Summary
Amy Anne is a quiet girl. A reader. She’s bright and articulate, but people don’t always know that. Amy Anne has a comeback and a response for everything that happens around her – from obnoxious sisters, to unfair expectations at home, to things that happen at school. But Amy Anne keeps all those thoughts on the inside.
When Amy’s favorite book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is removed from the school library by Mrs. Spencer, an overzealous parent, and an acquiescing school board, Amy Anne has a lot to say. She even prepares a speech for the school board. But when it comes time for her to speak, Amy Anne keeps her seat, keeps her speech, and keeps quiet.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Spencer isn’t done “protecting students” from the books in the library. So Amy Anne gets an idea. She’ll start her own library and run it out of her locker. And she’ll stock as many of the banned books as she can get her hands on!
Review
This is a fantastic book! I loved Amy Anne from the first page! I longed to speak up for her and rescue her, but it’s so much more satisfying to watch her find her own voice along the way.
There are three main things going on in this story. First, this is a love letter to the power of books. Books can teach us about things we don’t know, they can entertain us, and they can help us understand ourselves and others. There’s a guest appearance by author Dav Pilkey that is terrific.
Another big piece is the free speech/censorship issue the school goes through. The author does a great job of helping Amy Anne see the “villain” as more than a book-hating monster. It’s fantastic.
Finally this is the story of Amy Anne finding her voice. Her thoughts and feelings about things around her are often right on target. But she doesn’t say them so nothing can change. The evolution of THIS part of the story was my favorite.
I highly recommend this book to parents and librarians and teachers. This would be fantastic to read aloud with a class or for a kid’s book club. There are questions in the back for discussion or writing as well as common core standards references for teachers.