Ban This Book

Ban This Book is told entirely from Amy Anne’s first-person point of view. Which scenes are the best candidates for another viewpoint? Which character would be the best choice for a different first-person viewpoint of each of those scenes? Be sure to consider secondary and Shadow archetypal (antagonist) characters like Mrs. Spencer and Principal Banazewski as well as Amy Anne’s Allies.

The chapter titles in Ban This Book draw attention to or foreshadow important events or details in that chapter. Select three chapters whose titles are especially well-chosen and discuss your choices. Why are those chapter titles attention-getting? What connections to Amy Anne, other characters, plot details, or literary techniques are evident?

How does the author employ the dichotomy of old and new in the story? Consider, for example, the method by which Amy Anne organizes the circulation of the BBLL. You might also want to research and consider the publication dates of the banned books. Use these and other instances of old and new in an analysis supported by book details.

Amy Anne’s conflict with her family’s chaotic household atmosphere is a subplot of Ban This Book in that it develops along its own storyline and has a resolution by the end of the novel. Analyze this subplot in terms of the major phases of plot (exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution). What events occur at each stage? How does this subplot both parallel and intertwine with the main plot?

In what ways can the novel title work from at least two perspectives? Which perspective is first evident? How does the title grow to have additional and more impactful meaning as the novel progresses? Use key details and supporting evidence in your discussion.

Amy Anne shares this thought with her parents in the last scene of the book: “Mrs. Spencer had banned my favorite book because she thought it would encourage kids to lie, steal, and be disrespectful to adults, and I had done all those things. But it wasn’t any book that made me do all that; it was banning a book that made me lie, steal, and be disrespectful to adults” (243). What are examples from the story of Amy Anne’s lying, stealing, and being disrespectful? How does the definition of situational irony apply to this line?

Amy Anne “finds her voice” in the story because of her growing confidence and enlightening observations. In what other ways does the theme of finding and utilizing one’s voice appear in the story? Consider secondary as well as main characters and think about subplots as well as the main plot.

The author notes that “Every book banned by the school board in this novel is the title of a book that has been challenged or banned in an American library at least once in the last thirty years” (245). Investigate two to three of the fiction titles Mrs. Spencer challenges in the novel by reading blurbs, summaries, and reviews. Speculate about potential reasons for challenging the books; research to see if you are correct. Share with your peers your new knowledge of those titles and any other pertinent, interesting details about the books’ history.