Banned Books Week: Resources

If you have read my blog for any time at all, you know how passionate I am about sharing great books, in particular diverse books, with kids. Yet right now other people are restricting what books your children have access to, following their own agenda rather than considering what is really best for kids. Banned Books Week is a time for us all to educate ourselves about book bans and get involved in the fight against them. Below I’m sharing resources to teach children about book bans and inspire them to fight for their right to read. You can also find below information for how you can join the fight by supporting Read Your World’s campaign against book bans.

Banned Books Week: Resources

Disclosure: I received complimentary copies of some of the books below for review purposes; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no cost to you.

Books to Educate Kids About Banned Books Week

I reviewed this book last year in my list of books about reading, but it is well worth mentioning again during Banned Books Week. This is an empowering book about a young immigrant girl who takes action when she discovers that books about Black, brown, and immigrant children are suddenly gone from her school library. Thanks to her protest and the support of her classmates and teachers, the district reverses its policy. An inspiring book to help educate children about an issue that directly affects them and their future. The book was inspired by the author’s own experiences seeing her book and those of fellow authors banned.

Buy The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale on Amazon or Bookshop

This picture book perfectly captures the absurdity of book bans, where people target books that they clearly have never read for reasons that make little sense. A woman who apparently just really doesn’t like the color lime decides that all books of that color should be removed from libraries. She convinces others to help her hide all the lime books, despite the efforts of the mayor, librarian, and teachers to stop them. In the end, it is the children, led by a young Black girl, that find the lime books and restore them to the shelves. The book doesn’t get into the details of why many books are targeted in real life (challenged and banned books overwhelmingly feature BIPOC or LGBTQIA+ characters), yet the woman leading the charge against lime books is a blonde white woman, and several of the key figures working to restore the lime books are people of color. A great book for inspire young readers to fight for their right to read all types of books.

Buy Down with Lime Books!: A Story About Book Banning on Amazon or Bookshop

This amazing anthology for older readers is the perfect book to read for Banned Books Week. It brings together many well known authors, who share their experiences having their books banned and how that has impacted the readers that need them. Many write movingly about how books have changed lives and why it is so vital that readers have access to books with the stories and resources that they need. The book includes a variety of genres, such as poetry, graphic narrative, essays, and memoirs. These personal accounts are intermixed with great information that goes beyond the headlines to help young people understand the facts of book banning and how they can get involved. It is an empowering book packed with both emotion and facts to equip young people to become informed, inspired, and ready to take action.

Buy Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers’ Rights on Amazon or Bookshop

Take Action for Banned Books Week

I am joining with Read Your World to take action this Banned Books Week, by supporting their campaign to get banned and challenged books into the hands of young readers. They have pulled together a great list of resources and ideas for how you can get involved in your local community to ensure all children have access to the books they need. Get the facts about why book bans matter and make sure kids in your community have the freedom to read.