Same Page by Elly Swartz has been one of the most difficult books for me to review because it is about such a controversial topic: banning books in school libraries.
SUMMARY
Bess Stein is excited when she and her friend June win the election for the sixth grade class president and vice president, respectively. But their friendship begins to fall apart when they disagree about what books should be in their proposed book vending machine.
Bess and June (more specifically, June’s mother) represent the opposing sides of the banned books controversy: Bess believes that all types of books should be available in the school library for kids to make their own choices, while June’s mother complains to the school board, believing that some books are irrelevant and inappropriate for her children.
REVIEW
Same Page is told from Bess’ point of view in the present tense. The prologue draws the reader into the story and made me want to read more. I like Bess’ character and think that she is easy for kids her age to identify with. She and her younger brother, Avi, struggle with anxiety and their parents’ separation, making them easy for kids who have experienced these struggles to relate to. Bess stands up for what she believes is right and wants to make a difference in the world, which I found admirable. Also, I love Bess’ connection to her great-grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, and how that connection impacts Bess.
While I like Bess, she is a flawed character and, in my opinion, not a good friend (even though other characters in the story tell her that she is). Once she and June disagree over the books, she decides they can no longer be friends. She does exactly what she says she is standing against: making a judgment based on one statement and not considering the full story (in this case, June’s point of view). June points this out herself when she asks Bess, “I make one decision that you don’t like and you stop talking to me?” (119). June, however, is not a good friend to Bess, either. She befriends a group of bullies and avoids Bess as much as possible. At the end of the story, Bess and June apologize to each other, and Bess admits that she never tried to understand June’s point of view like she should have. Even though they become friends again at the end, readers need to think critically about Bess’ actions towards June throughout the story and recognize that her attitude towards friendship is not what they should imitate.
While friendship and not judging a book (literally and metaphorically) by its cover are two main themes of the story, I feel that these themes get a little lost when book banning becomes the main conflict. Because it is told through Bess’ point of view, Same Page gives readers a one-sided view of the book banning controversy. Bess is so adamant that she is right that readers are tempted to agree with her without considering the other side of the issue. This made me uneasy because I don’t agree with Bess or June, and I think readers should have the chance to formulate their own beliefs rather than having to side with one of these positions. What makes this decision more difficult is that readers might struggle with choosing a position for fear of losing a friendship like Bess and June do. Same Page gives readers a chance to consider and evaluate this issue but may leave them feeling conflicted.
I recommend Same Page to girls ages 11-16, with the caveat that, for younger children, parents may want to read this book before or alongside their child and use it as an opportunity to discuss these issues.
GIVEAWAY
Leave me a comment by June 25th for a chance to win this book. U.S. addresses only. Librarians and teachers get two chances.
ABOUT MY GUEST BLOGGER
Kathryn Dover lives in South Carolina with her family including five cats, a dog, three fish, and many house plants. She recently graduated from Presbyterian College with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and was a valedictorian of the Class of 2024. She’s not sure what she wants to do as a career, only that she wants to write, but is trusting that God has a plan for her life to use her in a powerful way. In her free time, she enjoys reading, photography, playing with her pets, and growing plants. She last reviewed BOWERS AND SHADY on my blog.
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An important topic for today. Sounds interesting.
I wish I had time to read all of the books that are rolling off the presses these days–including this one! I agree. It does sound interesting.
Thanks so much for reviewing this, Kathryn!! ^^ And for sharing this review, Carol. This book is on my TBR, and I was really glad to see this book featured — I think this is such an important topic for today. Rather disappointed that it appears to give a one-sided view of the controversy, but I’d still like to read it for myself anyway.
Thanks, Isabelle. After you read it I’ll be interested to read your review.
Excellent, honest review. Without reading the book, I have to say, of course kids should not be exposed to ALL books! Goodness. Imagine thinking it’s okay for a 7-year-old to have easy access to porn, right? Or witchcraft? Know what I mean?
Adults need to protect children’s minds and emotions. There are so many things that can harm a child’s emotions and thoughts … things they should not have to carry before they’re more mature. If not, they’ll have struggles as a teen and an adult. Maybe even the rest of their lives.
Well said, Pam.
I am a fan of this author’s writing and haven’t had a chance to read this book yet. I love that she has tackled an important topic that unfortunately is currently an issue. Thank you for the review and chance to win a copy!
Thanks for your honest review telling us what you liked and didn’t like about the story. I’ll pass on the giveaway. I just won last week.
I enjoy your honesty, and it sounds like an interesting read, which does hit on a lesser used theme, especially for the age group. I’m passing on the giveaway but thanks!
Thanks, Tonja. Honest reviews are important!
Thanks for stopping by, Natalie
Thank you, Danielle. You’re in!
I have this one on my future list of books to read. Much appreciation for your honest opinion on what didn’t work. I’ll let someone else with the giveaway and, as always, thanks for featuring your review on MMGM.
thanks, Greg. I’ll be interested in your review of SAME PAGE.
I’m pretty much opposed to the censoring, so might read this with a natural bias towards Bess. I get the issue with how quickly she gives up on her friend but that feels pretty real to me.
Thanks for weighing in, Rebecca. It’s a tough topic to tackle! SAME PAGE will get kids thinking about both sides of the coin.
Excellent review, Kathryn. This sounds like a very timely and interesting book.
Thank you, Rosi!