one of the two police who eventually investigate Monday's disappearance is the same cop who patronizingly refused to listen to Claudia's concerns earlier on (and Claudia does not disclose this later when it would be important); Melissa by Alex Gino, which was renamed to reflect the chosen name of its young, trans protagonist, has topped the American Library Association’s list of most challenged books in America for three years running. Melissa was considered for removal in November 2021 in Missouri and included in Rep. Krause’s list of “divisive” books to be removed from Texas schools. Last September, Gino, who is nonbinary, told Yahoo Life that their book’s removal sends the message that their existence as a trans person is "so scary and so reprehensible and so monstrous that I cannot be shown to children." 6. In The Dream House

This is the story of how my best friend disappeared. How nobody noticed she was gone except me. And how nobody cared until they found her . . . one year later. And when she said the challenges are up 60% over last year, she notes that 'this year' doesn't end until Dec. 31. Another thing about this book is that we get lots of scenes that don't further the plot or story. We get scenes with her relationship on Monday. We get scenes of her being at school, her at the party, her at dance and her relationships with her mom, dad and Michael. I would have enjoyed it more if we had more scenes where she was digging into where Monday is and being like a detective in a way. To me, I think that would have made the book more compelling and this would have better executed the plot. Don't get me wrong this book has a great premise, but it could have been executed so much better. Instead of having most of the book be filler, you could shave that down a bit and add more of Claudia being a detective, looking at all the clues to figure out where her best friend went.

If you read the synopsis there is this comment by Laurie Halse Anderson "mesmerizing punch in gut" ACCURATE !

Huffaker said challenges began to increase last year, and most of the targets were books about race. This year, and specifically in Utah, the challenges are more often aimed at LGBTQ content and sexual content. Claudia and Monday were supposed to write letters every week during the summer while Claudia was visiting her grandmother, but Claudia heard zilch. Then Monday never showed up at school and no one seems to be able to answer where she went and HOW CAN A CHILD JUST GO MISSING?!?!?!?! It's first time I am talking about chapter titles , but the way the chapters are named it waa so innovative and creative , like I was really impressed by the revelation which will lead to discovery of why the chapters are named this way . Monday’s Not Coming is told in three distinct timelines: “One Year Before the Before” takes place a year before Monday goes missing, “The Before” covers the year after Monday goes missing, and “The After” takes place two years after the police discover that Monday and August were murdered. However, this structure isn’t clear until the end of the book. As a result of the trauma of discovering her best friend was murdered, Claudia represses her memories of the discovery—and so she spends the two years after the discovery tirelessly trying to unravel the mystery of Monday’s disappearance all over again. Memory, the novel shows, is fragile and fleeting when it’s intertwined with trauma, as trauma can cause a person to misremember or repress their memories. But the novel also suggests that it’s only through remembering that a person can understand their trauma and ultimately heal from it.If a child is constantly being told by society that they won’t get help when they ask, or that their problems aren’t worth the time it would take to find a solution for, then obviously children are not going to have the courage to speak up. Another concern is fitting in or being judged. Children are constantly feeling society’s pressure to fit the status quo in their communities. But what happens when they don’t fit? How will people react? How will people respond to a cry for help? It is important to remind young people that their voices are heard and that their lives matter. Claudia has gotten through seven or more years of public schooling by relying on her friend Monday to do her work for her (these two girls just happen to always be in the same classes doing the same projects); My only other issue was one of the final plot twists of the story. I believe this story would have been much stronger without the addition. For me, it was just not explained well and starkly stood out compared to the well-developed story that was established. when Claudia has a pseudo break-down, the school nurse administers a narcotic sedative via a shot (in what universe does this story take place?);

Gender Queer," by Maia Kobabe, which is a memoir that a parent recently read excerpts from at a Canyons School Board meeting. This book, a graphic novel in which Kobabe discusses sexual orientation and gender identity, has made headlines recently for causing controversy in other states, including Texas. A+ for the suspense and tension build-up because 15% in, I was ready to trade my mum to find out what happened to Monday.This is something I wanted to talk about this book is so painful that while reading it my heart felt heavy and weak, it really touched me like some events of abuse were horrendously painful . Lawn Boy, by Jonathan Evinson, has been challenged at schools in several states, including Minnesota, Texas, and North Carolina. According to its publisher, Lawn Boy tells the story of “a young man determined to achieve the American dream of happiness and prosperity — who just so happens to find himself along the way.” The 2018 novel has been criticized for its depictions of sexual situations, including a gay sexual experience from the protagonist’s childhood. At a school board meeting, one North Carolina dad even accused the book of “normalizing the sexualization of children and stealing their innocence.” 2. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl One school librarian who asked to remain anonymous told Teen Vogue that there are already robust vetting tools for librarians to select books for school libraries. While they respect parents’ rights to advocate for their child, they believe established policies let “cooler heads prevail.” I always a nagging feeling while reading this but couldn’t figure out what exactly happened to Monday. This was super fast paced, I think the short chapters really helped with that and I read it in 2 days. I loved that Claudia had such supportive and loving parents but they still had rules and expectations for her. I love that there was a love interest that was a smart and kind young man and not a jerk. I loved Claudia and Monday’s relationship and how they looked out for one another. I wish we had a better look into the police investigation or we got more of Monday's pov at some point. But the twists? 😳 omg I could barely keep up.. I love it so much when there are these little bread crumbs of twists in a thriller that hits you out of no where and you just like wait a minute how did I not see this one coming? then there is a huge twist in the end that just leaves your jaw hanging.

Monday's sister knows what happened to members of her family but fails to report it because she fears the dissolution of that family (a family that is so dark and violent that readers wonder why all of them wouldn't run away at the first opportunity); Across the country, books are disappearing from library shelves. In an offshoot of the conservative movement to restrict how teachers can talk about the history of race and racism in the United States, parents and politicians have demanded the removal of books they deem inappropriate for kids and teens. According to The Washington Post, between September and November of 2021, the American Library Association saw the highest number of book challenges in any three-month period since they started collecting data in 1990.Haney said the district's policy review committee met Tuesday to discuss the issues with the policy and what should happen next. He said it will evaluate, review and discuss all related issues and decide how to move forward. This group eventually makes recommendations to the school board, and it's the board that would adopt any changes or new policies.