The Right to Read
The NCBLA believes that every person has the right to read. In a free society, this includes the right to choose what one shall read.
Parents, as the primary educators of their own children, have the responsibility of ensuring that their children learn to read and of guiding them in their selection of reading materials. We recognize that there will be occasions when conscientious parents will find certain books and/or materials inappropriate for their children. We acknowledge the right of parents to restrict materials they deem objectionable, and, in the case of school assignments, to ask for alternate reading for their children, but we believe this right carries with it the obligation to respect the right of other persons to make different choices for their own children and themselves.
Editor’s Note: The above “Right to Read” statement was penned and signed by the following NCBLA board members, all of whom are award-winning authors: M.T. Anderson, Natalie Babbitt, Mary Brigid Barrett, Susan Cooper, Steven Kellogg, Gregory Maguire, Patricia and Fredrick McKissack, Patricia McLachlan, and Katherine Paterson. Learn more about our board members past and present here.
The First Amendment and the Definition of Intellectual Freedom
Supreme Court Case: Board of Education, Island Trees School District v. Pico
Banned Books Week and Most Challenged Authors
“Banning Children’s Literature: The Right to Read”
Interview with NCBLA Founder and President Mary Brigid Barrett, Journalist Anna Pivovarchuk, and Children’s Literature Expert Maria Salvadore on The Fair Observer website.