Ban This Book

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2017

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-12

Chapters 13-22

Chapters 23-31

Chapters 32-40

Chapters 41-49

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

The BBLL (Banned Books Locker Library)

The Banned Books Locker Library is a symbol for rebellion and freedom throughout the novel, and as such it contributes to the theme of “Power and Control Over Others.” At first the collection of books simply serves readers who want to satisfy their curiosity about why the book was banned in the first place. Soon, however, Amy Anne, Rebecca, and Danny take steps to keep the collection secret. Amy Anne empties her locker to make room; to notify others about available titles, she uses green dots on a list; she later hides the list behind a poster; and to protect readers from discovery, they employ MJ to create fake book covers.

These steps show how the trio evolves as a functioning organization. Rebecca also claims their “incorporated” status and gives them official position titles. Soon they extend their rebellion against those in power and authority by surreptitiously taking the very copies banned from the library and later, by orchestrating the accumulation of over seven thousand Request for Recommendation forms. The BBLL is so effective that by the resolution of the novel, ironically, it is no longer needed. Amy Anne, Rebecca, and Danny have met the goals of their cause and Mrs. Jones returns the books to the shelves.

Trey’s Cartoons

Trey has a knack for drawing and sketching, so Amy Anne is not surprised to see his cartoons for each of the rights protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Trey’s drawings are clever visual puns, but in Amy Anne’s opinion, the play on words takes the focus away from the meaning and importance of the right. The sketches symbolize Trey’s “Innocence to Systems and Society.” Furthermore, Trey seeks Amy Anne’s approval and engagement as he shares the cartoons with her. He wants to use the cartoons as a pathway to clearer communication with Amy Anne, and to get her to warm up to him. Amy Anne is frustrated by and angry with Trey, and she is not ready to try to understand his point of view. She criticizes some of the cartoons initially and dismisses others. Realizing her potential fault in judging too harshly, Amy Anne is more careful to praise his talent when Trey shows her a revised attempt at the right to assembly. Trey must patiently continue to befriend Amy Anne until she finally sees that he is against the banning of books. He shows a move away from innocence when he acknowledges that he must be the one to turn in the Reconsideration forms.

Motif of Running Away

Amy Anne purports the motif of running away throughout the novel as she mentions the idea many times. Her little sisters, Alexis and Angelina, along with the general chaos, lack of privacy, and respect in her household, drive Amy Anne to running way fantasies. In fact, one of the reasons From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is currently Amy Anne’s favorite book is due to the main characters’ successful secret trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. To Amy Anne, the mystery with which protagonist Claudia and younger brother Jamie become involved while at the museum is secondary to their running away from home.

Near the end of Ban This Book, Amy Anne is feeling so strongly her obligation to moral authority and so motivated by the upcoming presentation of hundreds of Reconsideration forms at the school board meeting that when her plan falls apart, she betrays her family by attempting to run away herself. Amy Anne realizes when her family apologizes, helps to resolve the problem, and shows up to advocate for her newfound authoritative voice at the board meeting—despite Alexis’s disgruntlement—that her parents and sisters serve as a strong foundation of love and support.