School Librarian & Author Amanda Jones Discusses Librarianship, Book Banning, and More
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Also, a special shoutout to Kamilla, who left a thoughtful comment on my last post about Maurice Sendak. Kamilla, your words on the importance of telling the truth in storytelling are spot-on, and they set the perfect stage for our featured guest today, school librarian and author Amanda Jones.
Amanda, who has navigated through a lot in the past few years, embodies the spirit of truth-telling in her work. Despite facing challenges, she remains unwavering in her commitment to providing a safe haven for her students and ensuring diverse voices are heard through the books on her shelves.
Join us as we delve into Amanda's insights on her experiences, her upcoming book, the literary tastes of her students, and her hopes for a more inclusive future in children's literature.
RT: Wow, you've been through a lot the past few years, to say the least. I imagine there have been some really high highs and low lows. How has everything you’ve been through influenced the way you see your work as a school librarian? How has it influenced how you actually do your work?
AJ: The last year and a half have been a rollercoaster for sure! It is not easy to be the target of extremists, and maligned by the community you have lived in your whole life, but I draw strength from the countless librarians and citizens across the world who have reached out to me in support.
Through everything that has happened to me, I am able to see more clearly now the lengths people will go to in order to further marginalize members of our society and just how important it is to make sure all students and library patrons are represented in the books on the shelves.
I am solidly committed to making sure all of my students can see themselves and their families, as well as learn about others, in the books on our shelves.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t second guess every purchasing decision, social media post for our library, and lesson, but I will keep on doing what I’ve been doing, which is to provide a safe space for my students and a wide array of age-relevant, diverse literature.
My stress levels have been through the roof, but I am committed to standing up for intellectual freedom.
I will not soft censor, and will continue to use professional reviews and our collection development policy, as well as student, teacher, and parental input, when making decisions for our library.
RT: What books are your students reading and loving right now? Are there particular genres or authors who have been super popular lately?
AJ: My students cannot get enough graphic novels and the most popular are the Babysitters Club, I Survived, and Big Nate series.
The students are also huge fans of Alan Gratz’s historical fiction, record books, and the Dog Man series.
We have seen a rise in checkouts of novels in verse, and Kwame Alexander, Jacqueline Woodson, and K.A. Holt are always popular.
They also check out the books featured in Steve Sheinken’s and Stacey Rattner’s popular YouTube series "Author Fan Faceoff. I have attached a QR code to the front of all titles featured on this series so that the students can watch the episode after they read the book!
RT: When I was a school librarian, I was hyper-aware of what types of books we needed more of, especially after I genrefied our library. (For those not familiar with the term, genrefication involves organizing fictional books by genre rather than solely by the author's last name, making it easier for kids and teens to discover books aligned with their interests.) For example, I was desperate for quality sports fiction for both our middle-grade and young adult sections. I'm curious about your current needs. What's not being published enough? What types of books do you find yourself wishing for more of in your collection?
AJ: I would really like to see more fantasy and science fiction featuring BIPOC characters for middle grade readers.
I’ve been happy to see all of the titles from the Rick Riordan Presents series, and our students love Kwame Mbalia’s Tristan Strong and Last Emperor series. I just purchased Angie Thomas’s Nic Blake and the Remarkables and cannot wait to get it in students’ hands, but we need more titles.
I hope publishers will make that happen.
RT: Huge congratulations on your upcoming book, That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America! I'm so excited for you, and I'm so excited to read it. As you've navigated the journey of writing this book, could you share one specific writing tip or strategy that played a major role in shaping your narrative? I'd love to learn about what proved most helpful in your creative process—whether it was guidance you received from someone else or something you learned on your own along the way.
AJ: Thank you so much! Writing does not come naturally to me, so I had to set goals for myself.
I created an outline for the book, detailing what I wanted to include in each chapter, and gave myself a deadline for each chapter. My friend and fellow school librarian Tom Bober kept me in check with feedback and helped me to meet my writing deadlines.
As a lifelong procrastinator, setting deadlines for myself was key.
Support Amanda and her work by pre-order her upcoming book, That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America.
Amanda Jones is a 23 year educator, school librarian, and the current Past President of the Louisiana Association of School Librarians. She is the 2021 School Library Journal Librarian of the Year, a 2021 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, and the 2020 Louisiana School Librarian of the Year. She made national headlines for fighting back against censorship in her community when she became a target of extremists. Amanda is a co-founding member of Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship, a grassroots organization fighting attacks on intellectual freedom in Louisiana. She is the winner of multiple intellectual freedom awards from the ALA, AASL, and the Louisiana Library Association. She serves as the LLA Chapter Councilor for ALA and is a member of the AASL Chapter Assembly. Her book That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America, will be published by Bloomsbury in 2024. Find out more about her at librarianjones.com.
Thank you for joining us at the Kidlit Kitchen! Let's keep the conversation alive and vibrant.
Inspired by Amanda Jones' commitment to diverse voices and inclusivity, I’d love to hear your thoughts:
What’s a new—or new-ish—book that you believe young (and older!) readers should check out?
Any suggestions about how we can make sure all voices are heart in the world of kidlit?
Drop your comments below!
I’ll respond to your thoughts, ideas, and/or suggestions in next week’s post.
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