Public Libraries

Explaining why they write about children who are grieving, authors describe experiences from the loss of a family member to concerns about gun violence.

Documents show the high cost of book challenges and legal battles over censorship in Utah and Florida school districts; challenged books stay on shelves in Watertown, NY, and Buncombe County, NC; and more.

These seven works range from spin-offs of classic Japanese manga to completely original stories rendered with manga-style storytelling.

And Tango Makes Three is one of three dozen books that will be back on school shelves in Nassau County, FL, thanks to a settlement of a lawsuit against the district. Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed against a Texas public library is headed to the U.S. Court of Appeals.

The censorship-related legal battles continue as Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Club, Harper Collins, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, Sourcebooks, The Authors Guild, Julia Alvarez, John Green, Laurie Halse Anderson, Jodi Picoult, and Angie Thomas sue Florida; and the Department of Justice files a brief in support of the lawsuit against the Cobb County (GA) School District.

The Francis Howell School District in O'Fallon, MO, passed a new policy to allow the removal of certain books and restrict gender identity conversation. Meanwhile in Texas, one district is considering banning books about gender fluidity and another seeks to alter its policy after Advanced Placement titles are removed from libraries.

Librarians pitch current favorites, from breathtaking escape stories to heartwarming yarns. 

Iowa schools will start the year without some books in the libraries and classrooms; titles removed from schools in Texas, Colorado, and Indiana; angry accusations and arguing over book banning mar Florida county school board meeting; judge orders Alaskan district to return books to the shelves.

The ‘Librarian’ episode, and these eight books, show the power of school libraries and the vital importance of defending them.