Freedom to Read Week

For an astounding 28 years now, the Book and Periodical Council and its Freedom of Expression Committee have organized Freedom to Read Week (FTRW), a national event that reminds Canadians to remain vigilant in protecting our right to free expression. Even in the 21st century, schools and libraries are still asked to remove books and magazines from their shelves, while other books are regularly banned at our borders.



This year, Freedom to Read Week (FTRW) runs from February 26th to March 3rd.

Challenged genre books over the years in Canada have included Neil Gaiman's American Gods, Anne Rice's Beauty's Punishment, JK Rowling's Harry Potter series, Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse Mysteries, Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass, Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange, Stephen King's Different Seasons, and Daniel Keyes' Flowers for Algernon.



This year, the Council has partnered with BookCrossing.com to help readers across Canada Free a Challenged Book and spread the love of reading . . . so, get reading, start sharing, and keep books free to read for all..