A review by stephsnextread
Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

4.5

Lula Dean is on a mission to rid her small town of all “inappropriate” books (which she hasn’t actually read). She builds a little free library in her yard and fills them with books she deems appropriate. Little does she know that someone in her town has switched all her books with banned books (and put the dust jackets of Lula’s books over them to keep it a secret). It turns out this might be just what the town needs.

I loved the messages of this book so much! There is a very large cast of characters representing all of the views in town. At first, when each of the early chapters was about a new family, I was worried it would be too many characters to keep track of. However, their stories all ended up meshing together perfectly. Each of the characters who picked up a banned book from Lula’s library had their life impacted in one way or another, and I loved how each one also ended up impacting the town. This book tackles significant issues such as racism, antisemitism, homophobia, and misogyny. The author handles these topics sensitively, while also including humor and heartwarming moments.

I have read many of the real banned books mentioned, and I’m even more inspired to read more of them now. I highly recommend this book!

Read if you like:
📘 Little free libraries
📘 Reading banned books
📘 Large casts of interesting characters
📘 Small towns