Shelf Help September 2019
Welcome to Shelf Help, a quick look at new and noteworthy books to read with your BOOK IT! students. BOOK IT! wants to make it easy to keep up with literary trends and popular reads to keep your students interested. This month we are featuring three books on censorship in honor of Banned Books Week, September 22-28, 2019.
Looking for new books for your classroom? First Book eligible educators can find many amazing books at reduced prices from the First Book Marketplace. The first 100 educators at eligible schools can use code SeptShelf19Help at check out for $25 to spend on books.
Books
Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré
This is a beautifully illustrated biography of librarian and storyteller Pura Belpré and her passion for literacy and sharing her Latinx culture. Pura authored and developed a collection of Latinx storybooks for the New York City Library. She also worked to celebrate cultural diversity and to ensure everyone felt welcome when visiting the library.
Ban This Book
Ban This Book is the fun story of Amy, a 4th grader who finds out her favorite book is banned from the school library. This is a great book for class discussions as Amy and her classmates question censorship and who has the right to decide what they can read.
Property of the Rebel Librarian
Seventh-grader June Harper loves books and loves to read. Her parents feel that her latest title from the school library is inappropriate, so they embark on a project to clear the shelves of titles they and the librarian object to. June finds a way to start her own banned book library and becomes an anti-censorship activist.
