Common Sense Media Review
By Lucinda Dyer
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Teen starts secret library in intriguing banned books tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
For the Lupton Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee, students' SUGGESTED READING will now be limited to books that the academy feels are suitable for young minds. When senior scholarship student and passionate reader Clara Evans stumbles on a confidential email detailing a secret list of now banned books, she's determined to fight back. With the help of the school librarian, who looks the other way, Clara takes the newly banned books off the shelves, stashes them in her school locker, and sets up her own underground lending library -- the UnLib. It's not long before students begin texting her looking for books and the library is doing such a big business that she has to expand into lockers belonging to two friends. But along with success come some harsh reality checks. Clara is competing for a scholarship that will give her a full ride to college, and that will be in jeopardy if she's caught. She's also begun to question the real reason she began the library. Was it all about books, or all about her? And while the books have a positive and often empowering effect on many readers, a book she recommends to one student might have led to a narrowly averted tragedy.
Is It Any Good?
This thought-provoking novel should open the door to lively discussions between teens and parents about censorship and student activism. Some teens may already have read many of the banned books mentioned in Suggested Reading. Others (like the character Mav, a football player who learned how to become a better boyfriend after reading Eleanor & Park) may discover new titles that will expand their knowledge of both the world and themselves.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the Lupton Academy's decision in Suggested Reading to remove from the school library books they consider unsuitable. Do you think teens should have access to any books they want to read, or should parents have a say in what their kids are reading?
Have you read any of the "prohibited" books mentioned in the story? Was there anything in the book's storyline or content that shocked or offended you? Anything that made the book better suited for adult readers?
Are there ever any circumstances in which you think students should actively defy a school policy or rule?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Contemporary Fiction
- Topics : Activism , Book Characters , School ( High School )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Katherine Tegen Books
- Publication date : September 17, 2019
- Number of pages : 390
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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