Editor's Note: This review was originally published in
Chicago Book Review.
 |
| Author Aya Khalil |
Young people have the power and agency to make meaningful changes supporting diversity. This is an important message of
The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale, which tells the story of Kanzi, an immigrant Arabic girl, who organizes her schoolmates and teachers to fight book bans in their community. Kanzi draws from the wisdom and support of elders who encouraged her to speak out and take action against a discriminatory school district policy. Kanzi and friends made beloved recipes from their families to raise funds and awareness about the harms of censorship.
During an unprecedented time when a growing number of school and library districts are removing books with diverse, LGBTQ+, and people of color characters, this is a book that all K-12 libraries must carry. Writer Aya Khalil once again teamed up with illustrator Anait Smirdzhyan to share the importance of diverse voices. They bring back Kanzi, the young Egyptian immigrant from The Arabic Quilt, who musters the courage to adapt to her new life in America. In The Great Banned Books Sale, Kanzi emerges as a leader who stands up against bigoted views. Young readers will learn important lessons about valuing one’s identity, bringing others along, and being courageous to stand up against hate.
