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Don't read that!

This list of books is all about what to do when faced with book banning, censorship, and challenges to the freedom to read. These titles are great for children in grades 4 to 6.

User from Calgary Public Library

10 items

  • When sixth grader Mac opens his class copy of the Devil's Arithmetic he finds words in the book blacked out. Mac and his friends challenge the censorship at their school but neither their teacher or their school principal take them seriously. The…
    Book, 2022New York : Scholastic Press, ©2022. — J KIN
  • Rose's life consists of her parents and her best friend Charlotte, this is upended when new student Talia moves from New York City to their small Michigan town. Encouraged by Talia, Rose reads an account of a Jewish refugee denied entry into the…
    Book, 2024New York : Roaring Brook Press, ©2024. — J YOU
  • Amy Anne, a grade 4 student who loves books, discovers her beloved From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler has been removed from the library based on the opinion's of Mrs. Spencer, the mother of a classmate. As more and more books…
    Book, 2017New York : Starscape, ©2017. — J GRA
  • Lina is a recent immigrant to California, coming from Beijing to reunite with her family after 5 years of being separated. Lina struggles in school when bullies tease her for her English. With the help of her teacher and librarian Lina discovers how…
    Book, 2023New York : Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, ©2023. — J YAN
  • Two girls, Cinzia, a printer's apprentice, and Elena, a noble girl, are from very different worlds. They team up to spread the truth and fight censorship after Cinzia's guild master is arrested for publishing accusations against the royal family.…
    Graphic Novel, 2023New York : Greenwillow Books, 2023, ©2023. — J GRAPHIX NIJ
  • Lenora is not having a good summer, that is, she isn't until she discovers a mysterious door in her local library branch. When she goes through the doorway she finds the Library, the ultimate library, a library that contains all the knowledge in the…
    Book, 2019New York : Imprint, ©2019. — J ALE
  • Kyle Keely and his friends join a competition at Mr. Lemoncello's library where the prize is a college scholarship. But with teams of readers from all over the country, the contest won't be an easy win. Even more challenging, they've got a new book…
    Graphic Novel, 2025New York : Random House, 2025, ©2025. — J GRAPHIX GRA v.02
  • Sixth grade class president Bess, is trying to fulfill her campaign promise of a school book vending machine. She teams up with Mr. Jasper, the librarian, and June, class vice president, to choose books. But when she wants to include books about the…
    Book, 2025New York : Delacorte Press, ©2025. — J SWA
  • Twelve-year old Audra lives in what used to be Lithuania, but is now absorbed by Russia in this historical fiction novel. Audra knows her parents are hiding something illegal, but she isn't sure what until the Cossacks come to arrest them and set…
    Book, 2019New York, New York : Scholastic Press, ©2019. — J NIE
  • You Can't Say That!

    Writers for Young People Talk About Censorship, Free Expression, and the Stories They Have to Tell

    Thirteen children's authors including R.L. Stine, Robie. Harris, and Angie Thomas talk about attempts to ban or remove their books from schools or libraries. Ages 13 and up.
    Book, 2021Somerville, Massachusetts : Candlewick Press, 2021, ©2021. — J 323. 44 YOU