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Host a Paint Night

Provide a selection of challenged books and painting supplies. Find a park where everyone can sit safely at a distance, and let the covers be the inspiration for the artwork.

Afterwards, share your work at a pop-up art gallery and on social media during Freedom to Read Week! Be sure to tag us @bookandperiodicalcouncil on Instagram or @Freedom_to_Read on Twitter so we can see and share your beautiful paintings.

Hold a Photo Contest

A great way to get people involved is to host a photo contest in your community or school. Ask participants to submit photos about freedom of expression, which could include photos of challenged books, Freedom to Read events, the Freedom to Read Week poster, people reading or anything that promotes the written word.

The Book and Periodical Council would love to see your winning contest photos. Photos submitted may be featured on the Freedom to Read website or in the Freedom to Read Review.

Send your photos to [email protected] or add them to our photos on Facebook.

Netflix Party Night

Many challenged books have been made into movies, which have been challenged themselves! Do some research to find out why the book was challenged, and after the movie, discuss how the filmmaker handled those scenes. You can watch them over Teleparty with your friends and chat with them in real time!

Here are some movie night suggestions:

Distribute Publications

Distribute copies of the Challenged Works List. Highlight books in your own collection of information you distribute on intellectual freedom, Canadian banned or challenged books, prison literature by censored writers, prize-winning challenged books, controversial children's materials, or similar topics. Place the lists in local bookstores, schools, and libraries!

Date Night with a Book

Wrap books in brown paper and put a sticker on them describing only a slight detail or theme. Get people to take them out based only on these short descriptions and see if it's a love connection!

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Freedom to Read-Themed Activities - Freedom to Read

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Organize these activities to have some fun this Freedom to Read Week!

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Everyone has the right to choose what to read. In celebrating that right, you can help bring new perspectives and more understanding, empathy, and joy to readers in your community.

These resources highlight why it is important to give kids choice in what they read, what you can do to support and protect their right to choose books from all viewpoints, and how you can help them access relatable, enjoyable reading materials.

You'll also find ways to celebrate our freedom to read and get students excited about taking advantage of this fundamental right.

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Classroom Resources to Celebrate the Freedom to Read | NEA

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Find posters, bookmarks, stickers, and more to show your support for banned books and freedom from censorship in the classroom.

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ALSC Intellectual Freedom Programming Toolkit

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ALSC Intellectual Freedom Programming Toolkit

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By: Ellie Diaz

Banned Books Week is traditionally a time when libraries, schools, and bookstores host in-person events that raise awareness about censorship. This Banned Books Week (September 27 - October 3) will look different.

With many libraries practicing social distancing, and recent protests and acknowledgements of systemic racism, this is not the time to conduct a business-as-usual Banned Books Week. This Banned Books Week can be a time to highlight activism, embrace creativity, explore technology, and recognize voices that have attempted to be silenced.

Below are ways to celebrate Banned Books Week while maintaining social distance, attributed to libraries and schools that do incredible programming. Check out our Pinterest page for even more ideas, and share your own ideas with the Celebrating Banned Books Week Facebook group.

Posters, high resolution logos, digital handouts, and bookmarks are available on the ALA Store.

Virtual Programs

1. Create a virtual escape room that highlights this year's Banned Books Week theme "Censorship is a Dead End. Find Your Freedom to Read."

2. Host a virtual trivia night that tests participants' knowledge about literary censorship.

3. Books that address police brutality and racism continue to be challenged, and some people have requested that Black Lives Matter displays in libraries be dismantled. Partner with an organization that raises and centers on the voices of Black people, inviting speakers to virtually discuss historic and current racism, and/or the importance of sharing these experiences within stories.

4. Invite a banned author to do a storytime or Q&A about how it feels to be censored.

5. Stream a movie adaptation of a banned book or a virtual watch party of films based on banned books and host a conversation afterward.

6. Host a virtual read-through of the play The Sledding Hill - based on the book by Chris Crutcher and adapted for the stage by playwright Jarrett Dapier - and assign attendees different characters. The theatrical adaptation features a cast of passionate teen characters and debates about the value of intellectual freedom and the rights of youth to read what they choose.

7. Partner with a local LGBTQIA+ group to host a virtual program that addresses this statistic: "8 of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2019 were challenged because of LGBTQIA+ content." Why are LGBTQIA+ books censored? What does that say about society? What can we do to stop this?

8. Connect with a local group that assists with sending books to people who are incarcerated to see if there is interest in hosting a discussion about censorship in prisons and/or promoting their list of needed books.

9. Host an online bingo based on banned book titles or your library/organization's activities for Banned Books Week.

10. Host a virtual banned book-themed storytime every day of Banned Books Week, with the reader dressed as banned book characters.

11. Host a story writing contest that asks participants to imagine a world where all books were banned.

12. Invite an illustrator to demonstrate a drawing tutorial, and end the program with a discussion on graphic novels and comics that are banned because of their artwork or covers.

13. Host a stay-at-home read-a-thon party/ball and encourage readers to take one night during Banned Books Week to open a banned book and post their thoughts in a shared space or using a unique hashtag.

14. Create an online scavenger hunt about banned poetry or banned literature.

15. Host a virtual art show featuring reimagined covers of banned books or banned book trading cards.

16. Encourage readers to film themselves reading from their favorite banned or challenged book and submit the video to the American Library Association to be featured on the Banned Books Week YouTube Channel.

17. While the right to read is guaranteed by the First Amendment, so is the right to protest. Host a program about different forms of activism, bringing current Black Lives Matters protests to the forefront. The program could also touch on how readers can advocate for or express their First Amendment rights, including the right to read.

18. Host a virtual open mic night where participants can read excerpts from their favorite banned and challenged books while enjoying coffee and tea.

19. Hundreds of scholars around the world face threats for critical thinking and daring to share their ideas. Invite a scholar to discuss threats to academic freedom and attacks on scholars.

20. The freedom to read is guaranteed by the First Amendment. Plan a virtual program on civic engagement or the First Amendment.

21. Censorship is scary! Draw attention to books that were challenged because they were too scary such as the Goosebumps series and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by hosting a haunted banned BOOk virtual reading or streaming the documentary that discusses the censorship of the Scary Stories series.

22. If you haven't already selected a book club pick for September or October, consider selecting a banned or challenged book.

Social Distanced Programs

23. Host at-home contests by putting together baggies of supplies with materials and instructions as grab-and-go kits. Encourage participants to send in photos of their creation or post them on Twitter with a specific hashtag.

24. Create a sidewalk obstacle course around the theme "Censorship is a Dead End. Find Your Freedom to Read." Can participants balance on banned book spines and leap over the lagoon of censored words to unlock the ultimate place to explore new perspectives (their local library)?

25. Create at-home storytime kits of banned children's books.

26. Create an iSpy display with banned book covers or "artifacts" from banned books.

27. Create banned book-themed craft kits that users can check-out, or host a virtual craft program that focuses on a banned book design or message.

DIY Harry Potter Wands," jbrary.com

28. Harry Potter was a frequently challenged book. Host a make-and-take craft or tasty treat based on the banned series.

29. Partner with local restaurants to offer a banned book spin on menu items. Those who order the menu items could receive a banned book button or bookmark.

30. Create Banned Books Mad Libs from banned book pages.

31. Create and promote "banned book bundles" of frequently banned and challenged titles that users can check out and pick up.

32. Create your own crossword based on banned/challenged titles in your collection, or use crosswords created by the American Library Association or ACLU.

33. Create grab-and-go Dear Banned Author kits, that include postcards, a list of banned author mailing addresses, and pens.

Social Media Programs/Activities

34. Participate in the Dear Banned Author initiative by encouraging readers to tweet to their favorite banned authors using #BannedBooksWeek and #DearBannedAuthor.

35. Shred printed-out pages of a banned title and put them in a jar, or print out a page from a banned book and use a marker to black-out words. Post a picture and offer a prize to the first follower to guess the correct banned title.

36. Create an online voting bracket where users can vote on their favorite banned book character or title each day.

37. Create "Houses" of banned characters and ask followers to choose which group they would like to be a part of or quarantined with.

38. Post emojis that share the plot of a banned book and ask followers to guess the title.

39. Host a Twitter Chat discussion with followers about what books are targeted with censorship, why that is, and who gets to decide what we read.

40. Spotlight banned books by sharing cover art and the link to the title in your digital collection on social media, especially highlighting books that were challenged because they confront subjects such as race, abilities, gender, and gender identity.

Ellie Diaz is the Program Officer at the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom. With her journalism background and fierce devotion to the freedom to read, Ellie organizes ALA's Banned Books Week and several other projects within OIF.

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40 Virtual Program Ideas for Banned Books Week

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This year's Banned Books Week (September 27 - October 3) will look different. Here are 40 ideas on how to celebrate virtually, on social media, and maintaining social distance.

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The members of the Banned Books Week coalition have a number of resources available to support Banned Books Week programming, promotion of the annual celebration of the right to read, and banned books themselves. Many of these resources can be used throughout the year, so you can celebrate the right…

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Show your support for the freedom to read on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and more. Use the hashtag #UniteAgainstBookBans to share why open access to books, information, and knowledge is important to you or your community. Download one of the graphics below to share on your favorite social media platform.

Sample Social Media Posts
[Name of Library] is joining @NYPL and @ALAlibrary to #UniteAgainstBookBans and protect the freedom to read. Learn more at https://nypl.org/booksforall We're reading 'Each of Us a Desert' by Mark Oshiro as part of @NYPL's Teen Banned Book Club! Read along with us! #UniteAgainstBookBans https://nypl.org/booksforall Join [Name of Library] to #UniteAgainstBookBans with @NYPL and @ALAlibrary and protect the freedom to read. Learn more at https://nypl.org/booksforall
Social Media Graphics

Download images to include in your social posts. Choose an image size below and click the link. On mobile, tap and hold the image, then select Save Image. On desktop, right-click or control-click the image, then select Save Image. Upload to your favorite social platforms!

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Books for All Toolkit: Protect the Freedom to Read

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Thank you for your interest in Books for All! Download print-ready flyers-or add your own organization's logo via our Canva templates-plus a book discussion guide and other promotional materials to help you and your community get involved. Did a friend or colleague send you this toolkit?

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Free Expression and the Israel-Hamas War
PEN America statements, free expression resources, and stories of writers and artists from the Israel-Hamas war.
New Report: Legislatures Introduce 110 Educational Gag Orders in 2023
"Censorship advocates have spent years trying to sabotage the teaching of ideas they don't like, and imposing their own views on our nation's students," said PEN America's Jeremy C....

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PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect open expression in the United States and worldwide.

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From NCTE
The materials below can be used by educators as useful tools in preventing and combating censorship. All of these resources are free access and do not require permission for use. Additional support is available for current NCTE members.

These guidelines present criteria and procedures that ensure thoughtful teacher selection of novels and other materials.

Focusing on materials broadly defined in classrooms and schools today, a committee of English educators updated a 2004 position statement originally detailing censorship of "nonprint" materials. This new statement bridges censorship issues across varied modalities and texts.

During this era of high-stakes testing, technology-based instruction, and increased control over students' expression due to school violence, students' right to write must be protected.

The Literacy & NCTE blog maintains a repository of posts on intellectual freedom.

This position statement explains why rating books, or 'red-flagging," is a form of censorship that schools should not practice.

NCTE members can access over 600 book rationales on the first-ever online rationale database. A newly updated How to Write a Rationale document is also available. This database can be searched by title, author, and grade level to help educators find a rationale for a book to use in the classroom or that is being challenged. New pieces of literature can be found to incorporate into curriculums or classroom libraries to further enrich students' learning.

This updated statement supports the truth that it is an individual English educator's (teacher's, researcher's, and librarian's) right to translate, produce, and curate past and new knowledge and dispositions within broadly accepted disciplinary parameters in order to advance the common good.

This statement explains why classroom libraries play a key role in providing access to books and promoting literacy. It states NCTE's support for efforts to provide teachers with the ability to exercise their professional judgment in developing and maintaining classroom libraries.

This foundational NCTE position statement gives model procedures for responding to challenges, including a citizen's "Request for Reconsideration of a Work."
From NCAC
This is a collection of materials for parents, students, educators, and authors with information on how to effectively fight challenges to books in schools.

School officials have broad discretion to establish curricula and decide what materials to include in their classrooms and libraries. However, parents, special interest groups and others sometimes attempt to impose their personal beliefs on the public school system and demand the removal of educational materials. Follow the link for some general considerations school administrators should take into account when such challenges arise.

The freedom to read stories about people of diverse sexual and gender identities can validate and empower all youth, especially those who may identify as LGBTQ. LGBTQ representation in literature can also promote tolerance and acceptance of all human difference, including sexual and gender identities. This source offers an overview of common arguments made by would-be censors and techniques for advocating for LGBTQ stories in your schools and communities.

The Free Expression Educators Handbook contains practical tools and advice for managing book challenges and censorship controversies in schools and school libraries. The handbook, created by NCAC in collaboration with NCTE, is intended for teachers, librarians, and school administrators.