Ban This Book Alan Gratz Novels & Stories

He darted straight across the grove like he knew exactly what he was doing—leaping over a clover patch and finally dropping my notebook with a dramatic plop at someone’s boots. Alan’s boots. Alan looked down at the notebook. Then up at Rufio. Then at me—still barefoot, still trying to decide if I was mortified or weirdly impressed. His brow lifted. “Did he steal that from you?” I put my hands on my hips, heart racing for reasons unrelated to the sprint. “He’s a menace.” “He’s an opportunist.” Alan scoffed. “I see where he gets it.” I teased. That earned the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth. Not a smile. But close. I crossed the grass slowly, brushing my hair back and trying not to

Shawn hit the nail on the head. Grace smiled bashfully upon being called out. Then, she focused on the stack of books. "Are these all yours?" "Yeah, Zain didn't want to sell them. He said they wouldn't fetch much, so they've been kept as a memento." Grace squatted down and browsed through the books. She noticed that they were books from a long time ago. Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she picked up a book from the floor. "Criminolo—" Before she could finish, Shawn snatched it away and mustered a smile. "I wanted to join the police academy."

Popping open the buttons again, I grabbed a random book from the pile and knocked on the door. “Sorry to disturb you, but I seem to have a problem with…” I cast a cursory look at the book I’d grabbed and was appalled to see it was a literature book, “…this book.” He arched his brow. “Time to kill" by John Grisham . I got it because I was told it’s one of the books in this year’s syllabus, even though I wasn’t sure if Literature is one of the subjects you’re interested in. I haven’t read it though, so I might not be of much help.”

Reluctantly, I set the spoon back down, shrugged to show I understood. Dad always said family should not be bogged down by too many rules. Those high-society rituals were suffocating. I needed to get my hands on the inheritance and get back to Newvale City, pronto. It was only after Edward picked up his spoon that the rest of us could eat. Victoria whispered just loud enough, "No manners at all..." I ignored her. She was not the real challenge there, not with her every move so plainly obvious. Alice, setting down her spoon, turned to me with a curious gaze. "Sis," she inquired, "is it true you were boxing for money before?"

I nodded and appreciated him for his thoughtfulness. “Well, Grace and I would get on with it…” Elias stood up. “…alone,” I completed, forcing him to put his ass back on his seat. They were intelligent; I am sure they knew we were only trying to give them space. Elias called a man to bring the book for me. I gave Alex a light gesture before leaving the sitting room with hopes that by the time we are done, they would have spoken it out to a point and figured it out. In the library, just like the last time, I opened the book flat on the table, and it slammed back shut with black smoke emitting from the layers of pages. I raised my brows while Grace flinched.

Clutching a couple of books—the first ones I’d grabbed without even looking—I bolted back to my apartment. Alan drove me home, just like he’d promised, after I’d supposedly “looked through” his library. Though “looked through” was generous—I couldn’t remember a single title I’d actually noticed. At one point I’d even been holding a book upside down, which he’d pointed out with a faint, knowing smile.

With his bound hands and feet, Grant could only wriggle on the ground like a worm, cursing loudly without any fear of death. "So, you're Martin? What are you? You dare to use extrajudicial methods. Without the support of your family, the Langley family, you're nothing but a fart in Z Country. In terms of ability and skill, you don't even qualify to polish his shoes..." He... The more he cursed, the more offensive it became. Alan couldn't stand it anymore. He raised his hand and slapped Grant several times, making his eyes see stars and his ears ring. "If I didn't have something to ask you, do you think you would still be alive to see our boss? You scum, a social tumor." Alan cursed at him.

“My shoulders are killing me. Those lateral plank walks and Hindu push-ups are insane.” Gage rolled a sore neck. “Yeah, well. Jet lag is no longer an excuse. Exercise your ass off, or you’re off the team.” “Cranky much? What’s up, man?” “Did you know about the assassination twelve years ago?” “The what?” “I knew the ambassador was a widow… that her husband had been murdered, but I’ve never paid much attention to diplomatic gossip.” “Bud, what are you talking about?” Gannon pulled out a chair and handed over a water.

Instead of being alone with my thoughts, I started sharing the quiet with him. It felt weird at first. Scary. One day in the library, he followed me to my favorite corner table in the back. The place smelled like old books and wood polish. I had my advanced math book open, the one with hard problems I solved in my head for fun. I tried to hide the cover fast. Alan sat across from me with his own books. “What are you reading today, genius?” My face got hot. “Nothing special. Just some stuff for fun.”

"Don't touch that shelf" Mario and Grace turned around when they heard Dominick. Mario looked at him. "Hey Bro! Is this your collection?" Dom scrunched his eyebrows. "Keep those books back... I don't like when people touch that shelf..." He looked at Grace. "Now!" Grace placed the book back without argument, she herself is a book lover and she understands how it feels when someone touch her books without permission. Mario did the same. "Chill! I was just looking for a good book."