This book is frequently banned based on Yertle’s story and Mack demanding that the turtles on the bottom of the tower have rights just like those at the top.  By many, this book is seen as too political.  However, reading with a modern eye, I think that story two, Gertrude McFuzz would be just as, if not more problematic.  Gertrude is not happy with who they are. They want a second feather just like someone else has.  And she gets a doc to give it to her.  But then she regrets it in the end.  I know this story is meant to show that children are perfect the way they are, but at the same time it could be seen as anti-trans, or as transition regret.  This book is a product of it’s time.  This book shouldn’t be banned, but maybe it should just be left in the area of nostalgia. 

 

This historically banned book is a look at World War 2 and the Nazi concentration camps as seen through the eyes of a child.  This book is form 1985 and does not have a happy ending.  While this book is older, it reminds me of the Boy in the Striped Pajamas.  A little girl, Rose Balance, sees kids in cages with stars on their chest and just wants to help them get food.  This book is sad, but this book is true.  This book SHOULD NOT BE BANNED.  It should be read. 

 

I know exactly why this book was banned.  This book is so funny.  The waiting dog is waiting for the mailperson.  That hand coming though the slot is just soooooo temping, and the doggie, can’t wait. It takes a bite.  And that bite keeps going.  This is a HORROR picture book and I loved every minute of it.  This is the dream of the dog eating the mailperson bit by bit.  The book actually has a warning on the cover from the publisher about having the guts to read this book.  Well, one is going to see the guts.  I loved this, but it might be a bit much for some children.  This is definitely the reason it was banned.  However, I love it, and there are a bunch of kids who will love it too.  This book shouldn’t be banned, it should be read, just check your triggers. 

 

This book is fatphobic as f#$%!  It tells the story of a dog and cat that are depressed and board and think their couch is shrinking.  But once they get off their couch, go on an adventure, and loose a bunch of weight, they come back home, get rid of the couch, and like themselves much better.  They like themselves now that they are thin and beautiful.  This book is horrible.  Still doesn’t not deserved to be banned, but it’ doesn’t mean it needs to be read either. 

 

This is a historically banned picture book.  Parents wanted it banned because of poop, burps, and eating worms.  No word on the bird dying for the letter X, but burping is just too bad for children to read.  What a crock.  This book jovially looks at the life of birds.  It uses fun and bright illustrations to explain real events in a life of a bird, and it teaches the ABCs at the same time.  This book shouldn’t be banned, it should be read. 

 

This book is form 1992 and has historically been banned.  It’s about a little girl named Christy, and her friend Kira.  Kira lives in a bad neighborhood and her parents want to move.  Christy suggests the house next door, and it happens.  But neighbors are not happy with Kira’s family moving into their neighborhood, as Kira and her family are Black.  They are mistreated and even have their property harmed, plus other neighbors move out.  Unfortunately, things like this did and do still happen.  “Not in my backyard” as the saying goes.  There is no reason for this book to be banned.  I could see a “problematic” label, as Chrissy and her family act as “white saviors” for the new family in the neighborhood.  However, why hide reality from kids.  Let them see it in books so they learn and grow, and we can avoid these situations in the real world. 

 

This is an odd little story. It is about a man, who befriends a “beast” who is stealing pears from his tree.  Not only does he befriend the beast but convinces the beast to be shown to the science of animal groups, where no one can believe this wonderous new creature.  This book is historically banned for violence, and for not being age appropriate.  I find that odd.  It’s a picture book, for picture book age ranges.  To this reader, the oddest thing about this book, is that anyone for a second could be fooled into thinking the beast was anything besides what it was.  I would have thought the book to be banned for showing characters too dumb or uneducated enough not to know what the best was.  But no, a man mad that people are stealing from him is too violent.  All the banners have done, is make sure people to like me continue to read and talk about this book, whenever book banning comes up. 

 

 

This is book 3 in Jerri Craft’s book about the Riverdale Academy Day school. Book one won a Newberry. book 2 was a Class Act, and book 3 is semi-boring. It has taken this reader over three months to finish this middle grade graphic novel. The beginning of it reads very much like the first book does where Jordan once again is feeling nervous and anxious. Only this time changing schools is picking the right high school. 

 

It’s the last semester at the school which means it’s time for a class trip and our characters are headed to Paris. Technically, there’s multiple places for the students to go, and one of the more obnoxious characters purposely gets teachers on the wrong trips. A lot of this book focuses on the obnoxious character Andrew, and how he treats people. I think it’s that obnoxiousness that took me out of this story and did not make it as engrossing as the first two books. But around 3/4 of the way through, Drew and Andy have a showdown while in Paris. It’s that meeting which takes place in all of six pages that’s going to get this book banned. 

 

This meeting is Drew and Andrew talking about 1) how Andy treats people, and 2) how Drew is automatically disadvantaged because of his race. What I love about this, it’s a very real conversation. Drew talks about how things are just more uncomfortable for him because he is black. and Andrew talks about why he feels uncomfortable because Drew is black, and how society reacts. At this page in the book the art goes to black-and-white silhouettes as they’re making these arguments back and forth. These are arguments heard in modern media right now. These are the arguments that the predominantly Republicans, right wing Republicans, are making about how talking about race makes the white kids feel uncomfortable.  This book brings it to the forefront where the mean bully white kid says well, I am uncomfortable because you have these advantages that I don’t have.  Drew points out that without those advantage (affirmative action) his race would be dirt under Andrew’s feet. 

 

Both of them talking about what is fair and what’s not fair, and Drew pointing out that just because Andy has a white name and a white presence, he’s automatically has advantages that Drew will never have. There’s an issue in the book where something happens in a store and Andrew says “just take it back” and Drew says “I’m not gonna do that”.  When the reader gets to this argument, Drew states he didn’t want to take it back because bad things can. This was done in such a great simplistic way to show both arguments and that it’s OK for someone not to feel uncomfortable because it turns out everybody feels uncomfortable. 

 

It’s the last fourth of this book that made me think of this book like the rest of the series. The build up to get to these parts was too long and after this argument, they get back to the states and meet with a teacher who’s always treated the children differently based on their race going hey, I got sent to the special program and now I understanding why to buy diverse  books, but now these books are banned, because well hell yeah that’s the modern world we live in. Overall, the ending makes this book work. It was a struggle to get there, but by the end it was entirely worth it. 

 

This is a DNF for this reader. I get that this book is supposed to be the dark side of the police force, particularly homicide in 1988 in Baltimore. This book is just darker than I am interested in reading. It starts with a dead guy in the street and all the homicide cops talking above him and it’s very reminiscent of an 80s style cop show or movie. It’s just dark and every other word is F this, F that, calling people hoes, making fun of trans street walkers.  While I know this is realistic to 1988, I don’t have to read it or enjoy it. 

 

I’ve seen this book for a few years but not been interested in an reading it. However, when it was put in graphic novel format, I thought this would be the perfect time to give it a try. I’m glad I did. This starts out with us by telling us the story of how the atom bomb came to be. It goes over Oppenheimer ‘s life and other scientists, as well as how the secrets were given to the Soviets. This was much more digestible than the full book. Tt was not only educational, but it was also interesting and kept the pages turning. I am glad to see that the publisher decided to put this out in graphic novel format to make the history approachable to more students.