Written by Kate Klise
Illustrated by M. Sarah Klise
March 10, 2020
Algonquin Young Readers
Blurb: 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 miss this seedy saga!
Purchase Link: Amazon
A new librarian has arrived at Appleton with her daughter. They are Rita B. Danjerous and her daughter, May B. Yep. Don’t Check Out This Book is filled with puns and play on words. All the names give an indication to the character in a humorous way.
The library in Appleton Elementary, unfortunately, has been turned into storage and all of its books trashed, but not to fear because Rita brings her own library, complete with a green dot section that soon becomes a topic of concern with some parents who fear their children may be reading books that will corrupt them. Personally, I would have loved access to a green dot section when I was a kid. Having all of the answers to uncomfortable questions at my fingertips!
Don’t Check Out This Book is a fast, amusing read for both adults and kids. The kids will love the fact that May and her friends in this book are the heroes while adults will enjoy the puns and satire. The message of censoring and banning books is always an important one and should be revisited frequently.
An enjoyable read!
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Kate Klise is the award-winning author of more than 30 books for young readers, many of which are illustrated by her sister, M. Sarah Klise. On her way to becoming an author, Kate Klise worked as a babysitter, waitress, ice-skating instructor, and rosebush pruner. She was also a journalist and spent 15 years reporting for People magazine. When she’s not working on a new book, she enjoys traveling around the country, sharing her best writing tips and tricks with aspiring authors of all ages.
M. Sarah Klise has always had a fondness for creating colorful book reports, which began in elementary school with yarn-bound volumes on states and countries. In college, she enjoyed writing heavily illustrated letters home to her mother. Years later, she still does variations of all that when she illustrates books for young readers. She also teaches art classes in Berkley, CA.