Last year, the American Library Association reported a 20% increase from the previous year in efforts to ban books in the US in both school and public libraries.

As WYPR education reporter Bri Hatch reported, 148 titles were challenged in Maryland last year, which made our state one of more than a dozen states to exceed one hundred banned books.

Maryland is one of the states with laws that require specific criteria for removing books from libraries, and which protect library personnel who act within that criteria.

Dr. Sonia Alcántara-Antoine, the CEO of the Baltimore County Public Library and the President of the board of the Public Library Association, joins Midday to discuss censorship, the future of the county's public library system and her summer reading list for young and old.

Picture books and children's fiction:

On a Summer Night by Deborah Hopkinson

• A beautifully illustrated soothing bedtime story set on a quiet summer night where various creatures awaken one by one. Ideal for bedtime or anytime, offering comfort and encouragement to young readers, also great for read-aloud or story time

Beach Hair by Ashley Woodfolk

• A heartfelt picture book celebrating family and community, the narrative follows the family's journey from waking up with wild bed head to embracing their beach hair and heading to the beach. Ultimately, the book encourages readers to embrace and celebrate their individuality, mirroring the freedom and wildness of the sea.

The Squish by Breanna Carzoo

• Summery illustrations will catch children’s eyes. Easy text for an early reader, yet a very engaging and fun story for children, young and old.

Rohan Murthy Has a Plan by Rajani Larocca

• Rohan Murthy wants to start a pet care company to raise money but his family thinks this is a bad choice because he dislikes animals!

Children's non-fiction:

Bite by Bite: American History Through Feasts, Foods, and Side Dishes by Marc Aronson and Paul Freedman

• Summer is all about eating and this book takes young readers on a culinary journey of the cultural, historical, and social influences on American eating habits. Beginning in 10,000 BCE, this title explores the Indigenous foods of the Americas and continues through colonial times, European immigration, civil rights, and today.

Teen fiction:

Even if it Breaks Your Heart by Erin Hahn

• A swooning enemies-to-dating romance with the two protagonists as alternating narrators. Well-written novel includes a deep look at class differences and how teens deal with grief.

Fiction:

Jackpot Summer by Elyssa Friedland

• Multigenerational Jewish American family story mourning the loss of the family matriarch a year earlier and coping with adult problems ranging from marital to financial and career crossroads. Three of the four adult siblings go in on Powerball tickets and win millions. How does this life-changing money change each of the three and what about the fourth sibling who’s left out in the cold? A Great book club choice with lots of laughs and discussable issues, not the least of which is just what would you do if you won the lottery?

You Are Here by David Nicholls

• Meet-cute with two appealing but lonely sad sacks who find each other on a hike across Britain. The book showcases this author's signature ability to understand middle-aged adults with pitch-perfect dialogue.

NONFICTION

The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

• Exceptional writing captures the joy of the natural world, and includes her own lovely drawings of birds. Her tips include providing a lot of fresh water sources to attract a wide variety of birds

The Race to the Future: 8,000 Miles to Paris by Kassia St Clair

• Five teams attempted to drive across Asia and Europe in 1907, in early cars on mostly unpaved roads. This was a journalistic sensation of the era, with newspapers worldwide following their progress. St. Clair places the race in the context of the advent of the modern era, and how this event helped accelerate the shrinking of the world.

(Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, Library Of Congress. Via Wikimedia.)

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