Celebrating Dr. Tasslyn Magnusson: CBC and Every Child a Reader’s First-Ever Free Speech Award Honoree

We are thrilled to share the wonderful news that our very own Dr. Tasslyn Magnusson, Policy Fellow at the EveryLibrary Institute, has been honored with the 2025 Children’s Book Council (CBC) and Every Child a Reader’s Free Speech Award. This recognition shines a spotlight on Tasslyn’s indispensable contributions to defending the right to read — a core mission we champion every day at the EveryLibrary Institute.

In the official announcement, Children’s Book Council Executive Director Carl Lennertz highlighted why acknowledging Tasslyn’s work was so important and, frankly, long overdue:

“I’ve been thinking for a while that among the many, many champions for free speech, Tasslyn had not been properly recognized and honored,” he told Publishers Weekly. “I saw all her great work in partnership with EveryLibrary [Institute] and PEN America, and it’s time to shine a light on her invaluable work.”

Since 2021, Dr. Magnusson has tirelessly gathered, documented, and shared essential data around book challenges and bans, helping equip librarians, parents, educators, and community members with concrete information and resources to push back against censorship. By harnessing the power of crowdsourcing and collaboration, Dr. Magnusson has made it possible for so many stakeholders to stay informed, respond strategically, and speak up for the right to read. As she explains in Publishers Weekly, her approach stems from a desire to protect young people’s freedom to explore literature “that speaks to them authentically and meets them where they are at—not where adults imagine they should be.”

Read the CBC's announcement honoring Dr. Magnusson

“We couldn’t be more proud to have Tasslyn as our colleague,” says John Chrastka, Executive Director of the EveryLibrary Institute. “Her commitment to defending free speech, her relentless data gathering on censorship, and her collaboration with writers, librarians, and community members have been vitally important in anti-censorship and anti-discrimination campaigns. We are so happy to see the CBC and Every Child a Reader recognize her unique and powerful contribution.”

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Magnusson on this well-deserved honor, and we hope to see you at the online CBC ceremony honoring her later this spring.