tomorrow!
Karen Cook
Serena Klos
Everybody Poops by Taro Gomi
Reason for Banning: Indecent topic (definitely not a bodily function shared by all)
Recommended? Yes
Synopsis: Pictures of poop from an array of animals and humans
Did Sesame Street do any Everybody Poops song? Like Everybody Eats and Everybody Sleeps
TTYL by Lauren Myracle
Reason for Banning: Young teacher grooms a student through a church organization. Even includes a hot tub scene. Definitely should shield kids from these topics to give the groomers a fighting chance.
Recommended? No
Synopsis: 3 10th graders who are best friends vow at the start of the school year to be true to their friendship throughout high school. Tough situations ensue including the aforementioned hot tub scene with the teacher, but the friends join them to make sure nothing happens. A trip to a frat party results in a shirtless picture that is placed on the internet, resulting in some cyber bullying.
The book is written in instant messages only. Makes it difficult to see depth in the situations.
Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley
Reason for Banning: Some argue it is pornographic
Recommended? Yes
Synopsis: Coming of age store of a girl from Chicago who moves to Ireland with her mother after she marries an Irish man. Takes place in 1993-1994. Portrays a complicated family with flawed characters, but author shows compassion for them despite their flaws. The main character falls in love with a boy and befriends a 99 year old man.
1984 by George Orwell (read by 3 people)
Reason for Banning: Take home message is don’t trust the government.
Recommended? Yes, but might hit a little harder given the current political climate. Take care of yourself!
Synopsis: Reason for banning pretty much says it all – it teaches you not to trust the government. Strong I Must Betray You/North Korea/COVID lockdown vibes. Definitely not a book full of conspiracy theories.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Reason for Banning: Main character was sexually assaulted
Recommended? Yes
Synopsis: A high school girl experiences assault and, as a result, she stops speaking. Most of the book is reading her thoughts because she’s a shell of who she used to be.
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
Reason for Banning: main character is a queer child
Recommended? Yes
Synopsis: Graphic novel that feels like a hug. Queer child of Vietnamese refugees is trying to come out to his parents, but he doesn’t have the words. They communicate through fairy tales they read together, including about his queerness.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Reason for Banning: Combines religion with magic AND with science. I’m clutching my pearls!
Recommended? Yes
Synopsis: Meg’s dad disappeared 5 years ago and she is bullied at school for it. Her little brother runs into 3 women who may or may not be witches. They go on a journey to find her dad with some religion sprinkled in for good measure. At one point, Jesus is equated with DaVinci and other prominent figures we’re taught about in school.
Flamer by Mike Curato
Reason for Banning: Depictions of group masturbation, a child realizing he is gay and contemplating suicide
Recommended? Yes x 2
Synopsis: Graphic novel of a Filipino boyscout in the summer between leaving Catholic school and enrolling in public school. He’s teased bc he’s Filipino and bc he’s too soft and girlish. He goes through a journey of self-realization of his queerness and comes to accept himself for who he is.
Melissa (formerly titled George) by Alex Gino
Reason for Banning: The name change probably says it all. Actual reason given: kids shouldn’t read books that evoke discussion. It teaches kids how to lookup information and then clear their cache (something IT yells at me to do on my work computer)
Recommended? Yes
Synopsis: A trans girl, who has a brother and a single mother, wants to come out and be seen as her true self. She also wants to be Charlotte in a class production of Charlotte’s Web but she is told she can only try out for ‘boy’ roles. I guess they don’t know about Shakespeare in this school.
Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
Reason for Banning: One of the most hidden books in all of literature. Was not banned for the first 7 years of publication but then was banned as part of the aftermath of Republicans losing at the national level in 2020. Racism. Sexual Assault. Uses the term ‘corn holing’ – you learn something new every day!
Recommended? Yes
Synopsis: In 1937 there was an explosion at a school. This story describes the 6 months leading up to that explosion. Naomi has a single mom and 8 year old twin brothers from another estranged father. When her mother passes away, the twins’ father takes all three of them in. They are part Mexican, living in Texas, so racism ensues. The story is told from different characters’ perspectives including that of ‘the gang’, who have terrible sexual thoughts about Naomie.
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
Reason for Banning: It’s a memoir manifesto about what it’s like to grow up as a queer black boy in America. It also describes sexual assault.
Recommended? Yes! This should be required reading.
Synopsis: George M. Johnson is a nonbinary queer black man who uses his memoir to teach other queer black children how to grow up in America. They speak directly to the reader, teaching them about critical race theory, microaggressions, cultural appropriation and so on at a level that high schoolers and adults can understand. Notably, their memoir centers on the love and support they always received from their family, even when their family didn’t always understand them.
Honorable Mentions:
Lady Chatterly’s Lover
Tropic of Cancer - Henry Miller
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Lindsay Ditto
On Feb 27, 2025, at 11:11 AM, Serena Klos <seren...@gmail.com> wrote:
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/never-too-old/CABTAi54k1rjCxoj4SivTRP9a_VV2kF3wN7YUju4iAWwJQM7YQw%40mail.gmail.com.