May 3, 2026: Banned Books- a Kid's Perspective

“You are not serious?!” Shrieked one of my students.  The students were eating lunch in the classroom. They were chatting about a specific book when one of them had said that they had heard that the book had been banned.

My 4^th Graders and I had just finished a literature study of the book HOOT by Carl Hiaasen.  I had selected this specific book because earlier in the year we had done a deep dive into owls.  We had researched the different types of owls in North America, had dissected owl pellets to determine the prey they ate, and had tied in civics by studying some of the laws in place to protect endangered owls.

         The students had thoroughly enjoyed the book and we were able to have some great discussions about character development, theme, plot, activism, and environmentalism.

         “Is that true Mrs. Lindquist?” one of them demanded.

         I explained that yes, there were some school districts that had decided to ban the book HOOT for elementary students.

         Chaos erupted as they all started to talk at once. I calmed them down and asked them why they thought the book may have been banned.

         “Well, that scene when Roy moons Dana- someone could think that was inappropriate maybe?”  A couple students nod in agreement.

         “Or maybe because there are a couple of cuss words.  Damn, Hell. Sometimes people get weird about that,” shared another.

         “There are some tough themes.  Bullying. Family violence. Juvenile delinquency. Maybe they think elementary kids are not ready for those things,” pondered another.

         “Wait,” countered a student, “Those themes and that language, really?  Those things are in the video games we play.  In the tv shows and movies we watch.  Are they trying to ban those too?”

         The mayhem continued.

         “Hold on,” said a student who actually decided to stand up to get everyone’s attention. “I know exactly why they banned the book. The book is about kids who think for themselves and take action.  The people who ban book don’t want us to grow up to be people who think for themselves and take action.”

         She looked around to nods and murmurs of agreement from her peers.

         And there you have it.