I’ve never been afraid to get up in front of people and talk but I’m very reluctant to share opinions.Īs an adult, under the current political climate, I found myself feeling like it’s necessary to argue my position with people, to tell people what it is I do believe, and then be able to back it up. In a way, it was also me confronting one of my own weaknesses. Giving her that personal issue, that fear of speaking out, and then making that the way she actually has to affect change, to be able to overcome her own personal problems with that, to change larger situations, was deliberate. I really wanted to build that same kind of world for Amy Anne. I did not know my wife as a child, but I know that she always had her nose buried in a book and often used reading as a way of escape from family situations she didn’t want to deal with. I was very inspired by my wife’s tales of her childhood. So my favorite part of reading the book was following her gradually gain more self-confidence and self-awareness. Her mom even tells her that keeping her thoughts and feelings inside isn’t healthy. Though smart and very passionate, Amy Anne has a hard time speaking up and expressing herself. This is something that they can speak up about and should speak up about. This isn’t something that they have to sit back and accept. So, I wanted to write something that discussed that and introduced that concept to them, but also gave them a model for how to respond. They may have read about it in a historical context – Nazi Germany and book-banning and book-burning – but many of them don’t realize that this is something that happens even today. I visit a lot of schools every year, and when I talk about Ban This Book, one of the questions I get at almost every school is, “What’s a book ban? What’s book-banning mean? What’s a book challenge?”Ī lot of kids, particularly elementary and middle school kids, are not even familiar with the idea of book censorship and that it is happening across the country. She’s devastated and decides to do something about it. Here’s an excerpt:īan This Book starts with Amy Anne’s favorite book being banned from the school library. It’s funny, uplifting, enlightening and above all, empowering.Ībena Hutchful, who leads NCAC’s Youth Free Expression Program, recently chatted with Alan about book banning, Ban This Book, and youth activism. His latest YA novel, Ban This Book, tells the story of Amy Anne Ollinger, an avid reader who organizes a campaign of resistance when her favorite book and several other titles are removed from the school library. for Teachers, Parents, and School OfficialsĪlan Gratz has written over a dozen award-winning books for young readers.Resources for Authors of Banned and Challenged Books.

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