Censorship, especially in schools, is a popular topic for middle grade fiction these days. Interestingly, this book is just as much about corruption in local government as it is about censorship. It focuses a lot of attention on the school board president's abuse of her position for financial gain and to push her moral agenda. The pun based names and the novelty of the format are amusing. My biggest criticism of this book is that it casts adults as both the protagonist and antagonist. While it is the children who reveal the truth behind what is happening at their school, the librarian and school board president hold these key roles. I'd have preferred to see the kids in more prominent roles. Use this book to start a conversation with young readers about censorship, responsible leadership, and effective protests.

This book was one I was looking forward to reading and once I did I am so glad I picked it up! Humorous with an awesome layout. I love the emails, letters, articles, etc format and think it would be appealing to middle grade readers as well. The illustrations were enjoyable and add to the story line. I mean how can you not love a librarian named Rita B. Danjerous! The names and other wordplay only add to the humor of this book. I know my students will enjoy this book and I will be adding it to our library collection.

The publisher generously provided me with a copy of the book upon request on NetGalley. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

Don’t Check Out This Book! is a fun, tongue-in-cheek exploration of the serious issue of censorship. The story is told in an epistolary format, completely through emails, newspaper articles, notes, etc. It follows the travails of the new school librarian at a tiny school (in my home state of Illinois). Rita B. Danjerous (yep, all the names in this book are puns—it’s quite fun) has some wild ideas about books, mainly that kids should have free and easy access to them, even to those books that might be about more embarrassing topics kids are curious about but may not necessarily want to openly talk about. But she comes up against a whole lot of opposition, especially in the form of the new school board president (Ivana Beprawpa—read it fast. Hint, she’s very concerned with raising up kids who are “proper”).

But Ms. Danjerous starts to win people over in her town with the power of her books! The format of this book works incredibly well. We get to know the various characters through their notes and through interviews in the newspaper (which are sometimes written by kids at the school). The humorous names and circumstances will keep kids entertained while they learn about standing up for themselves and winning people over with kindness (and firmness), not with negativity. And while things get tied up perhaps a little too neatly, I love that the kids take things into their own hands and really get involved. In the end, the kids solve most of the problems themselves with a little boost from their favorite librarian.

Don’t Check Out This Book! is thoroughly entertaining!

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

A quick, humorous read with a strong message about standing up against injustices. I loved the format, which includes letters, text messages, newspaper articles and more. A great addition to the crop of middle-grade novels about censorship and fighting injustice (such as "Ban This Book" by Alan Gratz or "Property of the Rebel Librarian" by Allison Varnes), but I think this one may appeal to younger or more reluctant readers.

I was contacted by Kristen of Algonquin Young Readers to see if I would read and review this book on a blog tour and I jumped at the chance. The Book is called Don't Check Out this Book by Kate Klise. It tells the story about a failing Middle Grade School who gets a new Librarian by the name of Rita B Danjerous who encourages the pupils to read by having certain books they can get out without using their library cards. This infuriates the new School Board President who only seems to be out for her own gain and this includes making rules for the school which are finacially beneficial for herself. What I liked about this book was that it was written in either letter form, emails, newspaper reports and interviews and not forgetting the illustrations too. There was scene in the book that broke me and I did shed a tear but all I will say is that you will know it when you come to read it For this reason I have to give this book 4 stars

This mixed media middle grade book was a delightful collection of emails, notes, and newspaper articles about a tiny school and a rebel librarian who comes in, introducing the kids (and some adults) to the joy of reading. Of course, reading can also be seen as dangerous, and the adults in charge are immediately leery of the new "green dot" book collection.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm all for dangerous reading and not following the status quo, and found the exchanges between characters delightfully funny!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

This was a great book! Fun and short, I will be recommending that my library gets a copy. Thanks NetGalley!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
I requested this book but was able to check out a physical copy from my library before the request was approved. So I am reviewing the hard back book.
I loved this book! The pun-named characters were hilarious. The layout of the book was fun in that the story was told through emails, newspaper articles, texts, and letters. Everything about this book was creative and very clever.

Goodreads Rating: 4 stars.

Appleton Elementary is a tiny school, barely meeting its quota of 20 students, and has a new librarian, Rita B. Danjerous, who has created a "Green Dot" collection, which students can simply take from, without worrying about checking out. These books are about topics that students want to know about, but might be too embarrassed to ask for, or uncertain about. The new school board president, Ivanna Beproper, has no cred to be in that position, but is there nonetheless and is taking issue with the dangerous idea of books being used to help students (and staff!) learn things.

What follows is a great showing of the students and staff working together to overthrow Beproper's hypocritical reign over the school, and stand up for the library and, by proxy, free information and learning itself.

When I was in grade school, I fondly remember reading Kate and Sarah Klise's "Regarding the..." series, and loved the unique presentation and puns and all around blend of absurdity and call to action of the books.

Don't Check Out This Book! has the same unique presentation and style I loved then and still love now--the story is told through letters, emails, memos, notes, and a variety of other correspondences--and the wonderful puns, which I "get" even more now. The call to action in this book is one that I can fully approve of--challenge those in power when they're obviously manipulating the system, and stay informed through reading! It's always a relevant message, but even more so these days.

I do wish there had been a list of the author's own "Green Dot" collection or recommended readings, to give us a true idea of what kinds of topics were supposedly covered by the collection. But apart from that, the book was everything I expected it to be, a perfect mixture of wit, mystery, and inspiration!

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Young Readers for providing me with a free copy to review!

Adorable, hysterical, wish it had been out when I was a kid. The punny names had me dying: May B Dangerous, Gladys Friday, and Reid Durr. I mean, come on! Just missing a Constance Noring. (tee hee)

First of all, thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for sending me an eARC in exchange for a honest review.
You have to know English isn’t my first language, so feel free to correct me if I make some mistakes while writing this review.


You can't imagine how cute I found this graphic novel to be.

Told in the form of emails, newspaper articles, letters and memos, "Don't Check Out This Book!" it's the story of the town of Appleton, Illinois. A town that over the years has lost inhabitants and students, finding itself with a population of just 83 souls - a town whose life focuses on apples between orchards and streets that have to do with apple desserts or apples in general.

A new librarian, Rita B. Danjerous, arrives in Appleton and thanks to her daughter May B as the twentieth student, the school avoids closing its doors. But there is no money, so Rita has to settle for a broom closet as a library, the principal does not even remember having hired her and, to be honest, it's his secretary Gladys Friday (I loved the pun! Sure, it took me a while to really get it, but it's not the point...) who keeps the school going.

Moreover, the new School Border President Ivana Beprawpa - and really, she was the only one who had run for it - is on a path war because May B doesn't want to buy the gloves sold in her shop and that she claims are part of the school uniform, but above all with her mother Rita: what are these books marked with a green dot that keep students awake past nine in the evening? All of this clearly represents an infringement of the rules.

But fifth-grade students May B and Sarah Bellum know that there's a difference between following the rules and respecting them and questioning them when these are not appropriate.

With the help of a journalist, a little cunning and the classic "following the money trail", Appleton will soon be shaken by a scandal so juicy that no one would have ever imagined how rotten the core of the whole affair was.

Did I mention that this graphic novel is full, but full of puns? I loved it.


I can't go into details because otherwise I would reveal too much - and the graphic novel is already short of his own.

However, I can tell you it's a good story - a story that teaches books can open your mind and stimulate curiosity (as if we bibliophiles didn't already know!), that rules are good but not when they are tyrannical and they threaten democracy.

One of the story's pregnant points are the books marked with the green dot: books that students can simply borrow by putting them in their backpacks and return them when they have read them, without necessarily registering them on the library card. This is because they are books that deal with topics that perhaps kids aren't ready yet to deal with parents and adults in general, topics that embarrass them and that they first want to explore for themselves.

It is a story that deals with the issue of censorship, represented in this case by the irritating Ivana Beprawpa - who wants to hunt and eliminate from Appleton everything that does not respect her dictatorial standards and everything that she thinks lacks in good taste, elegance and good manners.

It is a story that teaches to fight against bullying, gender stereotypes and toxic masculinity - because it's never too early to learn these things. Because Rita B. Danjerous is a librarian who promotes openness, curiosity, resourcefulness, freedom for females and males to have a voice and to be whoever they want.

Its only flaw is that I wanted to hear the students' voice and thoughts more and a little less of the irritating Ivana, but hey... there is a purpose for that, I realize it.

Maybe it's a graphic novel aimed primarily at children and middle graders, but I believe that adults can also rediscover the magic of the first time they set foot in a library and were enchanted by the amount of worlds available to them in a bunch of pages.

This book reminds me the book called suggested reading. But this book is a middle grade novel and also a short read which you will enjoy as it has good story arc, also illustration.

The Klise sisters are back in their trademark wacky style, highlighting the glaringly suspicious activities of the adults in a community. What at first glance seems to be a book about an underhanded librarian quickly turns out to be, instead, about book censorship in schools. The theme of confidentiality and right to read in schools runs deeper than most of the Klises' work, but it is still chock-full of zany humor, from a completely ineffective, bumbling school principal to helicopter parents (who can't have their children reading past bedtime, goodness me!) to plenty of wordplay. The embezzling but old-fashioned school superintendent is Ivana Beprawpa, while the radical new librarian giving kids controversial books and her daughter are aptly named Rita Danjerous and May B Danjerous. Readers will identify with and root for two fifth-grade amateur journalists who are determined to get to the bottom of their superintendent's suspicious policies. The whole book is told in a series of memos, news articles, and emails, making it fun and fast-paced. Sarah Klise's illustrations and formatting to make this book look like a true portfolio of letters enhance its effects. Great fun for readers, but addresses important topics as well. Ages 8-12.

Review: I’m a librarian and I have a soft spot for books about libraries and librarians. When they are geared towards middle grade, even better. This book was filled with puns, and laughs, and left you figuring out who the “baddie” was going to be.

I loved the layout of the book. It was in the format of letters, newspaper articles, emails, and text messages.

The one thing that was great is the school librarian Rita B. Danjerous was all about her green dot collection. I think this is a fantastic thing, and it’s great to have tough topics to talk about without having the fear of checking materials out or having to ask about them.

I also love that the love of reading and the library brought the town together as well.

In the small town of Appleton, the elementary school is coming under pressure due to low enrollment. The principal to the rescue! He’s hired a new school librarian who has daughter starting the fifth grade, hey! You only need 20 students to keep the doors open, and young May makes 20! Yay! There’s a minor detail that’s slightly offputting. The principal doesn’t remember any of this! Thankfully he has a very competent and funny executive assistant extraordinaire in Gladys. Now the bad news, the newly elected school board president has mandated some policies that make everything in the town quite tricky.

The new librarian is Rita B. Danjerous, and she has chosen to supply the non-existent library with her personal library and has a special section called the “Green-Dot Collection.” Ms. Danjerous has done what the school has failed to do, and that is getting kids interested in reading. But, every story has a villain! The school board president is against everything Ms. Danjerous stands for and naturally they bump heads. Who will win?

Told through a series of memos and newspaper articles, this is a funny and adorable story of letting kids know it’s okay to question things and be curious. The characters are well written and interesting. Even the villain is funny. I had some formatting issues towards the end of the book, which made some parts hard to follow. As this was an ARC, I don’t imagine others will have this problem. I enjoyed this book and I think it should be in every library.

Don't Check Out This Book! by Kate Klise is a children's book currently scheduled for release on March 10 2020. Consider the facts: Appleton Elementary School has a new librarian named Rita B. Danjerous. (Say it fast.) Principal Noah Memree barely remembers hiring her. Ten-year-old Reid Durr is staying up way too late reading a book from Ms. Danjerous's controversial "green dot" collection. The new school board president has mandated a student dress code that includes white gloves and bow ties available only at her shop. Sound strange? Fret not. Appleton's fifth-grade sleuths are following the money, embracing the punny, and determined to the get to the funniest, most rotten core of their town's juiciest scandal.

Don't Check Out This Book! is a read full of punny names, and a healthy dose of humor. I really enjoyed the letter based format, and think that it portrayed the personalities and intent of the characters very well. I liked how well the different tones and voices were done, even with variation in stationary and handwriting to make them each stand out. I like that while some of the personalities seem over the top, I have actually met people like most of these characters. The story seems simple, but covers a lot of ground. THere is the importance of following the rules, but knowing that there is a time to question them and follow your own heart and mind to do the right thing. There is supporting others in doing the right thing, the importance of the perfect book, and how some people crave power and prestige more than the good they could do with it. The balance of humor and important ideas is so well done that it does not feel like preachy or heavy handed, which can ruin a read for some readers (like myself). I hope just as many parents, educators, and school board members read this as children because there were moments that felt all to real. I really enjoyed the read and was reminded how much I have enjoyed Klise's work.

Don't Check Out This Book! was a great story that I think kids and adults can enjoy on their own and to spark conversations.

My Thoughts

Set in the town of Appleton, pop. 83, this is the delightful tale of the Danjerous gals, and is told through emails, memos, newspaper articles, notes, texts, and more. Rita B. Danjerous and her daughter May B Danjerous (note that May’s middle name is simply B) are the newest residents of Appleton.

And the book has it all:

The Wordplay

Every character’s name (as well as the names of places and even the taglines each place uses) is wordplay perfection! Like Cy Durr, who owns an apple orchard, or his son Reid Durr, who soon becomes the library’s biggest borrower, or Reid’s friend, Ben Thinkin. And then we have Ivana Beprawpa – who coats all she does (the mean and the nasty) with a covering of ‘properness.’ One of my favorite characters was Gladys Friday, the school secretary.

Before I continue with the review, I want to include one tagline – this is the one of the First Bank of Appleton – Because Money Doesn’t Go On Trees. I can keep going with the puns and the wordplay sprinkled generously and cleverly all over the book, but I will stop here since it is not just about puns.

And Everything Else

Rita is the new school librarian at Appleton; and they have not had a library for 14 years now. Rita is excited about introducing the kids and adults at Appleton to books (all books, even the ones that we are often told ‘not to read’). And she does so with gusto – using her own collection of books(since the school has none), a broom closet for the library itself, and an old apple barrow to use as a bookmobile!

Her “green dot collection,” includes books that the kids can borrow without using their library card. This is for all those books they always wanted to read, but had not (told not to, shyness, embarrassment, etc). Of course, the kids love this, but the parents – they don’t. While we don’t know the exact books in the green dot collection, everything strongly hints to any number of banned books as well as books with answers to questions kids are too embarrassed to ask others.

I could easily picture all those readers in this book; reading late into the night, using torch lights after bedtime, locking their office doors with Do Not Disturb signs, or well – being me!

All of this late night reading and ‘green dot’ books soon leads to a campaign to fire Rita. The campaign is led by Ivana who is determined to have her say (no matter how foolish or outrageous) and her way (so she can use her power as school president to well, profit).

Will Ivana get her wish, or the powers that be (Dewey A. Proove of the Illinois Board of Education being one of them along with Noah Memree, the forgetful school principal) will choose a different route? Read the book to find out!

Some Last Thoughts

I loved how the book manages to touch upon topics of censorship, standing up against bullies, about banned books, money laundering, investigative journalism, entrepreneurship, newspaper reporting, politics and corruption, finance management, helping friends in need, and about the love of reading what you want! It does so in ways totally not-preachy(love when that happens), perfect for the audience and keeps the reader engaged and LOL throughout! And of course, I loved, loved, loved the wordplay!!!

Last but not least, Sarah Klise’s illustrations add to and complement the storytelling delightfully making this book a must-have and a must-read.

In Summary

From the very first pun(oops, word) to that last one, or actually, from the title itself and the beautiful dedication to the heartfelt acknowledgements, this book is totally wor(d)th it. Read every word and this book is so much fun that you will be done before you realize it! Everyone will love the good wins eventually message, the hilarious puns and wordplay, and be encouraged to read more.

Simply put – Check Out This Delightful Book, Now!!! (or Don’t – for those who will because I say don’t!)

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Young Readers for the eARC of the book; and thanks again to Algonquin Young Readers for inviting me on this blog tour for ‘Don’t Check Out This Book.’

Things in Appleton are getting a bit topsy-turvy. There’s a new librarian in town. She introduces the ‘green dot collection’ which allows children to check out books anonymously on topics they may be too embarrassed to ask about. However, for some reason the principal of Appleton Elementary School does not recall hiring her. The new school board president, and only member of the school board, has implemented a new dress code for students, which includes items than only be purchased at her clothing store.
Don’t Check Out This Book! Is an easy and fast read, told mostly using letters, emails and notes. This book encourages children to read, ask questions, investigate and take action. It encourages children to take a stand and to pursue things that they may have an interest in. All in all, it is a good read for younger kids and has some good lessons to teach. It also shows how some adults will attempt to take advantage of a situation if they can. The play on the characters names is cute. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to review this book.

I have to say, I was a little worried about the formatting of this book, but I was gladly surprised. This story was fun and exciting. It made my loath certain characters and love other. The way the book is laid out in email form, really gave the pages a visual change. It was almost like having a picture on every page. I'm glad I read this book.

My review will be live on the Book Confessions blog on 3-11-20.

This is a cute book about a school librarian and fifth grade girl who enter a new school. They challenge the school board president in everything she wants to do. The school board president is determined to get the new librarian fired but at what cost.

This is a quick read that is entertaining.