Director of Library Operations Pamela Parker recommends Lula Dean’s Little Free Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller.
Welcome to small-town Idaho – er, Georgia – where book-banning meets a subversive twist!
In Kirsten Miller’s Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books, the town’s busybody, Lula Dean, sets up a “clean” Little Free Library in her yard. She hopes to promote moral uprightness and counter the debauchery she imagines is taking over Troy’s youth.
Lula Dean is among those who argue that a plethora of titles should be removed from the local library and schools, and she challenges the seat on the school board to advance her cause.
Enter Lindsay Underwood, a college student who grew up in Troy. She thwarts Lula’s plans by swapping out her ‘wholesome’ titles, like “Our Confederate Heroes” and “The Southern Belle’s Guide to Etiquette,” for the very banned books that have been removed locally.
Incidentally, one of the banned books that covertly makes it into Lula’s Little Free Library is Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (1970) by Judy Blume. This coming-of-age novel for young readers made its way through the hands of most of the girls at my elementary school nearly 50 years ago. As I recall, many of us learned about menstruation from Judy Blume, thankfully.
Thinking back on why my entire fourth grade class wanted to get their hands on Blume’s works reminded me that some of the hardest things to talk about can be explored through the eyes of characters we meet on pages of books.
In Miller’s forward-thinking and edgy novel, we find some big reveals about the town’s residents and their intertwined lives. She seems to be making the point that reading certain books at key points in our lives changes more than minds – it can change and even save lives.
I recommend this novel to readers who appreciate a humorous approach to exploring difficult topics, from greedy children fighting over an inheritance to a girl who becomes a cheerleader after her reputation takes a hard hit. For those willing but reticent to talk to family, friends, and foes about the benefits of reading fearlessly, this often ironically funny, definitely gritty book might just help break the ice.
Find it in our collection here.
___
Each October, we celebrate Banned Books Week (October 4–10, 2026). PEN America, an advocate for the Freedom to Read, reports record-breaking spikes in book bans across school and public libraries nationwide, including Idaho. At The Community Library, we will have a banned books display up all month featuring popular reads that have been challenged or banned, now and in the past. Drop in and lend us a suggestion, and we will add it!
More here about Banned Books Week 2026 at The Community Library.
