A review by andipants
Ban This Book by Alan Gratz
4.0
I'm really torn on my rating for this book. On the one hand, there were some really heartfelt and funny moments in here, and on the whole I was pretty entertained. On the other hand, it got awfully preachy at some points — you could almost see the narrator turning to the camera and monologuing about the evils of censorship — and it definitely suffered from some "That child did not say that" moments, especially with Rebecca, the budding young lawyer-to-be. She was just slightly too over-the-top to be believable, but not quite so much that it looked like an intentional, humorous choice; instead it just came off as awkward, unrealistic characterization.
Also, and this may be nitpicky, but almost every one of the banned book title drops gave the distinct impression of somebody my age writing about the books they remember from when they were a kid, rather than what a kid today would necessarily be worried about. There are some that make sense in the late 2010s— Captain Underpants, Junie B. Jones, the Magic Treehouse — and there are a few perennial classics that I guess kids are probably still reading — Judy Blume, Laura Ingalls Wilder — but were ten-year-olds in 2018 really that worked up about The Egypt Game? (And in a book with two tween girl protagonists, not one single Raina Telgemeier title makes an appearance? Stretches believability, that.)
That's not to say I didn't like it. As I said, there were definitely some jokes that landed superbly, and the plot overall was satisfying. I also liked the side plot with Amy Anne's family, where she has to learn to stand up for herself and ask for what she needs in her loving but often chaotic household. And of course, I absolutely support the message of not banning books. Overall, I'd probably land on about a 3.5 star rating, but since I have to round one way or the other, I'll bump it up to 4; I'm always a sucker for a plucky heroine standing up to unfair authority.
Also, and this may be nitpicky, but almost every one of the banned book title drops gave the distinct impression of somebody my age writing about the books they remember from when they were a kid, rather than what a kid today would necessarily be worried about. There are some that make sense in the late 2010s— Captain Underpants, Junie B. Jones, the Magic Treehouse — and there are a few perennial classics that I guess kids are probably still reading — Judy Blume, Laura Ingalls Wilder — but were ten-year-olds in 2018 really that worked up about The Egypt Game? (And in a book with two tween girl protagonists, not one single Raina Telgemeier title makes an appearance? Stretches believability, that.)
That's not to say I didn't like it. As I said, there were definitely some jokes that landed superbly, and the plot overall was satisfying. I also liked the side plot with Amy Anne's family, where she has to learn to stand up for herself and ask for what she needs in her loving but often chaotic household. And of course, I absolutely support the message of not banning books. Overall, I'd probably land on about a 3.5 star rating, but since I have to round one way or the other, I'll bump it up to 4; I'm always a sucker for a plucky heroine standing up to unfair authority.