A committee consisting of parents and staff members in the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan district voted to keep the book Just One Day on the shelves of school libraries. The book is centered around a young female character named Allyson and her plans to travel Europe following her graduation. She then meets a young man during her trip, which leads to “ a day of risk and romance, and 24 hours that will transform Allyson’s life.”

The content of the book was brought into question after an 11-year-old girl checked the book out from the Rosemount Middle School library. The girl’s parents did not agree with the substance of the book, as it contains some areas with crude language and adult sexual content.

This decision raises questions about what kinds of books should be put into school libraries, and determining whether or not these books are “appropriate” for young people to read. Does there need to be some kind of rating system for literature like there is for movies? Or should we leave it up to the parents to determine what their children should be reading?

From my own experiences in high school, it was inevitable that I would run into a piece of literature that contained adult themes, especially in the IB program. So, shielding young readers from these types of  books can potentially hurt their preparation for further reading as well as limit their knowledge and understanding of the things that go on in the world around them. Who’s to say that these kids won’t be more compelled to get their hands on a book once it gets banned? Ultimately, parents should have confidence and trust in their children to determine what reading material is appropriate for them.