertent pronunciation issues (my teachers were constantly mispronouncing my name, but many of them did not at all like me telling them that) and even bullying (Anastasia being left out of the "i" club in her class comes to mind, and I remember that at least some of the mispronunciations of my own name were deliberate, like Gondola instead of Gundula, and classmates telling me that I resembled the former). (hide spoiler)]

Anastasia Again!

(view spoiler)[Yes, I have certainly found in particular main character Anastasia Krupnik’s resistance to her family moving from their urban apartment to the suburbs realistic and as such also very personally relatable (as I myself also absolutely despised and was furious with the entire concept of having to relocate, of having to move when my family immigrated from Germany to Canada when I was of a similar age as Anastasia). However and my being sympathetic towards Anastasia’s reluctance to moving notwithstanding, I must admit that I also have not really experienced the Anastasia from Anastasia Again with nearly as much joy and personal delight as in the first novel, as in Anastasia Krupnik.

For indeed, I have found especially the often ridiculous assumptions and conjectures which both Anastasia and indeed also her mother tend to make not only annoying to the extreme but yes, even massively infuriating, mostly because in my opinion, it is often strange and outrageous guesstimations and speculations that can and do lead to bullying and misunderstandings. And from where I stand, in Anastasia Again, author Lois Lowry basically does not really go far enough with regard to providing sufficient textual criticism of especially Anastasia’s assumptive attitudes towards the suburbs and their residents. As while of course by the end of the book, Anastasia has actually learned a bit of a lesson regarding making and perpetuating such postulations, as has her mother for that matter when she realises that Anastasia’s invited friends are not some type of gang members but just a group of delightful and interesting senior citizens whom Anastasia met downtown and bonded with, I for one definitely would want her parents not only to point out to their daughter that she is making assumptions but also showing the potential harm that can occur and indeed, to perhaps also have some disciplinary consequences that Anastasia has to perhaps even a bit painfully learn (that one cannot just mouth off and use words as weapons, that words can and do hurt and painfully so and that in particular being generalising and presumptive can definitely cause much pain, mischief and havoc).

And therefore, although generally I have indeed found Anastasia Again fun, engaging and sweetly delightful (with myself also much appreciating that Anastasia Krupnik and her family are not in any way perfect, that both the children and the parents have their foibles and peccadilloes), the fact that to and for me, Anastasia’s tendency to constantly generalise and speculate is not nearly enough narrationally criticised by Lois Lowry, this does make me lower my star rating for Anastasia Again from four to but three stars. (hide spoiler)]

You know, just because I have not enjoyed a book written for younger readers or for teenagers and found it too full of sexual topics for my tastes or not really all that personally relatable, that does not mean I want the book banned or challenged, but many do seem to think that if they did not like a book or have found a book uncomfortable reading, it should not be allowed, which does seem to be the case for both This One Summer and for Drama, two more books on the ALA most banned and challenged books by decades list, and making me really angry.

This One Summer

(view spoiler)[So yes, I have definitely never been all that much a fan of graphic novels (or perhaps more to the point, I have never been all that much a fan of most graphic novels, for there are actually a very select few comic book series, such as Asterix and Obelix and even some of the later Tintin books that I have indeed rather enjoyed), and I really only decided to download and read Mariko and Jillian Tamaki's This One Summer because it won a 2015 Caldecott Honour designation and we were n fact reading and discussing Caldecott Medal and Caldecott Honour books in the Children's Literature Group (and I guess I was also at least somewhat curious about the setting of This One Summer, seeing that it takes place in Canada, at a family cottage during summer vacation). However, I simply do not in any way really like This One Summer enough to continue reading, as aside from my above mentioned antipathy towards graphic novels in general (to graphic novels as a genre in and of itself) and while the featured illustrations are indeed expressive and impressive, the completely black and white colour schemes but especially the minute and tiny font size of the printed words, of the featured text, have been and right from the onset a bit of an aggravating thorn in my side (since I really do despise having to squint in order to read, especially if I am already wearing my reading glasses).

But that all being said, I probably would have continued reading and perhaps even at least mildly enjoyed This One Summer (even with some grinding of my teeth and tension headaches due to eyestrain at having to read the tiny words, whilst also not really all that much enjoying the gloomy black and white colours of the pictures) if especially how the main characters (but namely Rose) are depicted, are presented and described were more to my liking and more personally acceptable (and in particular, the words that tend to come out of Rose's and other characters' mouths). Now I am by no means a prude, but the rather massive barrage of so-called four letter words within the text of This One Summer feels (at least to and for me) both annoyingly frustrating and really quite gratuitous in nature. And no, I would actually NOT in any way ever label or consider This One Summer as an inappropriate and to be censored offering, I have just personally been less than impressed with the authors'/illustrators' choice of words and frankly and firmly believe that the same thematics presented in This One Summer could and should be described with a bit less of a reliance on curse words, constant name calling and verbal nastiness, with somewhat more subtlety (but the lack thereof might, I do realise, also be part and parcel of This One Summer being a graphic novel and as such another of my pet peeves with the entire genre, for I most certainly have not enjoyed the overuse of the f-word, of sexually explicit language and especially Rose calling another girl a slut simply because of a rumour that she is pregnant, and the fact that Rose has a crush on the teenaged "heartthrob" who supposedly got the girl pregnant is no excuse for this kind of constant trash talking, which I guess might be realistic but that does not mean I have to like how the authors constantly hit us over the head with this).

And perhaps I might consider trying to reread This One Summer sometime in the future (when I will hopefully have a bit more reading time to meticulously read more slowly and critically, with a notepad at hand), but at present, the storyline (the scenarios presented, how the characters act and react) is simply too dragging and tedious to spend more of my precious reading time on and with This One Summer (as I do have a huge and actually also ever increasing load of to-read tomes that are begging to be perused, and graphic novels just do not usually seem to make the cut for me, as I have, as mentioned above, also not really all that much aesthetically enjoyed the back and white cartoon style of the expressive but ridiculously gloomy and just not at all to my personal aesthetics illustrations). (hide spoiler)]

Drama

(view spoiler)[ Although both Raina Telgemeier's autobiographic Smile and Sisters have been not only personal favourites but have also done much to enamour me a bit more of Middle Grade graphic novels in general (and this especially for themes like family and friendship), I cannot say that I have found her Drama in any manner equally engaging and enjoyable. And I guess that my main issue with Drama has for the most part been that unlike Smile and Sisters (which I have indeed found very personally relatable and very similar to my own life as a teenager and as the older sister to a sibling who was and remains just not at all on my so called wavelength), I have found in Drama especially main protagonist Callie being so universally popular and consistently into romance and boys frustrating and in fact also rather personally tedious and monotonous (mostly because I myself was in grade seven not all that interested yet in boys, and therefore much of Drama, while not in any way inappropriate or unsuitable feeling, has also just not been all that interesting and engaging from a personal reading pleasure point of departure). And while I do find it majorly laughable and silly (not to mention infuriating, dictatorially Fascist and Stalinist) that the Ottawa Separate School Board (which is Catholic) has recently tried to get Raina Telgemeier's Drama banned from its school campuses and libraries because a few families had made a fuss and were rabidly howling because of the two boys depicted as kissing scenes and that Callie's latest potential love interest also happens to actually end up being homosexual (and that of course Drama is also actively being challenged and banned in parts of the USA), personally I have found Drama a rather blah reading experience and really not all that relatable and would therefore definitely have rather had with Callie a character a bit less into boys and a bit less giddy and universally liked (for Callie with her many friends kind of feels like the type of popular girl who when I was in Junior High, in Middle School, would have been amongst those considering me uncool, dorky and not to associate with unless absolutely necessary). Thus I guess that for me, with Middle Grade graphic novels in particular, it does seem that I do have to find them personally and emotionally engaging and also mirroring my own background and life as a teenager to a certain and even to a large extent for me to consider them as one hundred percent enjoyable and entertaining (and no, Drama really has been neither, and while not a terrible story by any stretch of the imagination, and while I can certainly understand that many readers seem to find Raina Telgemeier's Callie, her friends, her struggles, joys, etc. spot on for describing school "drama" and school life, for me, that spot on quality does both not all that much exist and does not feel all that wonderful and sweet either when reading Drama or looking at the accompanying illustrations). (hide spoiler)]

Aside from the already mentioned Forever, Judy Blume is sadly one of the most challenged authors on the ALA lists, but I do think that she might not be as challenged and as banned now as she had been in the past (except for I think Forever). But come on, Judy Blume should not have been challenged and banned at all and I sure am glad that when I was at school in Canada (late 1970s when we emigrated from Germany to 1985, when I graduated and went to university), Judy Blume's middle grade and young adult novels were freely and readily available on school library shelves (in Alberta) and reading them in school and in class was generally not an issue.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

(view spoiler)[I was with head shaking and consternation reading (or at least trying to peruse without either grumbling or laughing derisively) some of the more vehemently negative reviews (the tirades) for Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret?, and ha, ha, ha, what many of these ranters and ravers so unilaterally and utterly despise about Judy Blume's Middle Grade girl's classic, is precisely what I have always loved, and what I totally and utterly personally appreciated when I read this novel at around the age of twelve or so, namely the detailed description of how Margaret and her "club" of preteen girlfriends (even though some of them like Nancy Wheeler are most definitely rather annoyingly what one would definitely call fair weather friends) deal with the beginning of puberty, in particular the start of what we euphemistically call our monthly visitor. I mean, we did have all girls school sessions during physical education classes in grade six about what to expect, but this was incredibly basic at best (with questions not at all encouraged) and in no way ever as enlightening (as preparatory) and as personal an account as Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret? (and yes, when the "event" did finally happen to me, Judy Blume's account of how Margaret Simon, Nancy Wheeler, Gretchen Potter et al deal with their menses really did help me tremendously, for when I asked my mother, she simply handed me a package of sanitary napkins and told me that one does not really discuss menstruation, even privately, even with one's mother).

And while, of course, Margaret's and her friends' emerging puberty (and resulting menses) is but one (and perhaps even to a certain extent even a minor major aspect) of Are You There God, It's Me Margaret? (with her religious questions, issues with potential family dysfunction, moving, and especially that new "best" friend Nancy often lies, always needs to be the leader, the star of the party so to speak and is obviously also someone who loves to repeat and spread nasty gossip being of equal importance and significance), for me, what has always been my most lasting and yes, my most positive girlhood, young teenager-hood memory of Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret? is indeed how starting one's period is described, is meticulously explained and depicted by Judy Blume, and in a personable and positive manner that is both readable and approachable, that is totally relatable to the intended audience, to preteen and young teenaged girls from about the age of eleven to fifteen. Five stars, and yes, absolutely and forever on my favourite shelf!! (hide spoiler)]

Blubber

(view spoiler)[While I most certainly have NEVER found Blubber all that enjoyable as a personal reading experience (and really, as someone who did experience much nasty bullying at school, more than a trifle too close to home so to speak to be in any way comforting, cheering or uplifting) I have indeed always considered (both then and now) that Judy Blume has most definitely and painfully realistically captured not only bullying, but also that the tormenters can and do sometimes become the tormented (such as narrator Jill Brenner, who only and still rather mildly at best realises that her nasty attitude towards classmate Linda Fischer might be wrong when she herself somehow crosses arch class bully Wendy and finds the situation reversed, finds herself being viciously targeted by Wendy and her acolytes).

But while when I read Blubber as a teenager, Jill was someone I found rather annoying, most of my anger was indeed at that time squarely directed towards Wendy and her main sidekick Caroline, at the arch nasties, whom everyone seems to follow with regard to how poor Linda Fischer is constantly being ostracised and sometimes even viciously attacked. However, upon rereading Blubber last night (in order to finally post a review) and as an older adult, I have to admit and proclaim that I actually do now very much consider Jill Brenner in every way quite as massively unlikable as Wendy and Caroline (as for one, Jill only changes her attitude and her bullying behaviour and actions towards Linda when she herself is targeted by Wendy et al, understandable perhaps, but really not all that laudable, and for two, while Wendy might in fact be the instigator and the ringleader with regard to in-class bullying and nastiness, it is the sad and ugly truth of the matter that Jill as well as the rest of the class like good little goose stepping soldiers readily fall into line and both condone, carry out and seemingly even much enjoy tormenting and terrorising the unfortunate Linda, which sure does enable Wendy and keeps her status as arch nasty intact, powerful and flourishing).

And also, and very much furthermore, what about Jill Brenner's so-called teacher, Mrs. Minish? Throughout Blubber she is narrationally and textually described as being at best completely oblivious and clueless, doing NOTHING AT ALL with regard to either stopping or at least somewhat mitigating the horrendous bullying and abuse Linda Fischer constantly must endure, and while I certainly do applaud Judy Blume for tackling the real and present issues and problems stemming from such teacher apathy, it is certainly not all that much of a solace to read about an instructor like Mrs. Minish, to realise that Linda has NO ONE at all to support or stand up for her, as obviously, even her teacher really could care less (realistic perhaps, but oh so very much sad and frustrating). Three stars for Blubber, as while I do think that Judy Blume has penned an important novel, with painful but nevertheless necessary messages, I also cannot really ever consider Blubber a favourite novel or one that I would consider turning to for comfort and/or ease, as the subject matter is just a bit too personally close for me and well, I also simply do not believe that Jill Brenner really has all that much learned a lesson by the end of Blubber (sure, she might now consider twice before bullying someone, but I still do not really think she has become all that increasingly empathetic, that she is still mostly coming from her own selfish discomfort at having now also experienced being harassed and tormented by Wendy, a good start perhaps, but merely that, and not in my opinion going nearly far enough as of yet). (hide spoiler)]

Deenie

(view spoiler)[ I remember when I was reading Judy Blume's Deenie about ten years or so ago (as I never actually did manage to read this novel as a child or a young adult), wondering with rather angry consternation and almost a bit of rage at what ALL the frigging online and offline fuss has been about with regard to the book supposedly describing masturbation. Yes, there is I believe a question posed in Deenie that "might" perhaps be about the latter and which main protagonist Deenie asks at school and indeed, there are also a couple of scenes where she is described as touching herself on a special spot in order to calm her nerves, in order to destress herself mostly whilst she is lying in bed (and why indeed should she not, considering that she has just been diagnosed with scoliosis of the spine and that she also is having to deal with her mother and her mother's best friend who had only ever thought of Deenie as a model, as some kind of fashion queen and who now, after Deenie is being forced to wear a large brace day in and day out for years, have basically and sadly pretty well dropped her like a proverbially hot potato).

And at lesst in my humble opinion, these above mentioned bone of contention scenes in Deenie are absolutely NOT in any manner scenarios that describe sexual perversion or masturbation (for if one actually and with intelligence and an open mind reads these scenes, they are basically simply examples of Deenie using hands on relaxation techniques to self-soothe, to basically with and by physical contact therapy try to take some of her stresses away). And truly, the only individuals who are seeing this as sexual and are wanting Deenie banned for this, are to and for me either reading something, seeing something in the novel that is not even there to begin with or have problematic sexual issues THEMSELVES so that they see anything that is remotely about someone touching themselves in any manner as inappropriate and sexually charged, which is at best really and problematically sad and depressing (not to mention that ANYONE who wants to ban and censor children's and yound adult books and remove them from libraries or classrooms is in my opinion at best a Fascist, a Stalinist, an entitled, undemocratic and dangerously dictatorial ignoramus, for even if Deenie did actually contain scenes of sexuality and gasp, masturbation, it should NOT ever be censored or banned in any manner.

Now is Judy Blume's Deenie a perfect novel about challenges and special needs? No, it is not, but it does very well and with much understanding display how Deenie's entire world seems to fall apart for a while after her scoliosis diagnosis, especially since she really cannot in any way count on her mother for support (who only ever saw and approached her "beautiful" daughter as a potential fashion model and thus really cannot handle what has happened and behaves in a truly selfish and nastily unsupportive manner much of the time), although thankfully Deenie's father is a bit more down-to-earth and understanding towards his daughter, albeit with tough love and a demand that Deenie absolutely follow the doctor's orders with regard to the wearing of her brace (but yes, as much as I have in fact enjoyed Deenie, I do think that at least the mother and her girlfriend, the two individuals most adamantly into categorising Deenie as simply a pretty fashion plate and an opportunity for making money and attending beauty pageants and then freaking out at the fact that Deenie is no longer "perfect" now that she has a curved spine that needs a long and arduous recovery period, have in my opinion been a bit too negatively and onesidedly typecast by the author, have been made by Judy Blume rather too much into arch-villain and arch-ignoramus like entities, although I have to also agree that such individuals actually do in fact and sadly exist). Three and a half stars for Judy Blume's Deenie (rounded up to four stars)! And to and for potential banners and censurers, do grow up a bit and have children and young adults read what they want, as it is profoundly undemocratic (and that is being very much kind) to try to force your attitudes on others (for while you might well have the right to censor your own children's reading choices, you do NOT and legally should absolutely NOT in any way have the right to do this with regard to others). (hide spoiler)]

With the Harry Potter series, I find it ridiculous that both the right and the left are now challenging and trying to get the series banned (and often succeeding), and I will say that I find the challenges and banned from the left even sillier than the ones from the right, as cancel culture and wokesim is simply silly and you would think supposed liberals would know better and respect a person's right, any person's right to freely choose what to read (I guess I kind of expect undemocratic Fascist/Stalinist book bans from Social Conservatives and religious puritans). And no, I have actually not posted reviews of the HP series on Goodreads as I read the series years before joining GR and there are already tons of excellent reviews out there (and sadly also some horror stories). But I would like to point out with the Harry Potter series, that J.K. Rowling's texts have a very obvious good versus evil thematic and that Voldemort and his minions are in my opinion pretty close to Biblical villains and Harry Potter, Dumbledore etc. pretty similar to Biblical heroes and religious martyrs, fighting against evil even though they all know the outcome will be dangerous and lethal.

And with Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials series (another recurring resident on the ALA lists for most banned books), I have only thus far read The Golden Compass (the first book, which won the Carnegie Medal and is known as Northern Lights in England), in my opinion, those who want to the series banned are obviously not strong in and with their own faith if they think that Pullman's critical stance against in particular organised Christianity and religions in general is so dangerous for them or for their children.

The Golden Compass

(view spoiler)[Well, first and foremost, even though fantasy is absolutely not my favourite literary genre by any stretch of my imagination, I have definitely very much enjoyed reading the first instalment of Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, The Golden Compass (which won the 1995 Carnegie Medal and is known as Northern Lights in the United Kingdom), enough so that I am most probably going to keep on with the series (which I at first was not even considering, as I in fact was only reading The Golden Compass because it won the Carnegie Medal).

And very much yes indeed, Phillip Pullman's writing and his world building are really and without exaggeration on my part simply amazing and wonderfully descriptive and I have found it so much textually fun and engaging to imagine and to encounter in The Golden Compass a world that is both as alike as it is dissimilar to our own, where huge blimp-like airships float through the sky and where each person's soul is not something internal but a living breathing animal companion and familiar (a daemon), with an Oxford that is in many ways like the real Oxford but also very obviously different. So wow, wow, wow, this is the enchanting and also entrancingly dangerous world of main protagonist and orphan Lyra Belacqua and her daemon Pantalaimon in The Golden Compass, whose rather wild and pretty much carefree existence at Jordan College, Oxford, is turned upside down with an amazing and sometimes terrifying chain of events that start with Lyra's uncle Lord Asriel's visit to the college to plan an expedition to the enigmatic Northern Lights (of the original British book title), where he, where Asriel hopes to find the source of Dust and thus a possible gateway other worlds, to other universes. Taken away from Oxford by Mrs. Coulter, a coldly charismatic woman who decides that Lyra should be versed in the etiquette of becoming a young woman, and with a strange golden compass known as an 'alethiometer' in her possession (given to Lyra by the Master of Jordan College), and with the disappearance of many local Oxford children at the hands of the feared Gobblers, including Lyra's best friend Roger, Lyra finally decides to travel to the Northern Lights herself to look for Roger and to also try to figure out how all of this is linked together (including Dust), with Pantalaimon by her side and with Lyra afraid but also bravely determined.

Now with regard to The Golden Compass as a story, yes, Phillip Pullman's writing is totally addictively readable basically from the first page onwards and textually certainly paints a world that I kind of would love to visit myself (but of course, without the Gobblers et al). And while there are enough plot twists, while there is enough action presented to keep the textual pace of The Golden Compass nicely flowing, and with many interesting characters and scenarios encountered along the way long the way (daemons, witches, armoured polar bears, the potential of alternate universes), I also appreciate that the plot is not simply overwhelming action and nothing but that, as in The Golden Compass below the surface there are also philosophical themes featured portraying the dangers and problematic nature of organised religion (represented by the controlling Magisterium) and in fact belief and faith in and of itself, and even some quantum physics and chaos theory thrown in for good measure by Phillip Pullman. But while the mix of science, philosophy, theology and magic found in The Golden Compass has been textually absolutely delightful, this is probably also one of the main reasons why Pullman's entire His Dark Materials is consistently being challenged and banned (and honestly, if you cannot handle the religious criticism and want The Golden Compass and its sequels banned then in my opinion your own faith must really be weak and easily destroyed and cracked, and that is entirely on you and most definitely not on Phillip Pullman). (hide spoiler)]

Now I am extremely furious at how often Bette Green's Summer of My German Soldier has made the ALA list of most banned books, because it is clearly shown with many of the most negative reviews that a certain group of ignoramuses want this novel banned because the idea of an American Jewish teenager trying to help a German POW and also falling in love with him is unacceptable and needs to be forbidden for children and for teenagers to read (and as a German Canadian, I call this BS and ridiculous).

(view spoiler)[While I have actually not really found Bette Greene's 1973 historical fiction novel Summer of my German Soldier quite as readable and as enjoyable as I had fondly been hoping for (and especially with regard to Greene's writing style, which I do think has the unfortunate tendency to sometimes if not even rather often be a trifle rambling and dragging), I have in fact and with no feelings of either contrition or any guilt whatsoever decided to still rank Summer of my German Soldier with a full five stars.

And yes, my main and primary reason for doing so (for still rating Summer of my German Soldier with five stars instead of the high three stars I was originally considering with regard to my actual enjoyment and reading pleasure) is that I am indeed rather massively infuriated and personally offended by the fact that there sadly and frustratingly are (at least in my opinion) far far too many rantingly negative tirades of ignorant bigotry with regard to Summer of my German Soldier to be found online, vitriol spewing reviews (if one should even consider labelling them as bona fide reviews) claiming that of course ALL Germans are somehow to be seen as Nazis and that Anton is by the mere fact of him being a German soldier and a POW not only an automatic A National Socialist by mere association and by his ethnicity but therefore also totally deserving of his fate, absolutely deserving being killed (not to mention that I have even found a number of online rantings that have dared to categorically state that Summer of my German Soldier should never even have been allowed to be published and that Bette Greene should also and actively have been censored and severely, lastingly punished for penning a novel set in WWII which presents a generally very much positive and likeable German character).

Now I can of course and more than readily and fully understand those more negative reviews of Summer of my German Soldier where the main point of criticism and contention has been about how Bette Greene's stylistics, about how her modes of literary expression often seem to feel a bit tediously dragging (for as mentioned above, this is in fact also my own main issue with Summer of my German Soldier, namely that even with me being very much interested in and engaged with Patty and Anton's story and feeling both uplifted and devastated by it, how Betty Greene has her plot move along, this has certainly at times felt both distancing and not all that engagingly rendered).

But no indeed, as person of German background (and having experienced a lot of very deliberate ethnic and cultural based bullying and ethnic hatred filled bigotry because of the latter when my family immigrated to Canada when I was ten years of age), I will simply NOT consider those entirely negative musings on Summer of my German Soldier where the "reviewer" basically states that ALL Germans are somehow at best problematic and at worst tainted and guilty of Naziism by the mere fact of our birth and our ethnic and genetic backgrounds as being anything but offensive propagandistic bile! And in fact (and also knowing rather full well that this assessment might indeed be possibly offensive to some and perhaps even to many), when I was reading the most vehemently angry and furiously vile online criticisms of Summer of my German Soldier, I was most definitely left with the very distinct and uncomfortable impression of having encountered political propaganda rather totally akin and alike to what the Nazis themselves had used, for the rhetoric I have encountered with the most angry and furious tirades against Summer of my German Soldier was certainly very much the exact same type as had been used by Hitler, Goebbels, Goering etc. (and even reading Summer of my German Soldier for a second time has not at all changed this impression, but has in fact and indeed only augmented this feeling and my frustrated rage ad infinitum). (hide spoiler)]

British and ex pat South African children's author Beverley Naidoo (who was jailed as a university student for working with Nelson Mandela against Apartheid) had her books (written after she was exiled to the UK) banned in South Africa until the release of Nelson Mandela from jail and the end of Apartheid (makes sense but is still sad). And yes, Naidoo's 1986 Journey to Jo'burg: A South African Story was actually and truly banned, while the very popular and often recounted story of Anna Sewell's Black Beauty being banned in Apartheid South Africa simply because of the title seems to have been more a book banning urban myth.

(view spoiler)[In Beverley Naidoo's 1986 (and thus of course before the official end of Apartheid) South-African themed middle grade novel Journey to Jo'burg, when their baby sister Dineo becomes very ill with a dangerous fever (and might perhaps even be dying), thirteen-year old Naledi and her younger brother Tiro decide that they must go and get their mother, but unfortunately Mma is being forced by financial necessity to live and work in the big city, in far-away Johannesburg. And determined to do everything they can for Dineo, the siblings thus set off on foot, hoping to cover the three-hundred-kilometer distance to find their mother in time.

So yes, first and foremost Naidoo's story for Journey to Jo'burg (young middle grade and in my opinion textually suitable for readers from about the age of eight to ten or eleven) presents a basic but also intensely realistic introduction to South Africa and its horrid, inhumane and racist police of Apartheid, of segregation, showing clearly, simply and without graphic violence (although the latter is often alluded to and briefly pointed out) the horror, the all encompassing injustice of the latter and South Africa’s emerging fight for racial equality (and that not all Black South Africans are following the dictatorial rules of the Afrikaners' elitist government). And on their journey to Johannesburg, Naledi and Tiro are shown by Beverley Naido as making many unexpected friends out of strangers and who all help them not only with their travels but to also stay out of reach of the police, sometimes perhaps a bit too easily and a bit too quickly, but well, considering the intended age age group for Journey to Jo'burg this does not really all that much bother me, as indeed, and much importantly, much appreciatively, Naidoo has Naledi and Tiro soon learning that in Apartheid-infested South Africa, as Black South Africans, they do not have a right to get on the bus or walk about freely without a pass, and they do not even have a right to their own mother (who works as a maid, as a servant to an arrogant and ignorant White family in Johannesburg).

Now Beverley Naido herself was born and raised in South Africa (in 1943), and yes, the author has readily admitted never having been taught to question Apartheid (and the general racial intolerance towards Black South Africans) either in school or at home. But at university, Naidoo became increasingly outraged at the South African government and joined Nelson Mandela’s anti-Apartheid movement, with Beverly Naido being arrested and jailed in 1964, for anti-government activities. Exiled to England after her release from prison, Beverley Naidoo decided to write books about South Africa for children and of course, upon the publication of Journey to Jo'burg, it was immediately seen as dangerous and seditious literature and promptly banned in South Africa (and it remained banned until the release of Nelson Mandela from prison and the official end of Apartheid).

Finally, although Journey to Jo'burg was penned in 1986 and Apartheid was officially abolished as a South African government policy in the 1990s, the fight for racial equality very much continues in South Africa. And for children, Journey to Jo'burg is therefore a gentle but also a firm and authentic feeling (with regard to factuality) introduction to this reality (not strictly own voice of course, but considering Beverley Naidoo's biography, I do still consider Journey to Jo'burg to be pretty much from an African perspective and from the pen of a White South African author who actively fought against Apartheid and was also jailed for this). Accompanied by evocative illustrations, both Eric Velásquez' pictures and Beverley Naidoo's words are a winning combination of text and images, and indeed, Journey to Jo'burg certainly encourages conversations and discussions with children about racial segregation, racial intolerance and bigotry (and also regarding the horror and the absolutely ignorant error of white supremacy). (hide spoiler)]

The lists elsewhere in this topic section regarding the sheer amounts of books that have been challenged and banned in quite a number of American states are staggering and ridiculous. But for me, I guess I was most offended and flabbergasted that in Texas, both Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Avonlea and the graphic novel adaptation of Anne Frank's diary (Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Novel) were challenged and banned (even though I do believe both were later reinstated).

Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Novel

(view spoiler)[ Well, it looks like it will probably be a very long time indeed before I will be able to read Ari Folman's graphic novel adaptation of The Diary of a Young Girl, since Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation is available neither at the library I frequent nor on Open Library. And while Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation is a book I most definitely really want to and even need to read, I have if truth be told majorly gone over my book purchasing budget for 2022 and simply cannot at present justify purchasing any more books (and no matter how much I might want to, and basically with no exceptions either, even though I certainly am tempted here).

However, after reading the glowing reviews of Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation from the vast majority of my Goodreads friends, not only do I pretty well know that once I do manage to get to Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation (which I certainly will, but just not now), I will most likely (and probably definitely) be rating Ari Folman's textual adaptation and David Polonsky's illustrations with five stars, but that yes, I do feel that I absolutely must rate Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation with five stars even prior to reading it for the simple reason that I am incredibly LIVID AND DISGUSTED WITH FURY AND RAGE that Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation was actually removed from school library bookshelves in the Keller Independent School District in Texas for a while because some obviously mentally deranged "parents" and so-called special interest groups had actually challenged Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation.

And while the Keller Independent School District is now busy trying to make excuses and claiming that Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation was never actually banned, sorry, but the book was in fact removed and unavailable for a time and that is most definitely censorship and as such totally unacceptable. Because for me, ANY move to censor books and to ban books hugely smacks of NAZISM and that ANY move to ban novels etc. on the Holocaust and in particular ones written by Jewish authors and with Anne Frank's Diary by victims of the Holocaust is also totally and horribly anti Semitic, and that really, NO library, NO school board etc. should be taking any such challenges seriously and even permitting, even allowing them to proceed (and that for me, for both the morons in Texas who challenged Anne Frank's Diary: the Graphic Adaptation and for the school board members who forced the book to be removed and even if only for a short time, I would certainly like to take a large permanent marker and draw either a huge N for Nazi or a swastika on their foreheads). (hide spoiler)]

Anne of Avonlea

(view spoiler)[Yes, I remember liking L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Avonlea immensely when I first read it as a young teenager, and during my recent rereads, I have still managed to enjoy most of the story (most of the featured episodes) almost as much as I did then, especially the anecdotes about the Avonlea Village Improvement Society (AVIS). But even more than the AVIS interludes, I have been rather pleasantly surprised at how much I have loved reading about both Paul Irving and Lavendar Lewis (two characters to whom I did not really feel all that drawn when I first read Anne of Avonlea
However, I did and do find myself having rather major problems universally liking the character of Davy Keith. And indeed, it is not Davy's rather mischievous nature that I find problematic, but the fact that he is so often deliberately cruel and nasty to his twin sister Dora. Not only that, but I have also and with flustered sadness noticed that Dora is more often than not ignored and denigrated by almost everyone, from Anne to even Mrs. Lynde, simply because she is a quiet, unobtrusive child (and "must" therefore by extension also be boring and monotonous). And when one recalls what Anne's own childhood was like, and how she was both emotionally and spiritually neglected before she came to Green Gables, it is supremely ironic and annoying that Anne now seemingly approaches Dora in a similar manner, often ignoring her because Davy's exploits are more interesting, or more to the point, are perceived as being more interesting.

Furthermore, I also tend to believe that there is actually a rather uncritical acceptance by L. M. Montgomery herself, as Anne's (and others') often rather negative assumptions of and towards Dora are never really actively criticised (yes, Anne realises that she might have a bit of an unfair and careless attitude towards Dora, but even though she is aware of this, she does not really ever strive to rein in her at times quite overt favouritism of Davy, and actually even attempts to justify it to herself and others). And as someone who also was rather quiet and unobtrusive as a child and teenager, this has quite bothered me during my recent rereads and continues to more than somewhat chafe (strangely enough though, when I was a teenager, when I first read Anne of Avonlea, this fact did not seem to bother me all that much, although at that time, I often did feel rather ignored and under-appreciated by both my family and the world).

Now I would still most strongly recommend this novel, as well as the entire Anne of Green Gables series. It is just that Anne of Avonlea, while certainly magical, does indeed and in my opinion have its potential issues (at least it did and does for me), with specifically the often overt favouritism of Davy Keith over his sister, over Dora, being majorly potentially problematic, a favouritism actually made considerably worse by the fact that it also so often seems universally accepted, even justified (and thus, from the Anne of Green Gables series, Anne of Avonlea while definitely enjoyable, does also not rank amongst my personal favourites). (hide spoiler)]

Also, pretty sad to see Brown Girl Dreaming being banned, as while I did not enjoy the book, there is nothing contained therein that should make the novel be banned, but I guess for book banning politicians in places like Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida etc. simply the fact that the author is African American and is writing about her life story is already enough to make Brown Girl Dreaming unacceptable and something that should not be available for and to students.

And same with The Poet X, a book I personally have also not enjoyed all that much but a book that absolutely should NOT be banned, period.

Not surprised that Another Kind of Cowboy is banned in Texas, but really, this is a YA novel and as such should be alright for teenaged readers (but let's face it, in Texas as well as in many Social Conservative states any fiction about homosexuality, drug use and other issues important to and for teenagers are routinely banned, as it sure seems that keeping young people uneducated and naive is what many parents and in particular governors like Abbott and Desantis want and need).

Another Kind of Cowboy

(view spoiler)[Well, although I first read Susan Juby’s Another Kind of Cowboy in the autumn of 2010, I realised a week or two ago that I had actually never gotten around to posting a full review (or any kind of a review, for that matter).

And with regard to Another Kind of Cowboy, I do have to say that this has definitely been a young adult themed novel I have both majorly adored and at times also been just a trifle frustrated with. For while I have indeed absolutely enjoyed reading about Alex and Cleo’s experiences both positive and negative and also oh so much do appreciate the dressage riding thematics (and especially that author Susan July always strives to point out not only the potential joys and delights of horseback riding and horse ownership, but also how much responsibility and 24/7 care and being constantly on call so to speak this all entails or at least should), I do have to point out that there most certainly is just a trifle too much alcohol and drug abuse, as well as some hyper-sexuality depicted in Another Kind of Cowboy for my personal comfort level, albeit that I am of course also very glad that the author never glorifies this in any manner, that for example both Alex’s alcoholic father and Cleo’s drug abusing boarding school roommate are consistently depicted by Susan Juby with overt criticism and much condemnation.

And while the above mentioned alcohol and drug use and abuse themes (alongside of issues concerning absentee parenting, lax boarding school discipline and both societal and family dysfunction) certainly do not make Another Kind of Cowboy what I would consider light reading fare, Susan Juby does in my opinion also present and have a wonderful sense for both humour and the ridiculous (and realistically so, for yes, when I was reading Cleo’s depiction of that dressage test fiasco, I was literally almost screaming with laughter, as indeed, this is precisely what can and does happen if a rider is not able or willing to control his or her horse whilst under saddle). An engaging and often also thoughtful and tender story (and albeit that Another Kind of Cowboy does prominently feature horses and especially dressage, you also do not in my opinion have to be totally into horses to appreciate and enjoy both Alex and Cleo as characters, although yes, you do have to be alright with there being some very heavy duty young adult themes depicted and dissected and that Susan Juby has penned Another Kind of Cowboy in two voices, with Cleo narrating in the first person and Alex being described in the third person by an omniscient narrator).

Three solid stars for Another Kind of Cowboy, and with my main reason for not considering four stars being that while I do not have an issue with Alex realising that he is homosexual, I really do majorly wish that Susan Juby had not made ALL of the male dressage riders who appear in Another Kind of Cowboy either gay or presumed to be gay (as this is sadly a recurring stereotype that often and in particular in the USA and Canada does in reality often prevent interested male riders from even considering dressage as a potential equestrian sport choice). (hide spoiler)]

Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation was banned but reinstated- JUST that edition - because of "graphic" sexual content. I put a long list of things ultra conservative parents might object to in my review. I don't think the book warrants banning for it though. You can look through some of it on Google Books.

On the cancelled list:

Little House on the Prairie and Little Town on the Prairie- CANCELLED
*sigh* I really appreciate Laura's attention to detail in recreating her world she grew up in. Also the time she was writing in. Yes she could have chosen better wording than the line in Prairie about no people but overall, Pa's attitude towards the Indians was respectful and Ma's fears were genuine and understandable given her background and her faith.

I'm Ok with keeping the minstrel show scene in Town with the song being moved to the back and an editor's note in the beginning explaining the history of that kind of entertainment. Black people did it too. It was the only way they could perform on stage and be accepted by White audiences. Most kids are smart enough to know it's cringy at best and racist at worst and inuit that.

To Kill a Mockingbird is on the cancel and ban list on both sides. I don't know if it's too "white saviorish". I don't know who would come to represent Tom if it wasn't Atticus. It's considered a classic and I know a lot of people love it. I enjoyed it but don't feel the need to reread it.

Older banned books:
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Not banned in my time and the teachers didn't have a problem with the language or content.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, not intended to be a children's book but now considered YA, a must-read. It's thought provoking and really says a lot about the way a child is socialized into thinking a certain way and how people's minds can be changed by getting to know someone who is different from them!
In the Night Kitchen I never even noticed the naked baby until I read about the challenges. It was a childhood favorite. Don't people ever bathe their children, take them to the beach? Change their diapers?

The Witches Funny and weird and creepy. Not worth fussing over. Kids like way more gory and creepy stuff than witches who eat children. Hocus Pocus anyone?

James and the Giant Peach a family favorite. Fun and funny and paved the way for Harry Potter's horrible family.

A Light in the Attic never once copied the bad behavior of a kid in ONE or two poems.

Where's Waldo? Where's the one topless woman? I had to hunt and squint to find her.

A Wrinkle in Time
Go Ask Alice
Blubber
Anastasia Krupnik
Deenie
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
Bless Me, Ultima
The Face on the Milk Carton
Summer of My German Soldier
The Wish Giver: Three Tales of Coven Tree
The Agony of Alice I read most of the series in elementary school.
The Upstairs Room
The Diary of a Young Girl

New banned books:

Harry Potter - The same old story we've all heard a billion times before. The world building and incredible nerdiness of Jo Rowling is what makes the books stand out. Banning the books because of her erroneous views on gender identity and digging her heels in is not really effective. The movies at least are still popular.

It's Perfectly Normal: A Book about Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health
Oh good gravy! It's a book about puberty and sex ed. As the title says, perfectly normal. Appropriate for any kid who has been given "the talk" and for me that was pretty young. This is probably in my siblings' old school library. I'd guess 4th grade and up, 6th grade and up if the school district doesn't teach sex ed.

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging, On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God
Banned by ignorant parents who have a)never read the books and b)don't understand British slang or British humor. Replacing a this book with a funny book is counterproductive. This book is one of the few that's ever made me laugh out loud. I warned everyone not to read it in public! A fellow adult reader friend likened Georgia to a teenage Bridget Jones. If there was graphic sexual content in these books it went way over my adult head so I'm sure kids wouldn't understand it either but I know there isn't because I wouldn't have given the book to my little cousin if there was.

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things
Another funny book I read as a young adult.
Sloppy Firsts

Drama still don't know why this one is challenged all the time. Not the best book I've ever read.

New Kid the woukd-be banners should actually READ the book to learn something.

The Downstairs Girl Stacey Lee is a good writer but I'm a little too old for her tropey YA romances. Her history is always fascinating. There's a few mentions of sex outside marriage, racism, and (view spoiler)[interracial relationships/sex resulting in an unwanted illegitimate biracial child. (hide spoiler)]
_______
Aleutian Sparrow
Anne of Avonlea
Before We Were Free
The House on Mango Street (all of the above Reviewed for grades 6+ in Frisco, TX)

Plus adult books read in high schools:
The Bluest Eye a must read
Beloved
Brave New World
Of Mice and Men

Banned in Oklahoma:
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Lord of the Flies

Banned in Duval County, FL
The Double Life of Pocahontas
My Name Is Sally Little Song

Extra Credit
Banned in Duval County, Florida as part of the blanket ban against the Essential Voices classroom library series

This middle grades novel is about an American girl, Abby, in Illinois, struggling with school. To make up for her poor grades in order to move up to Junior High, Abby has to do an extra credit pen-pal project. A world away in the mountains of Afghanistan, Sadeed Bayat receives an assignment from his teacher and the village head man: help his little sister Amira write to this girl in America and show America that their village has excellent and smart students. When Amira gets all the credit for a letter Sadeed wrote, he becomes jealous. What he does next is forbidden and could get him and Abby into a lot of trouble.

I don't know why this book is banned because that's too ironic! In Afghanistan they ban books! Kids are only allowed to read books approved by the Ministry of Education. Sadeed's teacher gives him forbidden books from Britain and America to read.
Sadeed's reading list includes
Frog and Toad Are Friends (his first English book)
Robinson Crusoe (Christian themes)
Robin Hood (also Christian but noble characters)
Hatchet (The most modern book Sadeed has read in English).

In America, Abby must put up a bulletin board in the classroom to share her letters and everything she learns about Afghanistan. The Afghan flag is banned because it made one student feel "uncomfortable" when the student and parent research the writing on the flag and also because the flag has an image of a mosque on it.

I picked this up because I had 80 pen-pals from around the world when I was Sadeed's age. I like learning about new places and I was curious about how this American author was going to portray Afghanistan. Ironically, in Sadeed and Amira's village, girls are allowed to go to school. Amira's father encourages her to get an education. There's been some fighting in the mountains nearby and when Sadeed was younger, a house across the street was blown up and people died. The mountains Abby loves to much compared to her flat Illinois plains can be dangerous for other reasons relating to nature.

There's one scene where Sadeed is threatened by a soldier and that has repercussions throughout the village and for Abby.

QNPoohBear wrote: "Extra Credit
Banned in Duval County, Florida as part of the blanket ban against the Essential Voices classroom library series

This middle grades novel is about an American girl, Abb..."

But of course, the book banners from Florida are secret supporters of the Taliban and their "educational" policies, so it sadly makes sense that a book showing the Taliban in a negative light and having a teacher in Afghanistan openly defy the Taliban by giving students banned "Western" books to read would freak out the Taliban supporting book banning politicians etc. of Florida.

Source of that accusation?

Cheryl wrote: "Source of that accusation?"

This is simply how I feel and how I think about the book banners. For if you are going to be banning and/or challenging books that are critical of the Taliban then in my opinion you obviously have the tendency to support them. And I do stand by that accusation fully and totally.

I mean, why else would Malala's Magic Pencil have been challenged and why else would Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan be on the the ALA list of most challenged books?

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: A Graphic Novel: A Modern Retelling of Little Women

Not a great retelling of Little Women but no reason to ban it just because Jo ends up coming out as gay. (Only in one Texas school district)

Duels & Deception. I didn't read this one but I read Love, Lies and Spies. I didn't notice anything worth banning even for Texas. I assume because the heroine doesn't end up wanting to marry and become a mother in an arranged marriage? Because there's magic? I'm puzzled over this one.

A Home for Goddesses and Dogs
This one is probably banned because one of the subject headings is lesbians--juvenile fiction. Also possibly because of the goddesses in the title. However, if the banners in Texas actually READ the novel, they would see that it is not a "gay" book nor is it a pagan book.

The main character, 13-year-old Lydia, lived with her single mother who was in heart failure. They took photos of women and decoupaged ephemera and made "goddesses". Holly, Lydia's mom, made up some and drew from real gods like Janus. They were a source of comfort to Holly and Lydia when times were bad and when things were going well. These goddesses form the basis of Lydia's happiest memories with her mom and her grief over bring orphaned. (She has a dead beat dad).

Lydia goes to live with Aunt Brat (short for Bratches, their surname), her mother's much older sister and Aunt Brat's wife Eileen. Brat and Eileen love one another and support each other in good times and bad like any other couple. There's no sex, nobody in bed, not even KISSING! Just hugging and holding on for comfort when Eileen experiences something traumatic.

Towards the end of the book, three thirteen year old girls are discussing falling in love and kissing. One girl says she KNOWS she wants to kiss girls as much as guys. She isn't sure guys can have the same warmth as girls. Lydia says she's been wondering the same thing. Another girl says she knows she wants to kiss guys and marry a man who will be her "bro" because they have the same interests. Yet she also expresses feeling like a guy sometimes because her interests are more traditionally masculine and 90% of people she knows who like the same things are guys. That's all! Lydia also relates experiencing her first kiss.

The only other thing that might get this book banned is death. Lydia has observed that people are uncomfortable with death. Lydia's mother was open and matter-of-fact about it. People looked away because they didn't want to see the woman with an oxygen tank. When people say Lydia lost her mother, she says she didn't lose her mother, her mother DIED. People are uncomfortable with this.

The majority of the book is about Lydia healing and coming to terms with her new life while helping train the world's best worst dog.

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: A Graphic Novel: A Modern Retelling of Little Women

Not a great retelling of Little Women but no reason to ban it just because Jo ends up coming out as gay. (Only in one Texas school district)

Duels & Deception. I didn't read this one but I read Love, Lies and Spies. I didn't notice anything worth banning even for Texas. I assume because the heroine doesn't end up wanting to marry and become a mother in an arranged marriage? Because there's magic? I'm puzzled over this one.

A Home for Goddesses and Dogs
This one is probably banned because one of the subject headings is lesbians--juvenile fiction. Also possibly because of the goddesses in the title. However, if the banners in Texas actually READ the novel, they would see that it is not a "gay" book nor is it a pagan book.

The main character, 13-year-old Lydia, lived with her single mother who was in heart failure. They took photos of women and decoupaged ephemera and made "goddesses". Holly, Lydia's mom, made up some and drew from real gods like Janus. They were a source of comfort to Holly and Lydia when times were bad and when things were going well. These goddesses form the basis of Lydia's happiest memories with her mom and her grief over bring orphaned. (She has a dead beat dad).

Lydia goes to live with Aunt Brat (short for Bratches, their surname), her mother's much older sister and Aunt Brat's wife Eileen. Brat and Eileen love one another and support each other in good times and bad like any other couple. There's no sex, nobody in bed, not even KISSING! Just hugging and holding on for comfort when Eileen experiences something traumatic.

Towards the end of the book, three thirteen year old girls are discussing falling in love and kissing. One girl says she KNOWS she wants to kiss girls as much as guys. She isn't sure guys can have the same warmth as girls. Lydia says she's been wondering the same thing. Another girl says she knows she wants to kiss guys and marry a man who will be her "bro" because they have the same interests. Yet she also expresses feeling like a guy sometimes because her interests are more traditionally masculine and 90% of people she knows who like the same things are guys. That's all! Lydia also relates experiencing her first kiss.

The only other thing that might get this book banned is death. Lydia has observed that people are uncomfortable with death. Lydia's mother was open and matter-of-fact about it. People looked away because they didn't want to see the woman with an oxygen tank. When people say Lydia lost her mother, she says she didn't lose her mother, her mother DIED. People are uncomfortable with this.

The majority of the book is about Lydia healing and coming to terms with her new life while helping train the world's best worst dog.

There's some animal cruelty in one part of the book and some environmental issues discussed.

I would put the subject headings at
rescue dogs -- juvenile fiction (or just dogs if rescue isn't an option)
dog training--juvenile fiction
death--juvenile fiction
mothers and daughters--juvenile fiction
families--juvenile fiction
and maybe farm life or farming. I wouldn't even include lesbians because it's not even about that.

The Civil War of Amos Abernathy
Now this one is definitely a gay book. Banning is is silly because that means the would-be banners (in Texas) didn't READ the book and missed the point! They're acting just like the pastor from the evangelical church, Ben's parents, Mr. Simmons and the other adults. The story addresses the erasing of diverse voices from HISTORY as well as injustices done towards queer people and people of color today. It is meant to teach and inspire queer kids to fight for the right to be heard and to give them heroes from the past they can relate to. It's meant to teach the adults that they're biased in the way they tell history and have blatantly ignored their biases and prejudices. This story is not "leftist liberal propaganda." It's history, it's current events and it's true.

Although I felt the voice was too adult at times, I think this book should be in all libraries and classrooms. Amos is a hero for kids of Gen Z to rally around, no matter who they are.

The King's Daughter

I read the original 1980 English language translation of Suzanne Martel's 1974 young adult and French Canadian themed Jeanne, fille du Roy in 1981 when I was going through a historical romance as a favourite genre phase as a teenager (a reading preference I outgrew decades ago). And thus, while I absolutely adored The King's Daughter as a fifteen year old, reading the novel in 2023 (and yes, the revised 1998 edition, but more on that later), this has actually been not really all that nostalgic and fun for me, but more like a a bit of a reading chore, a frustrating slog.

And well, there are two main reasons why The King's Daughter has rather majorly lost its textual shine for me in 2023. For one (and first and foremost), albeit that Suzanne Martel (who also seems to be the translator of her own work, of Jeanne, fille du Roy into English) certainly manages to textually capture an authentic and realistic feeling sense of geographical and physical time and place with The King's Daughter and provides an interesting and fascinating look at the daily life of French settlers in 17th century New France (in what is now the Canadian province of Quebec), main protagonist Jeanne's (the King's Daughter of the book title) unfolding relationship with her new husband, with Simon, it basically (and in my humble opinion) follows every romance novel cliché there is. For yes (and woefully predictably) Jeanne majorly despises Simon when she first agrees to marry him in place of her friend Marie, Simon is physically attractive but massively haughty, annoyingly distant and of course that even when Jeanne and Simon finally begin to fall in love, they are throughout much of The King's Daughter kept apart by various emotional obstacles and barriers, including Jeanne’s jealousy of Simon’s deceased wife, Aimeé (all of which I admit to textually having devoured and loved at the age of fifteen, but which at the age fifty-six and with me not having enjoyed historical romances since my early 20s now mostly making me groan and making me shake my head in and with annoyance and boredom). And for two, while for fifteen year old me, Jeanne was a totally wonderful and strong heroine in The King's Daughter, during my rereading, sorry, but I do now consider Jeanne as being depicted by Suzanne Martel as just too freaking competent (and to the point of reading irritation), since she rather transforms herself at pretty much break-neck speed from a rather helpless and hopeless fille du Roy recently arrived in New France to being amazingly good at almost everything she, Jeanne, attempts to do, Simon's wife, mother to Simon's children, a dedicated healer full of knowledge and of unlimited bravery (a heroine so perfect and so perfectly suited to and for Quebec frontier life that basically Jeanne cannot at all be a kindred spirit anymore, since she is basically above and beyond everything and everyone, leaving at least for me now, at this point in time, The King's Daughter as a tale that certainly has a huge caesura and dichotomy between how I would have rated Martel's presented narrative as a teenager and what I think of The King's Daughter now).

And yes, the only reason for my rating for The King's Daughter being not two but three stars is in fact that I do think it absolutely ridiculous how in 1993 the 1980 incarnation of The King's Daughter was pulled from the shelves of a Regina, Saskatchewan public school after questions were raised about the language used to describe the First Nations populations encountered in the novel and main protagonist Jeanne's reactions to and feelings about them (and that this in turn caused the publisher, caused Turrtleback Books to censor and to change a rather goodly number of passengers, to publish a revised edition of The King's Daughter in 1998 and this all without even notifying and consulting with Suzanne Martel). But honestly and truly, that in Jeanne, fille du Roy and in the 1980 translation, the Huron and the Iroquois are called "savages" (les sauvages) and that the settlers newly arrived from France fear and often even actively despise and consider them less than human, while in the 20th century, this is of course unacceptable, inappropriate and majorly racially intolerant, for its 17th century New France setting, this is all historically realistic and authentic (and what really was the case), and sadly, the 1998 revised and censored edition of The King's Daughter is thus very much less historically accurate (and that is truly a shame and a scenario that Suzanne Martel certainly does not in any manner deserve).

A Handful of Stars

On the infamous Duval County Essential Voices list. Fortunately someone actually read the book and returned it to the classroom for Grade 4.

It was challenged solely due to the "social justice" cirriculum from the publisher and the perception that a book about migrant children must contain racism. That's not this book! The most upsetting thing for younger readers (This book is aimed at 9-12 year olds) might be Lily's dead mother and maybe the elderly dog with cataracts.

In fact, Florida schools should be ordering this book and Pennsylvania schools cancelling it because the Florida school is ahead of the PA school in math.

There's VERY mild friend drama and VERY mild race anxiety when Lily realizes all the other Blueberry Festival Queens have been blond. She worries some people won't like change and has to confront her own biases and jealousy first before she can fully back her friend. She worries about Salma being judged unfairly but there's nothing said or done to Salma that could be considering racial bullying. If there is prejudice, it's left to Lily to speculate.

Also, FYI Floridians- Salma has a social security number!

This is about the least racist and least dramatic middle grades book I've read recently. I didn't recommend it to my niece because I think it's too mild and juvenile for her interests now at 14.

Full detailed review to come.

Dumplin'
Moms for Liberty wants this banned. The Netflix movie was actually better, more what I was expecting.

However, I did think the discussion about "doing it" was mature. Ellen and her bf discussed when and where it would happen and when it did, she explains how real and honest they were with each other. It was a little gross and weird but that's OK. I just didn't like that part of the story.

I also didn't like Will's weird hangups and the boy drama. The "fat" plot was done OK and it was interesting how Will's mom's past affects Will.

Censors probably also object to
The main character having a masculine nickname
The drag queens who help the pageant contests with their performance skills. (In Texas!)
It does revolve around sizeism which is a real thing teens are perfectly well aware of. I knew full well clothing stores in the mall weren't meant me for. By the time I turned 21, I knew Forever 21 wasn't for me. Kids don't need to have a book banned to know sizeism is real.
Also, they might object to the mean/indifferent mom.

They will really, really hate Pumpkin and Dear Sweet Pea and the new one, about the boy Pumpkin which I have not yet read.

I'm saving this one for my niece and friends. As far as I know, they're not size-conscious yet.

Cece Loves Science: Push and Pull, an early readers book about a class of kids making a dog treat dispenser from objects found around the house like a cardboard tube and a cup, a toy truck, string, etc. I had fun learning along with the kids and was proud of myself for coming close to figuring out how to make it work. (My idea was to make a Rube Goldberg device, which they basically do).

The Friendship Code
A middle grade books similar to the Babysitters Club series about a group of middle schoolers who join a coding club at school. There's some minor friend drama but when they don't actually use the computer at the first meeting and learning seems to be going slowly, the main character, Lucy, is frustrated. She asks her older brother for help but he's too busy being a teenage butthead to bother. Her parents won't help either as they trust her teacher. When someone starts leaving mysterious notes in code in Lucy's locker, she's determined to figure them out. She must get help from some friends, old and new, to solve the mystery.

This was a fun book. I stayed away from it at first because STEM is not my thing and coding is not in my wheelhouse. However, it turns out I DO understand coding and I knew some of what they were talking about and it was kind of fun. The content in the story boosted my confidence. I don't think I have the patience to write a lot of code but I was happy to learn about how to do it. (I remember having to program the old Apple IIE to run a floppy disk and I've written HTML, XHTML and CSS).

I didn't care for Lucy all that much though. She was kind of irritating and so self-conscious. I appreciate that she wants to help her uncle, who has cancer and that she wants to be the first Black woman to win a Turing Award.

It would be nice if the book had more illustrations of girls doing the coding work instead of all text but other than that I enjoyed it.

Both books were on Central York, PA's list of resources for teachers handed out in 2020 and removed due to complaints. The list was later returned to teachers. The objections were to books by and about people of color, with parents claiming they didn't want their kids to think one race was better than the other, or some weird excuse. These two particular books feature diverse characters. CeCe just happens to be drawn as a Black girl but the whole class is involved in the project. Some of the girls who code are children of color. Lucy is Black and Maya is Asian, and there's a friend named Anjali, which is a South Asian name.

Cilla Lee-Jenkins: Future Author Extraordinaire
A hilarious early readers novel about a 7 and a half-year-old precocious storyteller. She reminded me of Ramona Quimby and Anne Shirley with her adventures and imagination. Cilla happens to have one set of Chinese grandparents and sometimes strangers ask confusing questions like "What are you?" She's too young to fully understand why or why her entire family is never in one place at the same time. That her grandparents never meet bothers her a lot and she's worried "the blob" in her mom's "stomach" will bring the family together in a way she can't.

I loved Cilla so much! She's hilarious and authentic. Sometimes she's a little too perceptive and precocious though.

On Central York's diversity resource list banned due to parent complaints and later reinstated.

The Year of the Book

While the author is not Chinese-American, she was the daughter of immigrants and it sounds like her husband was Chinese-American. I think she did a credible job with this story about not fitting in and trying to figure out your place in the world. While Anna is specifically Chinese, nothing really racist comes up and it is only at Chinese school that her ethnicity and national origin matter most. There's a little bit of casual racism/tone deafness with another girl at school but it passes quickly. Anna deals with the ups and downs of adolescence including school, family and friend drama. Any kid can relate to that. The added dimension of Chinese school AND Laura's family turbulence adds to the story and makes it more appealing for older readers. Without that, it would be a simple story for 7-8 year old readers.

This is a cute book but a little dated. Please be advised there's one rude term for a person with intellectually disabilities that is no longer considered acceptable. It dates the otherwise contemporary story.

I really liked the illustrations, especially seeing the Chinese characters and craft projects. This would be a good book for the classroom. Unfortunately, it has been BANNED (and hopefully returned) from Central York, PA classrooms. There's almost no racist content and wouldn't make WHITE kids ashamed of being White. It would help kids like Anna accept their uniqueness and help kids like Allison understand and accept kids like Anna.

Alice Austen Lived Here
Queer kids need queer history and queer role models. I had some issues with the story but nothing that should get it banned. I thought Sam's personal journey could have been better explained, like how did they know they were nonbinary at FOUR? The teacher could have been less two-dimensional and the focus on the adult-child friendship drama was weird.

I wrote a long-winded review that's TL; DR but do read the book! Alice Austen sounds amazing!

The List of Things That Will Not Change
A middle grades novel about a young girl coming to terms with her parents' divorce and father's remarriage to another man.

On the list of things that are not allowed in Florida, Texas, etc. because Bea just so happens to have a gay dad and "don't say gay" laws prevent the book from being in schools. Initially the ban pending review was in Duval County, Florida but I'm sure it's not allowed anywhere else now either. There's no sex. Nothing obscene. There's one homophobic character and that's it.

The lessons the book teaches voiced through a young girl make sense because she's in therapy and repeating things her therapist tells her or asks her to think about. I like this approach because it makes the voice more authentic than the usual introspective adult mindset voiced by a child.

I didn't care for Bea very much. She lacks impulse control and her parents don't seem to have taught her right from wrong. She does some really awful things, sometimes in retaliation for things that have been said or done to her but not always.

Common Sense Media, a non-partisan (but they seem to skew conservativeish) review source gave it 5 out of 5 circles but there's only one adult review and one kid review. Note the 11 year old asked not to ban books just because there are gay characters!

Full review to come later.

I think students in Florida, ALL over Florida, should ONLY be bringing banned books to school and refuse to read anything but banned books in school. If enough students collectively do that, DeSantis will either have to arrest them all or change his stupid and bigoted mind.

Honestly, ANYONE who would even consider voting for DeSantis needs a reality check, as voting for him is like voting for Stalin or for Hitler.

Manybooks wrote: "I think students in Florida, ALL over Florida, should ONLY be bringing banned books to school and refuse to read anything but banned books in school. If enough students collectively do that, DeSant..."

It's not illegal for the students to read these book on their own time if their parents give it to them. It's illegal for teachers and librarians to TEACH and PROVIDE these books. They get labeled "groomers" and "p__philes", risk losing their teaching license and face jail time.

QNPoohBear wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "I think students in Florida, ALL over Florida, should ONLY be bringing banned books to school and refuse to read anything but banned books in school. If enough students collective..."

But does that also include reading banned books on school property or for example during recess and/or lunch hour.

Teachers will have to unfortunately make a choice of rebelling or caving in (I understand why many would not, but to fight against De Santis and his Nazi supporters, accepting possible jain time etc. might be necessary).

Manybooks wrote: "But does that also include reading banned books on school property or for example during recess and/or lunch hour?"

I don't think so. Over and over they keep saying the books are not BANNED because parents can buy them from Amazon for their kids. They just don't want kids exposed to this "fifth", "indoctrinated" into the "liberal/woke agenda" or "hypersexualized." They claim it's about education and parental rights in education. The books can't be in the school library or classroom or used for instruction purposes. I'm sure kids are already reading them and passing them around. Certainly by middle school kids should know some kids have two dads or two moms. No big deal.

Front Desk

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Mixed feelings about this one. It needs discussion questions and the author's note needs to come FIRST. I think this would be a great classroom read but is banned in ignorant places where they don't believe racism is real and historical racism doesn't affect modern people. ("This book is DIVISIVE!" and "Critical Race Theory!" censors)
Officially on Central York's list and in 2021 temporarily banned in the Plainedge Union Free School District, New York citing CRT. The book was not removed from the school's library, and was allowed again to be used for read aloud, but parents were given the possibility to opt-out their children from reading Front Desk.

QNPoohBear wrote: "Front Desk

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Mixed feelings about this one. It needs discussion questions and the author's note needs to come FIRST. I think this wo..."

I find the fact that Front Desk has been challenged and removed absolutely ridiculous although I certainly have not found Front Desk all that readable and more than a bit fantastical and with unnuanced villains (but while I have found Front Desk too one sided, banning it is just weird and silly).

Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus

These books are classics for the generation of my honorary nieces and nieces. Apparently the series is on the banned list 2000-2009 because of "parental worries that the 5 year-old character may serve as an inappropriate role model." among other issues
https://www.teenink.com/nonfiction/ac...

Junie B. (don't forget the B) is 5 and just starting Kindergarten. She doesn't understand anything about anything and is anxious about riding the bus. A girl is mean to her and she's mean to other kids and refers to them in derogatory ways. She also refers to the school bus as "stupid" and "smelly". I did find her rather bratty and not at all charming. It seems like yesterday my nieces were that age and their parents took the time to talk to them about school and the oldest worked through her anxieties about riding the bus, forgetting lunch, mom meeting with the teacher, etc. through doll play. The younger just recreated her day at school with her toys so my sister knew what was going on. The girls were talkers too and always let everyone know what was on their mind. Both had far more sophisticated vocabulary and understanding than June B.

Junie also doesn't seem to have much imagination but she's a creative thinker and problem solver. She gets into a lot of trouble because she doesn't think things through to consequences. She's only 5 so she's not supposed to understand but I'm pretty sure K-garten is old enough to know only call 9-1-1 if there's a real emergency and what will happen if you do.

I think the author probably intended to create another Ramona but June B. is not like Ramona at all. She's not as funny or charming. Maybe my feelings for Ramona are colored by nostalgia but I didn't care for Junie B. much at all and don't care to read more about her. I think a friend of mine didn't like this series for her daughters because Junie B. was bratty but I don't remember if it was Junie B. or Judy Moody she didn't like!

No reason to ban it! Kids aren't going to emulate Junie B., they're going to learn from her mistakes and see their own feelings reflected in the character and know they're not alone. Yeesh. Give kids credit for more intelligence than THAT!

Team BFF: Race to the Finish!
The second book in the Girls Who Code series is from the POV of Sofia. Her mother works hard as a nurse, her father is always working and her Abuela is preoccupied by Sofia's little sisters. Sofia tries to help when she can but she has school, sports, an internship and best of all, coding club! Her coding club has been invited to their first ever hackathon where they will make a robot and test it in a maze and hopefully win prizes. Sofia can't wait to team up with her BFFs and enter the hackathon. Her crush, Sammy, will be there with his team too. When something comes up and Sofia is needed at home, how can she tell her friends? When the deadline for entry passes and Sofia still hasn't told her friends, she knows they'll be upset when they learn the truth. Can she figure out a way to help her family AND enter the hackathon?

I didn't like this one as much as the first. I liked the hackathon coding content, that was interesting. I liked the homage to the Babysitters Club (can you code a robot to babysit?). I did not like the crush aspect of the story or how Sofia's parents expect her to take on an enormous amount of responsibility. Some of her chores can wait and don't her little sisters have friends they can have play dates with for a day? Maybe not the 2-year-old but that's what babysitters are for. I found it hard to believe Sofia's parents don't believe in babysitters because they had ONE bad experience! (Hence Kristi creating the BSC with a set of rules!)

I didn't relate to Sofia that much. She's into sports and is interning with the high school football club. She's hard working like her parents but she deserves to have fun. I don't blame her for wanting her family to understand her enthusiasm for coding and see what she does. They're disrespectful to her not bothering to understand. Sure her parents are busy working but her dad is very dismissive and a control freak. I did not like him at all. Mom is distracted by work and having too many children. Abuela is the only likable adult in the family. She deserves a break to visit her sister more often than just when her sister has surgery!

Sofia's sisters are out of control! 6 year old Pearl just started dance lessons and refuses to take off her leotard. Is it such a big deal she wants to sleep in it? 2-year-old Rosie is bratty and gets away with it because she's the baby. 8-year-old Lola has autism so I can understand her being stressed out by a babysitter but if the sitter came to meet her and they talked about what's going to happen and call Abuela for any reason, then I think it could work.

The other girls in Rockin' Rockets are fun. I like how they're so diverse. Bits of their culture are quietly woven into the story. Sofia is Latina and the first scene shows some of Sofia's favorite Puerto Rican foods. Maya is a Stacy/Claudia type, very into fashion and very fashionable. She teases a bit too much about Sofia's crush on Sammy. Maya is of Chinese heritage and that also shows through her mom's cooking. Lucy is the Kristi of the group. She's single-focused and impatient to be doing something. Erin is the smart and talented one with coding experience. She's kind and sympathetic too. Leila is also smart with coding experience obviously a Muslim girl. They make a great team!

Sammy is a typical teenage boy, a total doofus who can't bring himself to ask a girl he likes to the dance. I think he wants to ask Maya though. He's not as bad as his buddy Bradley. Bradley is awful! He's arrogant and loves to brag. Teenagers!

Mrs. Clark is an awesome teacher. She's super cool and relaxed. She doesn't push the kids to work non-stop, she allows them to make mistakes and still come out on top. Ana Kamut is also a lot of fun for an adult. She's a woman in tech and that must not be easy. It must not be easy to tell the girls what they're doing wrong but let them figure it out! That's so hard! Zahira is a fun robot LOL! I love the concept.

This series is a lot of fun. I enjoy it for the most part. I hope to read more of them in the future.

On Central York's list of books banned for no reason other than they contain diversity. 3 of the 4 key characters are girls of color and that's the way it should be today. I liked the updated BSC reboot on Netflix for that reason and I know diversity is what girls today look for in their books.

Keena Ford and the Second Grade Mix Up

Keena Ford is 7. She lives in Washington, DC in an apartment building with her mom and older brother. Her dad lives in Maryland with his fish. Keena's BFF, Eric, lives in her building too. Keena is not the type of girl who likes tea parties and pink. She is smart, studious and enjoys spending time with her BOY bff. They have a study shed! When Keena's mom gives her a new journal for NOT pinching the nurse after getting a booster shot, she chronicles her adventures during the first week of second grade. Horror of all horrors, Keena and Eric are separated because the classes are strictly single gender! Neither is happy but when Keena meets her new teacher, Ms. Coleman, she is thrilled to see Ms. Coleman is fun and cool. However, when she gets confused an mistakenly writes her birthday wrong and Ms. Coleman plans to bake her a chocolate cake, Keena just goes along with the mix-up and hopes Eric and her mother never find out! Of course she just can't seem to stay away from trouble, no matter how hard she tries!

Now I am glad I read Junie B. Jones before Keena because I like Keena so much more! She's a Black Ramona! She doesn't MEAN to get into trouble but little misunderstandings and not telling the truth lead to big trouble! Keena's voice is authentic and funny. Her mom is tough but as single, working parent she has to be. I appreciate Keena's dad who takes her out for coffee (decaf, skim milk, hold the coffee) to talk about "grown-up" things (whatever is on her mind). It's very sweet they share that bonding time and he actually takes the time to get to know his kid and hear what she's doing and thinking, unlike Junie B.'s mom.

Keena's adventures are relatable and funny. I appreciate how she isn't into tea parties (I LOVE tea parties) and pink (I LOVED pink at that age) and having a boy BFF is different. I disliked the boys vs. girls classrooms though. The different teaching styles felt authentic for maybe Kindergarten but maybe not so much second grade but mostly the school scenes felt realistic. I feel bad for Eric. It seems like he doesn't have a best guy pal to hang out with. He comes across as being more shy or reserved than Keena. I think he takes time to warm up to new people. It's no wonder the misunderstanding happens and I don't blame him.

This doesn't work well as an e-book. Some of the journal entries appear in such tiny print they're hard to read, especially for a second grader.

I really enjoyed this story and I want to read more about Keena. Now she's a Ramona for modern girls to relate to and she's drawn in such a way that she appears Black so young Black girls can look up to her and relate to her. The illustrations are cute but don't really add to the story for me.

Another one on Central York's list of banned for lame reasons.

Jasmine Toguchi, Super Sleuth

Oh my goodness where was this series 15 years ago when my honorary nieces were little? They would have enjoyed this so much.

Jasmine is an American girl of Japanese descent. She's smart, intelligent, observant and most of the time she's a good friend. She's only 7 or 8 so she still has a lot to learn about being a good friend. In this book, Jasmine is super excited about having her best friend Linnie come sleep over and celebrate Girls' Day with Jasmine, her sister Sophie and Mom. (Let's note: Linnie celebrates Hanukkah not Christmas). Hina Matsuri is a Japanese festival that celebrates girls. There's a special display of dolls representing the Japanese court and special mochi! Jasmine loves the idea of celebrating something special with the important females in her life but her older sister Sophie claims she doesn't want to celebrate! What's going on with Sophie?

Meanwhile, Jasmine and Linnie visit a neighbor who has a garage full of old costumes and Jasmine, super sleuth, tries to puzzle out why Mrs. Reese has all these costumes! Maybe Mrs. Reese was a spy! But Jasmine, super sleuth, misses some vital clues and forgets how to be a good guest and good friend. Is Girls' Day ruined?

I really liked Jasmine. She's very cute and earnest. She's emotionally intelligent for her age but not always because she is a kid and the book teaches a valuable lesson about paying attention to non-verbal cues, something I struggle with. Jasmine and Linnie are opposites in personality but they both love rocks, to dress up, play with dolls and support each others' interests. Their female friendship is very sweet. Of course it wouldn't be tween lit without friend drama but Jasmine works through it and figures it out.

I especially liked all the details about Girls' Day, which is also known as Dolls' Day. I knew most of that already. My honorary nieces used to go with their mom to an international house celebration when they were kids. Woke police beware- Linnie wears a kimono! Jasmine's mom chose to give Linnie Sophie's outgrown kimono to wear for the festival. Mom shows the girls how to put it on properly. This is very much in keeping with all Japanese people I've met. They like to share their culture and modern people rarely wear kimono anymore, not even for festivals.

I'm guessing Jasmine celebrates Hanukkah with Linnie and Jasmine says she celebrates Christmas and New Year's with her family.

The voice sounds authentic for a precocious 8 year old but maybe a little more sophisticated for your average kid. The explanations are geared towards kids so they're pretty simple. The best part was how to put on a kimono because I did not know how to do that.

The mystery wasn't much of a mystery for me. I know the connection between Fiddler on the Roof, Annie Get Your Gun and Oklahoma! I think most adults would but how many kids? It would be fun to figure this out on my own. I liked how the little mystery was incorporated. It does link up to Girls' Day because Mrs. Reese seems lonely. She misses her daughter who must live far away and takes delight in having a little girl around. Jasmine recognizes this by the end of the book and figures out how to "repay" Mrs. Reese with a kind and friendly gesture.

The line drawing illustrations are cute and appealing.

The author's note explains Girls' Day and there's a craft activity in the back plus more online.

This is my first introduction to Jasmine but it won't be my last.

Series banned in Central York, Penn. Jasmine Toguchi, Flamingo Keeper banned in Duval County, Fl.

QNPoohBear wrote: "Jasmine Toguchi, Super Sleuth

Oh my goodness where was this series 15 years ago when my honorary nieces were little? They would have enjoyed this so much.

Jasmine is an American ..."

So I guess the book is banned because Jasmine is a girl sleuth and of Japanese descent? Or because Linnie is Jewish and Jasmine is not and thus the two should bot be friends?

Manybooks wrote: "QNPoohBear wrote: "Jasmine Toguchi, Super Sleuth

So I guess the book is banned because Jasmine is a girl sleuth and of Japanese descent? Or because Linnie is Jewish and Jasmine is not and thus the two should bot be friends?
"

No, it's just on Central York's list of banned then reinstated diverse resources. I don't know why Jasmine Toguchi, Flamingo Keeper would be banned but that too was reinstated after review. I think there may have been some eyebrows raised with that one because Jasmine makes a wish on a doruma doll. That book was supposed to be on the library shelf but I only found Super Sleuth. I ran into the same problem today when the exact book I wanted wasn't on the shelf but one from the series was.

Sir Ladybug

A funny, early reader graphic novel about a shy ladybug and his friends. The book teaches a little bit of factual information about bugs and through the story we learn the natural predator of said ladybug, potato bug and worm, is birds. The story is about friendship and how to overcome barriers in forming new relationships. (i.e. predator and prey).

This was hilarious and absolutely adorable. It's more funny and silly than factual but worth it for a new reader who likes silly. It's perfect for a reluctant new reader who may not be able to handle a lot of information.

On Central York's banned diversity list. I have no idea why this is a "diverse" book though.

QNPoohBear wrote: "Sir Ladybug

A funny, early reader graphic novel about a shy ladybug and his friends. The book teaches a little bit of factual information about bugs..."

Hmm, I bet some book banners probably think that any ladybug is automatically a female entity and that Sir Ladybug is thus some kind of transgender story.

Manybooks wrote: "
Hmm, I bet some book banners probably think that any ladybug is automatically a female entity and that Sir Ladybug is thus some kind of transgender story."

That was my thought process as well. These people lack reading comprehension past Kindergarten, apparently.

QNPoohBear wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "
Hmm, I bet some book banners probably think that any ladybug is automatically a female entity and that Sir Ladybug is thus some kind of transgender story."

That was my thought p..."

And honestly, if you have not read a book or if you have such a lacking sense of comprehensibility and such a woefully low and minuscule IQ that you automatically equate a Sir Ladybug (and yes, ladybugs do have male and female ladybugs just like all or at least most insect species do) with something transgender, then you have absolutely no business challenging books, you should not be allowed in a position like a school board member, teacher, politician and NO ONE should be enabling you and catering to you (but it does seem that in the USA in particular, the lowest common denominator wins, and drags everyone down).