Banned Book Week

Banned Book Week is a time to celebrate our freedom to read what interests us. All over America, and all over the world, people are banning books due to their own personal believes and preferences. While we believe that every parent has a right to decide what their child should read, we do not believe every parent has the right to choose what other children should read or have access to. This is why we try to include as many books, about as many topics, as we can.

If we banned every book in the library that offended someone, we would have no books left! Check out the American Library Association and see if any of your favorites are on the Banned/Challenged book list.

Banned VS Challenged: A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. (American Library Association)

Which Banned Book are You?

Take this fun personality quiz to find out which banned book you would be! This quiz could also help you BREAKOUT THE BANNED BOOKS!

Banned Book Week Activities

Banned Book Week is more like Banned Book Month in the Green Lake Library, because we have too much fun to pack it all away in one week! Students look forward to the yearly discussions, finding out "Which Banned Book" they are, and of course, the Breakout the Banned Books game!

“Breakout the Banned Books” is an escape room style game students play in the library to learn about different reasons books have been banned throughout history and today. Using a series of clues and puzzles, students use problem solving, critical thinking and creativity to rescue their beloved books. Don’t worry, the books involved are just props! We would never lock up real books and display them in a dog cage with plastic chains in the middle of the library, that would be ridiculous.

The game can host up to 5 groups at a time and have a 30 minute time limit to solve. Can you break out the banned books?

Books challenged at Green Lake School

Did you know

While Green Lake has never officially banned a book from the school library, there have been several challenges and attempts to ban throughout the years. It is not an easy process and we take it very seriously.

In order to officially ban a book, a formal, written complaint must be filed with the school Librarian. The Librarian would then contact the American Library Association to open a case.

RosenbloomChallenge.pdf

A local committee must be formed consisting of teachers, parents, law enforcement, representatives of different faiths, students, and community members. All of these people have to read the book in its entirety, discuss it, and decide as a group if it should be banned. It then goes to the school board for a "final" decision, but it doesn't end there! If the board issues a ruling that people disagree with, the case can be taken all the way to the Supreme Court! Regardless of the results, the ruling would be reported to the ALA and that book would forever remain on the American Banned and Challenged Book List. Even if a book does get banned, the ban is not forever and can always be lifted by the school board or school administration.