At Risk Books

“Relevant to the collection, particularly for the represented LGBTQ student population; Portrays minority groups and individuals impacted by trauma. The book, and its explicit sections, are prefaced with reader warnings, ensuring awareness of potentially sensitive content.”

“This book is relevant to a diverse audience, but particularly to students and individuals who identify with the transgendered young adults whose stories are represented. While it contains some minor explicit passages, they serve to enrich the context of the work.

Additionally, it provides significant social and historical context for all readers, enhancing understanding of this complex topic.”

“The committee did not perceive this content as "sexually explicit"; instead, it portrays a love story between two boys characterized by a wholesome, respectful relationship.

Relevant themes include bullying, self acceptance, friendship and family. There were expressions of discomfort regarding the illustrations for the middle school audience.”

“The committee did not perceive this content as "sexually explicit"; instead, it portrays a love story between two boys characterized by a wholesome, respectful relationship.

Relevant themes include bullying, self acceptance, friendship and family.”

“Highly relevant to high school students, staff, and parents. The committee members strongly connected with the experiences of the characters and the themes in the story.

Themes include bullying, school violence, peer pressure and suicide. The brief sexually explicit scene, while present, does not dominate the novel's overarching themes and does not warrant its removal from the collection.”

“This historically significant story offers diverse perspectives that may not be familiar to some students, particularly given Pine-Richland's socioeconomic and geographical context.

While mature content and sexually explicit scenes exist within the novel, they do not dominate its themes, nor are they explicit enough to warrant the removal of the book from the collection.”

“Those in favor of keeping the title in the collection argue that, despite the coarse language, it offers a diverse perspective. It is based on the stories of real people and may provide students with a reflection of themselves. The character demonstrates resilience in the face of various life challenges including abuse, neglect, learning challenges, and bullying, among others.

Those opposed to keeping the title in the collection point out its "controversial" content, which includes intensely explicit and graphic depictions of sexual assault that are often disturbing. They argue that the explicit language detracts from the literary merit of the work. They believe it may be more suitable for college-level readers or available in public libraries for students to access.

“The committee acknowledges the presence of inappropriate language in this book, as expressed in the reconsideration form, but contends that most high school students are already acquainted with such vocabulary.

They contend that the overall content and themes of the work do not warrant its removal.”

“While certain passages touch upon sexual content, the novel as a whole is not overtly graphic or explicit. It delves into relevant themes related to a dystopian future.”

“As with the novel, the graphic novel delves into relevant themes related to a dystopian future. There was some concern raised regarding illustrations depicting sexual scenes or nudity within the work. However, upon evaluating the work in its entirety, it was determined that these illustrations did not warrant removal from the library collection.”