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I have a Little Free Library in my front yard. It’s a tiny wooden box on a post. Snoopy’s doghouse themed, if you can’t tell by the picture below. The concept is simple: put books in, take books out. And people actually respect the process. I’m obsessed with the whole thing.
So when I found a novel called Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books, I had to grab it. I’m not typically a fiction consumer, but this made perfect sense to add to my 100 book reading goal for 2026 (Book #34).
A story built around a Little Free Library? About banned books? Written as a satire around censorship? Sounds fun.
My Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books Book Review
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Where to Get It
Available in multiple formats, depending on how you like to read (or listen).
- 🎧 Audiobook (Indie Option): Listen on Libro.fm
- 🎧 Audiobook (Amazon Option): Listen on Audible
- 📚 Support Local Bookstores: Buy from Bookshop.org
- 📦 Amazon (Paperback/Kindle): View on Amazon
Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books Summary
Lula Dean lives in Troy, Georgia. She has appointed herself the town’s moral guardian. She likes to ban books she finds inappropriate. And also loves to share “wholesome” (and totally boring) books via her Little Free Library. Books about race, sexuality, gender, history is real dangerous stuff, apparently.
Then someone sneaks in and ruins everything. A local troublemaker pulls out the wholesome books, removes their dust jackets, and restocks Lula’s library with the banned ones. Literary classics, gay romances, Black history, witchy books, Judy Blume. All hidden under the covers of the boring stuff Lula approved. The townsfolk start borrowing. And reading. And their lives start changing.
It’s a response to what’s happening right now around book banning, censorship, and who gets to decide what a community reads. Fair warning: if you’re a fan of banning books or think Confederate statues are a hill worth dying on — this isn’t your book. But you’re probably not reading this blog if that’s you. If you like satire, check out my best humor essays list.
Who is Kirsten Miller?
- 📍 Grew up in a small town in North Carolina. Went to college in New York City.
- 📚 Author of over a dozen middle grade and YA novels, including the acclaimed Kiki Strike series.
- 📖 James Patterson blurbed about her book Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books. That’s a good sign.
- ✍️ Co-wrote books with Jason Segel. Yes, that Jason Segel of How I Met Your Mother fame.
My Rating
My innovative system for rating humor books is explained here
Overall Awesomeness: 5/5
Very much a fun idea. Make fun of people who ban books and praise confederate heroes. I’m in.
Things I Liked 👍
- Little Free Libraries are my jam. Love the concept. And loved Miller’s idea of using them to distribute banned books.
- Characters to root for. Characters to root against. Characters that change from bad guys to good guys.
- I love that the book banning, Confederate statue saving, racist, sexist characters looked like idiots. I wish we could “out” people in real life that easily.
- Timely topic – pretty much the world we’re living in now.
Things I Didn’t Like 👎
- A few too many characters to keep track of for me. I sort of lost who was who outside the main ones.
Conclusion
I don’t read a lot of fiction. I’m a nonfiction guy. Memoirs, biographies, humor essays (like the classic Essays Out of Left Field.) But this book is the rare exception that made me glad I stepped outside my lane.
If you believe in the freedom to read, you’ll love this. If you own a Little Free Library, you’ll feel like it was written for you.
Where to Get It
Available in multiple formats, depending on how you like to read (or listen).
- 🎧 Audiobook (Indie Option): Listen on Libro.fm
- 🎧 Audiobook (Amazon Option): Listen on Audible
- 📚 Support Local Bookstores: Buy from Bookshop.org
- 📦 Amazon (Paperback/Kindle): View on Amazon
Do you have a Little Free Library? Have you ever read a banned book? If so, did it corrupt you as advertised? Drop a comment below.
