While first lady Melania Trump and her iconic “Be Best” efforts are nowhere to be seen in Washington, second lady Usha Vance has risen to the challenge of getting children to crack open a book while school’s out.
“The goal of the summer reading challenge is to have children from all over the country read this summer,” Vance told Ainsley Earhardt on “Fox & Friends” Thursday. “And if they do that, and they tell me about it, we’ll send them a little prize and enter them into a drawing to come visit the White House.”
Second lady Usha Vance wants kids to read a dozen books this summer.
While the second lady tries to entice little ones with a free trip to the White House or a MAGA-riffic prize, the ever-growing list of books targeted by right-wing groups like Moms for Liberty might make this challenge … extra-challenging.
But rebellious youth can always find a way.
Daily Kos would never condone anything illegal. But if reading “Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stink-a-Lot” is a no-go in certain parts of Florida (yes, seriously), then something is very wrong.
So whether you’re trying to conquer Vance’s summer challenge or just want some new reading material, here’s a ridiculous list of banned books you can add to your reading log before you send it to the Trump administration.
Here are some young adult novels that are sure to get right-wingers raging:
“Wicked”
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Nothing upsets MAGA more than a tale calling out oppression, immorality, and corruption. Of course, “Wicked,” a counterpart to “The Wizard of Oz,” does include more mature scenes that had conservative parents crying wolf.
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
“Slaughterhouse Five”
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A classically controversial book, Kurt Vonnegut’s novel has been labeled as “anti-American” and “anti-Christian.” While maybe not suitable for a 5-year-old, highschoolers have been squabbling over this book for decades (and hopefully, always will).
“Ban This Book”
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The irony of this book being banned speaks for itself. Alan Gratz penned the 2017 tale of a young girl wanting to read banned literature in her North Carolina library. What really upset the Indian River County, Florida, school district (which ultimately banned the book) is that the young girl in the story created her own secret library of banned literature for other students to access. According to them, promoting the idea of defying rules was grounds enough to ax the book altogether.
“The Hunger Games”
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Unsurprisingly, a novel about a young girl rising up from extreme poverty to take down a totalitarian militant state is a little too extreme for MAGA’s taste. But if you ask them, the book promotes “anti-family” themes.
“Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stink-a-Lot”
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Returning to this title, Captain Underpants, a superhero who flies around in tighty-whities, was seen as too offensive for children. Of course, this particular graphic novel was banned because it featured a same-sex couple. Every other Captain Underpants book had the green light.
And here are some of the most banned picture books, according to PEN America:
“Baseball Saved Us”
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This children's book tells the heartbreaking but courageous story of how baseball brought Japanese American people together while they were being held in internment camps during World War II. And while some people prefer to turn their backs on the dark parts of American history, author Ken Mochizuki chose to highlight it.
“A is For Activist”
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Of course, anything that tells children to challenge the beliefs thrust upon them and to stand up for LGBTQ+ rights doesn’t sit well with MAGA families, but this cute alphabet board book is one way to prepare little ones for larger conversations down the line.
“Pink is For Boys”
“Harriet Gets Carried Away”
“No, David!”
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“No, David!” isn’t just a children’s book—it’s a classic. The Caldecott Medal winner features an unruly child who makes a break for it in the nude. Seeing the backside of a toddler on the run sounds like a relatable rite of passage for parents. However, uptight Texas Republicans saw this as grounds for banning the sinful literature.
“Unicorns are the Worst!”
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When Moms for Liberty got word that a unicorn butt was being depicted in a children’s book, they pulled up their white hoods—I mean socks—and got to work. Despite the book teaching children about getting along with people you may look different from or not understand, this seemed to be a bridge too far for the pearl-clutching mothers.
Do you have any favorite banned books to suggest for Usha Vance’s summer reading challenge? Please share in the comments, and happy reading!
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