This blog post was written by NCTE staff member Sarah Miller.
Banned Books Week is one week during the year that shines a light directly on book banning and censorship. It’s an opportunity to step back from the daily work of teaching and advocacy to highlight the importance of intellectual freedom for everyone in the book community. As a long-term member of the Banned Books Week Coalition, NCTE has dedicated time and effort to the work of intellectual freedom, during this specific week and throughout the year!
This year’s Banned Books Week takes place September 22–28, 2024. The Honorary Chair is filmmaker Ava Duvernay, and the Youth Honorary Chair is Julia Garnett, a freedom-to-read advocate and member of the National Coalition Against Censorship’s Student Advocates for Speech program.
Below you will find a round up of recent work, plans for the future, and specific ways to engage during the week itself!
Recent Work at NCTE
- The six This Story Matters Teacher Corps cohorts concluded their terms and have created hundreds of new book rationales for the rationale database! Thirty members worked for months to learn about the rationale writing process and meet the needs of teachers who want to share these books in their classrooms. (Stay tuned for information about upcoming Teacher Corps opportunities.)
- Over 1,300 rationales are now available—and more will be added soon. Searchable by title, author, and grade level, there are more picturebooks, elementary, and middle school titles along with new YA offerings thanks to the work of the Teacher Corps. Here are a few you might be interested in:
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- All Because You Matter by Tami Charles (preK–grade 3)
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- I’m From by Gary Gray, Jr. (preK–grade 3)
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- The 1619 Project: Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson (grades 2–7)
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- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (grades 4–8)
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- They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid’s Poems by David Bowles (grades 5–8)
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- Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes (grades 6–8)
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- Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation by Anne Frank, Ari Folman and David Polonsky (grades 9–12)
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- Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Peréz (grades 9–12)
What’s Next for NCTE
- NCTE will be attending the National Summit on Democracy in Washington, DC, September 16–17, working to enact change on behalf of educators now and in the future in partnership with other national organizations. Learn more.
- “Exploring They Came for the Schools with Mike Hixenbaugh,” a virtual event on September 18 at 7:00 p.m. ET. This is a members-only event. Learn more and register here.
- “A Conversation about Intellectual Freedom with NCTE Affiliates for Banned Books Week,” a virtual event on September 23 at 7:00 p.m. ET. This event is open to all. Learn more and register here.
How to Engage with Banned Books Week
- Attend a Banned Wagon event in your area. Sponsored by Penguin Random House, Unite Against Book Bans, First Book, and Little Free Library, the Banned Wagon tour will visit nine communities in the Midwest and South.
- Read this blog post about the work the Texas state affiliate has been doing.
- Attend the Honorary Chair and Youth Honorary Chair livestreamed events. Details will be available here in the coming days.
- Watch Judy Blume’s livestreamed event on September 25. (Use discount code “ALA” to save.)
- Take action in your community on Let Freedom Read Day on September 28.
- Write an email or note of encouragement to an ELA teacher, school or local librarian, or school or library board member you know is working hard to advocate for teachers.
- Write an email to your local school or library board or school administrator letting them know you value free access to books for all students.
- Join Unite Against Book Bans, or utilize their action toolkit.
- Sign up to write or review NCTE book rationales.
Sarah Miller is Senior Coordinator with the NCTE Intellectual Freedom Center.
It is the policy of NCTE in all publications, including the Literacy & NCTE blog, to provide a forum for the open discussion of ideas concerning the content and the teaching of English and the language arts. Publicity accorded to any particular point of view does not imply endorsement by the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, the staff, or the membership at large, except in announcements of policy, where such endorsement is clearly specified.