Book Comes Home: A Banned Book’s Journey

Gr 3-4–A banned book narrates this story. After she is taken off the shelf she considers home and placed in the school’s banned-books closet, which is already overflowing with tomes, she waits to be unbanned. The school children organize a protest to unban the book, although, considering the book is in the dark closet, it is unclear how she knows that they’re taking this action. In the end, all the books are freed from their censorship prison. The text is clear, with some simple sentences on each page. There is limited dialogue. Anti-censorship posters in the background enhance the book’s message. Back matter includes a glossary of censorship terms and an author’s note providing more context on book challenges in the United States. The narrator book’s cover is adorned with a golden seal, suggesting she is an award-winning chapter book or novel. All the other banned books are longer books, including a horror book, a sad book, and a generic memoir. Illustrations are colorful and reminiscent of Vera Brosgol’s work. Bold lines and expressive faces create vivid characters. The books’ humans have diverse skin tones and body shapes; one wears a hijab, and another uses a wheelchair. The book banning occurs when a shadowy individual takes the book off a shelf and places it in a closet.