The characters in his novel who oppose “The Adventurers” don’t expressmany overtly homophobic ideas Donovan’s mother says the book is “inappropriate” but never explains to him why she thinks so. The novel’s resolution is tidy in a way that real-world endings rarely are, but it provides a good introduction for its targeted age group to the topic of censorship.

Ultimately for Donovan, doing so is a big part of effecting change. There’s no ambiguity in his pro-book stance, but it’s hard to speak out against one’s parents. They get to be part of the solution, injecting themselves into a conversation that some of the adults in their lives would prefer to keep from them.ĭonovan is at first confused about the issue, then torn between supporting the book and supporting his family. “Answers in the Pages” will empower young readers, since Donovan and his classmates band together to speak up in support of their teacher, of the book and of their right to read it. The final thread, narrated in third person, is a sweet story of first love between two boys (at the same school a generation earlier) its connection to the main story is a bit of a mystery until the end. The second thread gives us a glimpse of “The Adventurers,” the delightfully cheesy invented novel to which Donovan’s mother objects. The novel comprises three intertwined narrative threads: The main story is relayed in first person by Donovan, a fifth grader whose mother has sparked a campaign to challenge a book he’s been assigned in English class: an action-adventure novel with possibly gay protagonists.

When a child comes to you with big questions about the world, it’s beautiful to be able to say, “Here’s a book that will help us understand.” “Answers in the Pages,” by David Levithan, is such a book for children grappling with why books get challenged and what they can do about it.

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