January 15, 2023 Dear friends: There is a quiet, crucial movement among students, parents and educators who are concerned about the many books that have been banned from Washington County School libraries this year. While we understand that it will take some time to reverse some of the underlying policies that have led to this ban, we feel the urgent need to respond. We’d like to focus on positive, creative and community-based solutions by stocking Little Free Libraries in our community with banned books. We have identified nearly 20 Little Free Libraries in the St George and Hurricane area and we know of others who are interested in starting their own. The objectives of this project are to: 1) Seek donors who will help purchase 100 or more banned books to place in Little Free Libraries in our community. 2) Place a PSA in each book explaining why the book was banned, what meaninful themes the book presents, and what actions people can take to advocate for the freedom to read. 3) Build and install new Little Free Libraries. Our first step is to start recruiting donors who will purchase books for this project. Call or visit our local bookstore, Book Bungalow (94 W Tabernacle Street, 435-619-8200), and order any books you want from the list of banned books attached with this letter. Students have partially organized the list in order of priority of books they find most meaningful. Tell Book Bungalow that the books are for the Little Free Library project and you will get a 20% discount. We would like to keep this project grassroots to minimize any backlash. We will use word-of-mouth as our primary means of publicity, while initiating targeted and small-scale social media to engage young readers. Our goal is to get 100 books. As we gather the books, students who are part of the organization Students Against Censorship (SAC) will insert the PSAs and distribute them to all the free little libraries in our community. Check out SACs website to see how else you can get involved. Also, please pass on this invitation to like-minded friends who might want to help. We appreciate all you do to encourage the freedom to read in our community. Very Sincerely Yours, The Little Free Libraries of WCSD Project List of Banned Books in Washington County School District (as of January 2023) Somewhat, although not yet entirely organized in order of priority by students as to the books they find the most meaningful. The top 8 books are priority. 1. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 2. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur 3. Forever by Judy Blume 4. Looking For Alaska by John Green 5. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison 6. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 7. Lucky by Alice Sebold 8. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez 9. This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson 10. What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold 11. Sold by Ny Patricia McCormick 12. Crank by Ellen Hopkins 13. Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia 14. People Kill People by Ellen Hopkins 15. Push by Sapphire 16. Shine by Lauren Myracle 17. The Haters by Jesse Andrews 18. Tilt by Ellen Hopkins 19. Triangles by Ellen Hopkins 20. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins 21. Breathless by Jennifer Niven 22. Fade by Lisa McMann 23. The Handmaid'sTale: The Graphic Novel by Margarette Atwood 24. Damsel by Elana K. Arnold 25. Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold 26. A Court Of Frost And Starlight by Sarah J. Maas 27. A Court Of Mist And Fury by Sarah J Mass 28. A Court Of Silver Flames by Sarah J Mass 29. A Court Of Wings And Ruin by Sarah J Mass 30. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Mass