Banned Books Week is always the last week in September. As in previous years, I ran a contest for Banned Books Week! I took a photocopied page from a popular banned book that the students would know, shredded it into thin strips, and put it in a jar for them to guess. Students guess using a QR code on the top of the jar that takes them to a Google Form. If you can't tell, the book is The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey. We had over 100 students enter the contest. Special congrats to Olivia, who correctly guessed the book and is the winner of a $5 Sweet Frog gift Card! Students are always SHOCKED at the books I select for the banned books contest. They can't believe that they would be banned or challenged. It opens up great conversations about books and censorship. I recently read a great article about Banned Books from the National Coalition Against Censorship that I would encourage you to read, too. My favorite quote from it is: “This week is not just about all the books that were challenged or banned. It is also a reminder of the real people whose self-expression is suppressed and whose stories are silenced. It is a shout out to every reader who is told that characters they identify with are unworthy. Every Banned Books Week is a recognition of those who are made to feel unsafe so that others can avoid conversations they find difficult and maintain their status quo.” Of the top 10 banned books of 2018, many of them were banned or challenged for LGBTQ+ content. Look at this video from the ALA showcasing the top 11 most frequently banned and challenged books from 2018: I am proud to say that I have almost all of the 2018 banned books in my collection!
Have you ever had a book challenged? What book and why? Drop a comment below and let's talk about how we can work to end censorship!
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About the AuthorHi! Welcome to my blog! My name is Christine Hurley. This is my 17th year of teaching - I've taught Kindergarten, 4th grade, elementary media, and now I am in my 6th year of teaching middle school media! Archives
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