Kate Klise: Hello, my name is Kate Klise. I'm the author of Don't Check Out This Book! Now, that's a title that I hope no one will take literally because I really do want people, especially kids, to check out this book. It's about a school called Appleton Elementary that hasn't had a school library in 14 years, and it shows. You can just ask the school secretary, Gladys Friday.

Everything changes at Appleton Elementary when a new librarian comes to town. Her name is Rita B. Danjerous. It sounds a little like read to be dangerous. Rita has brought to Appleton something she calls a "green dot" collection. These are edgy books, and students don't have to check them out. They simply slip them in their backpacks and read them under the covers at night. Now, this whole idea of edgy books that kids don't have to check out, it does not sit well with the very proper school board president named Ivana Beprawpa. When it turns out that both the new school librarian and the new school board president have secret agendas, it will be up to a bunch of fifth-grade bookworms to figure out who the real bad apple is in Appleton.

What fascinates me is how the people who want to censor books, because they think certain books are bad, are often the same people who are up to no good themselves. I was really interested in trying to cook up a story about a book-banning character who could embody all the pettiness and corruption we see in the world today. I also wanted to create some book-loving characters who could win out in the end. I also want to shine a light on all the things that give me hope, like books and libraries and kids and best friends and maintaining a sense of humor.

The heroine of the book, Rita B. Danjerous, is a combination of all the great book lovers I've met over the years, who were changing the world for better. I borrowed the idea for Rita's green dot collection from a school librarian I met in Memphis named Kathy Evans. She told me she borrowed the idea from another librarian. Sharing great ideas is one of the hallmarks of libraries, but I especially love the idea of a special collection of books that might be too embarrassing to check out. You can just slip any book from this collection into your backpack and read it in private and return it whenever you like, no judgment, no shame, no censorship.

Don't Check Out This Book! is my valentine to readers and librarians and everyone who loves books. As my illustrator sister, Sarah, and I say in the dedication, "This book is dedicated to the rabble-rousing librarians and scandal-stomping young readers in whom we place our last best hope for democracy."

Here's a little teaser from the book. This is Rita B. Danjerous, the new school librarian writing to her friend, Gladys Friday, the school secretary, about what the green dot collection is all about. Rita writes:

You asked about the green dot collection. Do you remember being young and having questions about things that felt embarrassing or scary or just plain weird -- and not knowing where to turn for answers? I do. That's why I created my green dot collection. These are the books I wish I'd had when I was young and full of questions. If you have time after school, stop by the library. I'll brew us a pot of tea and tell you more."