Check out this article about a bookstore's response to censorship of a gay-themed book at a school book fair

The book: The Best Man
The author: Newbery Medalist Richard Peck
The bookstore: Avid Bookshop
The bookstore's owner: Janet Geddis

From Richard's article on the incident in Publishers Weekly, Hey, Hide that Book!

"After a book fair manager showed The Best Man to a student, the manager overheard a parent ask, “Is this what we’re teaching our children?” The head of the school then instructed that The Best Man be hidden—put in a box so that no child could accidentally find it.

But there is a supple strength in independent book stores, and Avid is a very independent book store. Its owner, Janet Geddis, made the well-timed decision to withdraw from the school’s book fair. Such a decision may not be unprecedented, but the act of packing up and leaving the book fair of a school that caves to the first complaining parent made enough noise on the net that the head of the school sent a letter to parents."

Read the full article here.

Cheers to Janet for the courage to do the right thing.
Cheers to Richard, for writing this middle grade book featuring a gay marriage, and letting us know about this censorship.
And, finally, cheers to the store selling 150 copies of "The Best Man" in the book's first week!

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee

The Best Man - a middle grade story about a boy who's best man at the wedding of his uncle and teacher. Oh, and it's a gay wedding!

The Best Man by Richard Peck

"Archer Magill has spent a lively five years of grade school with one eye out in search of grown-up role models. Three of the best are his grandpa, the great architect; his dad, the great vintage car customizer,; and his uncle Paul, who is just plain great. These are the three he wants to be. Along the way he finds a fourth—Mr. McLeod, a teacher. In fact, the first male teacher in the history of the school.

But now here comes middle school and puberty. Change. Archer wonders how much change has to happen before his voice does. He doesn’t see too far ahead, so every day or so a startling revelation breaks over him. Then a really big one when he’s the best man at the wedding of two of his role models."

Featured on lots of "Best Books of 2016" lists (including Kirkus, School Library Journal, and the New York Times), "The Best Man" also was a Boston Globe Horn Honor Book! 

Add your review of "The Best Man" in comments!