About this book
Sixteen-year-old Raphaelle says the wrong thing, antagonizes the wrong people and has the wrong attitude. She can't do anything right except draw, but she draws the wrong pictures. When her father moves the family to a small prairie city, Raphaelle wants to make a new start. Reborn as "Ella," she tries to fit in at her new school. She's drawn to Samir, a Muslim boy in her art class, and expresses her confused feelings in explicit art. When a classmate texts a photo of Ella's art to a younger friend, the fallout spreads throughout Ella's life, threatening to destroy her already-fragile family. Told entirely in verse, Audacious is a brave, funny and hard-hitting portrait of a girl who embodies the word audacity.
Censorship history
In 2024, "Audacious" by Gabrielle Prendergast was banned at the school level in several districts across the United States due to its LGBTQ+ and sexual content. Notably, the book faced challenges from parent-teacher associations and local advocacy groups, leading to formal complaints that prompted school board votes to remove it from libraries and curricula. The bans were upheld in multiple states, reflecting ongoing debates about the appropriateness of such content in educational settings.
Bans
| Country | Year | Reasons |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 2024 | LGBTQ+Sexual |
