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As we wrap up Banned Books Week, we want to encourage you to take the time to really dig into what it means for us to have the freedom to read year-round, and what that means to us in our democracy. The ABA’s Right to Read Handbook (linked below) is a wonderful easy-to-pick-up start to that thought process, and we highly recommend reading it and banned books with your book club, reading groups, and community organizations.

Further reading:

The ABA Right to Read Handbook: Fighting Book Bans and Why It Matters

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

Revolution in Our Time by Kekla Magoon: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People

PEN America: “The Normalization of Book Banning: Banned in the USA, 2024-2025”

Unite Against Book Bans Book Resumes

American Library Association’s Freedom to Read Statement (Adopted June 25, 1953, by the ALA Council and the AAP Freedom to Read Committee; amended January 28, 1972; January 16, 1991; July 12, 2000; June 30, 2004)

The Register Citizen: “Goshen Library puts 'Gender Queer' back on the shelves amid parent complaints”

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It’s been 20 years since the first book in the bestselling The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley debuted, and he’s had quite the career since then! This week, the animated TV series based on the books debuted on Apple TV, and last month, Michael’s latest book, The Weirdies, was published in print. With all that success, you’d think that he’d be on top of the world, but our conversation was much more nuanced than that, and we think you’re going to love to listen.

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More about The Curious Cat Bookshop

Shop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home delivery

Keep track of our in-store and online events

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And always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

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How do you discuss tough subjects like becoming a refugee and starting over again in a new country, bullying, or the possibility of your friend getting deported with your children? How do you help children find their voice and to understand the influence they can be for good? Author A.M. Dassu expertly weaves these subjects into her books for middle grade readers (ages 8-12) by deeply understanding children’s emotions as they deal with big changes in their lives.

Stacy, who edited three of Az’s books, sits down with Az to talk about those books and how Az approaches her writing, how working with Stacy changed the questions she asks of herself as she writes, and how so many kids find themselves in her books, despite their very different circumstances from the characters.

Buy Az’s books: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/books-am-dassu

(If you’re not in the US, try bookshop.org and support an indie bookstore like us: https://bookshop.org/shop/curiouscatbookshop.)

A. M. DASSU is the internationally acclaimed author of Boy, Everywhere, Fight Back and Kicked Out, which have collectively been listed for over fifty five awards, including the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, The Week Junior Book Award, the Carnegie Medal, the Indie Book Awards, the Little Rebels Award for Radical Fiction, the American Library Association Notable Book List and Jane Addams Peace Book Award.

She is a director at Inclusive Minds, which is an organisation for people who are passionate about inclusion, diversity, equality and accessibility in children’s literature; a patron of The Other Side of Hope, a literary magazine edited by immigrants and refugees,
which celebrates the refugee and immigrant communities worldwide, and one of The National Literacy Trust’s Connecting Stories campaign authors, aiming to help inspire a love of reading and writing in children and young people.

A. M. Dassu grew up in the Midlands dreaming of becoming a writer but studied economics instead and worked in marketing and project management before realising her dream. She writes books that challenge stereotypes, humanise the ‘other’ and are full of
empathy, hope and heart. Her book, Boot It! was a bestselling World Book Day novella, published in March 2023. You can also find her on X: @a_reflective or Instagram: @a.m.dassu.

Support the show

More about The Curious Cat Bookshop

Shop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home delivery

Keep track of our in-store and online events

Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainable

Follow us elsewhere!

• Bluesky
• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube (live events stream here)
• Threads

And always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!