Welcome to NCTE’s book rationale database. Rationales are important tools for educators and school librarians to use in selecting and defending books. This database can be searched by title, author, and grade level to find a rationale for a book to incorporate into the classroom or school library, or to defend a text that is being challenged. You can also explore new pieces of literature to incorporate into your curriculum to further enrich students’ learning. Book rationales are made possible by NCTE through decades of close engagement with NCTE members, who have contributed their expertise in writing and reviewing rationales, and in close partnership with the NCTE Standing Committee Against Censorship (SCAC). We first launched the database in the summer of 2022 as part of the This Story Matters campaign.
Many new rationales have been created thanks to the work of SCAC, our volunteer writing and reviewing teams, and the This Story Matters Teacher Corps members. Click the “only new” button below to see the newly created rationales. Many newly digitized versions of older rationales have been added in 2024. More than 1,200 rationales are now available! Read the full list of available titles by clicking on “View List of Rationales” in the menu to your left or by clicking here. This video, created by members of the SCAC, provides additional information about using rationales in the classroom.
NCTE has a long history of creating and soliciting rationales. Therefore, some rationales may vary in format and may include titles and standards that are not in current use. All users are encouraged to examine the content carefully upon downloading it to ensure that it meets their specific needs. As this database evolves, some of these rationales will be replaced or supplemented with newer versions.
You can participate in the important work of adding new rationales to the database by writing and reviewing rationales, or suggesting titles. NCTE members can also download the “How to Write a Rationale” template to create their own rationales for use in the classroom. Contact intellectualfreedom@ncte.org with any feedback or questions about this database, rationales, or This Story Matters.
