After inspiring nightmares—and controversy—for generations, the infamously eerie tales of Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark will now ooze, crawl, and haunt their way to the Bushwick stage. Crowned by the American Library Association as the most challenged book series of the 90s, Scary Stories is one hell of a good time. We’ll leave the nightlight on for you. “A wonderful collection of tales that range from creepy to silly to haunting. Gammell’s drawings add just the…

Thanks to the support of The Seattle Public Library foundation The year is 2024. The world teeters on the edge of chaos. An authoritarian president looms. Octavia Butler’s astonishingly prescient novel Parable of the Sower weaves together urgent themes of hope, resilience, societal change, and individual perseverance. Texas and Missouri are among the states who found Butler’s stark warning too potent for library shelves. “ succeeds on multiple levels. A gripping tale of survival and a poignant account of growing…

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“Full of hard-earned humor and pathos, Maus takes your breath away with its stunning visual style, reminding us that while we can never forget the Holocaust, we may need new ways to remember.” —Kirkus “Some works of art change their medium forever, and this graphic memoir is a sterling example of a book that upended all expectations about what comics could accomplish.” —Common Sense Media Heads up: an unflinching chronicle of the Holocaust, Maus features Nazi imagery, antisemitism, and the…

A favorite target of would-be censors nationwide—even the ever-charming Where’s Waldo? was one of the ALA’s 100 most challenged books of the 90s— picture books like And Tango Makes Three and They Call us Enemy introduce ideas about tolerance, self-expression, and difference with simple language and exuberant illustration. Circle up for uncensored story time! Get your TICKETS HERE!

Could we have had a Banned Books Season without one of the most famous books about burning books? We think not. This classic book about censorship has been banned throughout the years for a variety of reasons, mostly because of “dirty talk”. We are ready to light some inspirational fires through song for all of our members! “Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in…

Informed by years of research and banned in Arizona upon publication, Luis Alberto Urrea’s The Devil’s Highway paints a harrowing portrait of America’s boiling border deserts and the determined migrants who attempt the crossing. So effective was Urrea’s research, in fact, that it became the first book banned in Arizona for being “satanic” and “un-American.” “A horrendous story told with bitter skill, highlighting the whole sordid, greedy mess that attends illegal broader crossings.” —Kirkus Reviews “The single most compelling, lucid,…

Perhaps no single author has generated more controversy in recent years than Ibram X. Kendi, whose Stamped from the Beginning—published in versions for both adults and youth—outlines the history of racist ideas in America with devastating clarity. In 2020, Stamped itself was stamped as the second-most challenged book in America. “… engrossing and relentless… The greatest service Kendi and provide is the ruthless prosecution of American ideas about race for their tensions, contradictions and unintended consequences.” —The Washington Post Heads…