NOTES ON SELECTING BOOKS: 

When helping middle grades readers or advanced elementary aged readers choose books to read, please remember that reader interest is key.  The secret to creating lifelong readers is no more complex than to match young people with books that they can read, understand, and that they will love. To that end, I recommend that one learn about the reader's interests and then read summaries of potential books (and/or examine Young Adult Library Services Association, Common Sense Media, and other respected resources). Consider what prior knowledge the reader may need in order to fully understand the book and also weigh the book's contexts against the reader's level of maturity. And, of course, give the reader choices in what they read!

I also urge readers, their parents and caregivers, educators, and policymakers to remember that there are no dangerous ideas (ideas are only dangerous when put into practice in nefarious ways). Readers of all ages deserve to learn about the realities of our world and to have teachers and parents to discuss those realities with them. Hiding ideas from readers/students is to deny them knowledge.  Reading can and should be liberating; however, denying readers the opportunity to read about controversial issues is to engage in censorship and to turn reading into a form of oppression.  It is also to lessen the reader's chances of developing empathy for those whose lives, experiences, and worldviews are different from their own. In other words, read banned books!