What are the 19 books up for review in Volusia County Schools libraries?

Katie Kustura, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
·2 min read
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Florida is second, only to Texas, when it comes to the highest number of bans on books in school libraries in the United States, according to an analysis by PEN America, a free speech and literary organization.

Nineteen books in Volusia County Schools libraries "whose content has been informally challenged due to sexual content" are up for review.

Library book challenges:What Volusia parents need to know about opt-outs this year

Here's a list of the books being reconsidered

  • "All Boys Aren't Blue" by George Johnson

  • "The Black Flamingo" by Dean Atta

  • "Burned" by Ellen Hopkins

  • "Crank" by Ellen Hopkins

  • "Darius the Great Deserves Better" by Adib Khorram

  • "Fade" by Lisa McMann

  • "Flamer" by Mike Curato

  • "Glass" by Ellen Hopkins

  • "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika Sanchez

  • "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson

  • "The Infinite Moment of Us" by Lauren Myracle

  • "Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me" by Mariko Tamaki

  • "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

  • "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Perez

  • "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky

  • "Sold" by Patricia McCormick

  • "TTFN" by Lauren Myracle

  • "TTYL" by Lauren Myracle

  • "YOLO" by Lauren Myracle

"Darius the Great Deserves Better" by Adib Khorram is one of the titles up for review next month in Volusia County.
"Darius the Great Deserves Better" by Adib Khorram is one of the titles up for review next month in Volusia County.

Who decides if the books are removed?

Each book is reviewed by a committee of nine people. Each committee includes a chairperson of a school advisory committee or designee, a media specialist, a principal, a curriculum supervisor, two instructional staff members and three parents/citizens, according to the Volusia County Schools website.

The reviews will be conducted during public meetings beginning in March, and the committees will "recommend whether a book should be retained or removed from the district’s library collection."

For the full schedule, visit bit.ly/VCSbookreview.

What's happening in other districts?

Flagler County Schools introduced an opt-out program about a year ago. The program allows parents and guardians to place limitations on what books their child is allowed to check out from the library.

Is the opt-out policy working?Only 4 Flagler students have restricted access to books

Public records show four students, out of nearly 12,700, have restricted access, meaning a parent or guardian must pre-approve the book before their child may check it out of the library.

More than 1,600 unique titles have been banned in schools across the U.S., according to PEN America's Index of School Book Bans.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 19 books in Volusia County Schools are up for review. What are they?