It’s National Banned Books Week, a time when my husband notices a little extra rouge in my cheeks, a little extra fire in my tone. To be honest, it takes a lot to get me angry — I’m a pretty laid back lady — but challenge a book’s very existence, along with anyone’s right to read it, and you’re going on my own special sort of list.

In honor of my love of the freedom to read whatever I want, I’m going to write a post each day this week about banned books and the people in my life who inspired me to be an adventurous reader.

Today, I’d like to tell you about the first banned book I read, which also happens to be the first “big girl book” I read in 2nd grade: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. (I know, I can’t believe it’s on the 100 Most Challenged Books list, either!) It’s an amazing book, a scifi classic that absolutely blew my tiny 7-year-old mind and opened the door to so many other books I’ve enjoyed over the years.

I remember taking the book off the shelf of the Denton Elementary Library and setting it on the desk of our school librarian, Mrs. Walker. I was so excited, as she could probably tell. She asked me if I was sure I wanted it, and I said yes. She said I should double check with my mother, but that as long as she was cool with it, she was, too. And, that was that.

Thank you, Mrs. Walker, for letting me walk out the door with that amazing, challenged book.