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Welcome to Check Your Shelf, where our Wordle score is one less than whatever you got. Normally I’m pretty resistant to Internet fads, mainly because I’m too lazy to investigate them for myself, but my brother-in-law showed me how to play a few weeks ago, and now I’m hooked. It’s even how my husband and I say good night to each other — we text our Wordle results to each other after midnight and then gloat over who got the better score.
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
Honestly, most of this week’s news is happening in the Banned & Challenged Books section.
Cool Library Updates
Take a look at the UNC University Libraries’ collection of over 1800 pop-up books!
Book Adaptations in the News
Netflix loses its motion to dismiss the $5 million lawsuit regarding The Queen’s Gambit.
Taraji P. Henson has been cast as Shug Avery in the upcoming film adaptation of The Color Purple.
Phantom of the Opera on Broadway welcomes its first Black Christine.
Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel, Black Cake, is in development for a series at Hulu.
Adam Brody joins the cast of Fleishman Is In Trouble.
The cast for Season 2 of Good Omens has been set.
Here’s the trailer for Season 3 of My Brilliant Friend.
First trailer for No Exit.
Banned & Challenged Books
Who are the Moms for Liberty? And here’s a closer look at their new campaign, Moms for Libraries.
If the news about the Ridgeland, Mississippi mayor withholding library funds until the public library removed “all homosexual materials” made you incredibly angry, there are a few different ways to send financial donations.
Art Spiegelman, the author of Maus, speaks out about the McMinn County School Board’s decision to remove the book from its curriculum, calling it “absurd.” That’s certainly an understatement.
This comic book store owner said that he’ll ship a free copy of Maus to anyone in a Tennessee district where the graphic novel has been banned. And sales for Maus have soared since people have learned about the district’s ban.
Williamson County (TN) school officials have removed the book Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech from elementary school curriculums, and have restricted the use of seven other titles.
Tennessee lawmakers file a bill targeting “obscene books” in school libraries.
Nic Stone, author of Dear Martin, responds to the controversy over her book in Monett, Missouri.
The Wentzville School Board (MO) has banned The Bluest Eye from high school libraries over obscenity complaints. Meanwhile, the ACLU readies for a possible lawsuit against the book ban, and librarians and other community members speak out.
A look at why Toni Morrison’s books are so frequently banned.
Hudson (OH) parents wanted three offensive books pulled from the high school library. A Girl on the Shore will be removed, Lawn Boy will be returned, and Gender Queer will remain off the shelf while it’s being reviewed.
A look at the context and controversy happening in Iowa over All Boys Aren’t Blue.
Indiana schools and libraries could face prosecution for providing access to “harmful materials” under a proposed state bill. Not surprisingly, library professionals are protesting the bill.
A small number of Minnesota parents have pulled their children from English class over the use of Dear Martin in the curriculum.
Texas governor Greg Abbott introduces a Parental Bill of Rights amidst a wave of book banning in the state.
Books on race and sexuality are disappearing from Texas schools in record numbers, but librarians and students are pushing back.
Carroll ISD (TX) School Board appears to back down after reprimanding a teacher for having the book This Book is Anti-Racist in her school classroom, primarily because campaign finance records revealed that several school board members had received financial donations tied to the parent who made the complaint.
Granbury ISD (TX) pulls over 125 school library books for review. Meanwhile, students slam the school board over the decision.
Also in Granbury news, the district superintendent referred to “radicals” in the school board meetings (aka the students protesting book bans), so the students started a t-shirt fundraiser, with 100% of the profits going to the Freedom to Read Foundation.
So, you know how the ImagineIF Library in Montana has faced its own recent book challenges? Recently released documents and emails indicate that the library board may have manufactured the challenges themselves in an attempt to oust the interim director. Seriously.
LGBTQ+ books are quietly pulled from a middle school in Washington state.
Orange County Public Schools (FL) are reviewing three titles: Gender Queer, Lawn Boy, and Born a Crime, but school policy requires that the books remain available to students during the review process, and the district checked out the only available copies for the committee to review, thereby violating their own policy.
The Florida Senate advances Joe Gruters’ book banning bill, putting school board salaries and library books on the line.
Flagler (FL) school libraries elect to keep All Boys Aren’t Blue on library shelves, but have instituted a new policy giving parents three different levels of oversight for the books their child can check out from the library.
The County Citizens Defending Freedom are campaigning to remove 16 “pornographic” titles from Polk County Schools (FL).
A Florida lawmaker tells a concerned mom that “no book” made him gay as the state debates LGBTQ topics in schools.
Dismissing the “slippery slope of censorship,” GOP senators back the stricter scrutiny of school and library books.
Henrico County (VA) schools have pulled Out of Darkness and I Am a Gay Wizard for review after receiving complaints.
Virginia’s new governor is launching a tip line for parents to report their kids’ teachers.
The Virginia Senate killed a bill that would have required parental consent to check out sexually explicit materials.
Two North Carolina schools received a request to remove the book Melissa by Alex Gino.
The Pitt County Board of Education (NC) will continue its discussion on book challenges. They’ve also approved a new policy to inform parents of the books being used in classrooms.
The fight to ban books is once again raging in Wake County (NC) public schools and libraries.
Some parents in the Lexington-Richland District 5 (NC) are concerned about “explicit” library books.
Dear Martin has been pulled from the Tuscola High School (NC) curriculum.
Lancaster County (PA) school officials shouldn’t surrender to those seeking to ban books.
The North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District Board of Education (NJ) voted to keep 5 LGBTQ+ titles on its shelves: Lawn Boy, Gender Queer, This Book is Gay, All Boys Aren’t Blue, and Fun Home.
The Tully (NY) community rallies to support a gay high school student who spoke out at a recent board meeting.
Up to this point, Vermont has not seen a wave of censorship efforts in the state.
Maine education groups push back against challenges to books in school libraries.
Book bans are targeting the history of oppression.
US conservatives linked to rich donors wage a campaign to ban books from schools.
Book banning fever heats up in red states. (But also in blue states.)
A healthy democracy does not support library censorship.
Books & Authors in the News
Kate Clanchy’s controversial memoir, Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me, has found a new publisher after she and her original publisher parted ways.
The Dutch publisher of The Betrayal of Anne Frank has apologized after the book has been criticized for being full of errors.
Kwame Alexander and Follett kick off a new classroom book club.
Make sure to get your own Read Harder Book Journal from Book Riot to track your reading for the year!
Numbers & Trends
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s library sells for nearly $2.4 million at auction.
Why is author Colleen Hoover trending on TikTok?
Award News
PEN America announces the finalists for the 2022 Literary Awards.
Hannah Lowe wins the Costa Book of the Year Award for her uplifting book of sonnets, The Kids.
The 2022 International Prize for Arabic Fiction longlist has been announced.
The 2022 Dublin Literary Award longlist has been released.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
The New York Times purchased Wordle for an amount in the low seven figures.
Win books for LIFE (yes, you read that correctly…LIFE!) from Bookshop.org.
On the Riot
5 ways to bring teachers into your school library.
The 10 best US libraries to get married in.
Why do we keep reading books we don’t like?
How does a book exchange work?
Road trip to the best children’s bookstores in the Midwest.
These online classes will help improve your reading skills.
A partial list of the books this reader’s puppy has eaten.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
“It’s over, Dini! I have the high ground!” – Gilbert
Well, that’s all I’ve got for this week. Stay warm this weekend, and keep your fingers crossed we don’t get any more snow. See you on Tuesday!
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.