June loves her school library, it's her happy place at Dogwood Middle School. Miss Bradshaw, the librarian, is the perfect librarian for her middle school - she knows what kids like to read, keeps the shelves well-stocked with their favorites, she remembers their tastes and recommends just-right books.
Then one day, June's parents notice a book she has brought home from the library and decide it is inappropriate. Soon, Miss Bradshaw is suspended, the upcoming author visit is cancelled, books are being removed from the library faster than you can say, "censorship," and every non-textbook brought on campus must get administrative approval.
A voracious reader, June cannot let this stand! As she is walking home from school one day, she sees a Little Free Library and gets a brilliant idea - she starts her own library in an unoccupied locker at school, filling it with banned books. Word spreads and soon, students are checking out books, and trying to keep them safe from prying eyes.
The question is - how long will she be able to keep it up?
Allison Varnes, former English teacher, knocked it out of the park with her debut novel. This book has the potential to inspire a new generation of activists - it shows very clearly that one person can make a difference. This note is found at the end of Rebel Librarian:
As you read, you will be surprised at the titles that have been challenged over the years.
Years ago, I was teaching 3rd grade, and chose Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for our after-lunch read aloud. Not one, not two, but THREE parents refused to allow their children to listen to the story because it involved witchcraft.
So their children selected books of their own to read at a picnic table just outside our classroom while the rest of us enjoyed the first HP novel.
I still shake my head whenever I think of this.
One of those parents had the audacity to give me a copy of Harry Potter and the Bible as a Christmas "gift" to show me the error of my ways. I exchanged it.
Interview with Allison Varnes (scroll down for interview)
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