Happy Banned Book Week!

This is one of my favorite weeks to discuss books with my students.  

Talking about book challenges and bannings is a great way to get my students thinking.

I plan to show them the Bookmans' Read-Out.  Watch and enjoy.

REVIEW: TTYL

Myracle, L.  (2004).  ttyl.  New York:  Amulet Books.

209 pages.


Appetizer:  The first in an often censored series, ttyl chronicles the IM messages between Zoe, Angela and Maddie; three best friends who are trying to navigate the start of their sophomore year.

Zoe is dealing with an overbearing mother as she explores her spirituality by attending church with her favorite teacher, who may have his own intentions by spending time with her.  Angela is navigating a romantic relationship:  whether she can trust her new boyfriend, Rob, and whether he is "the one" to have sex with for the first time.  Maddie, the most pessimistic of the three, battles the frustration of becoming a frenemy of a popular girl named Jana.  Despite their differing concerns, problems and jealousies, the three girls struggle to maintain their friendship.

From page one, I was impressed by how well Myracle managed to present characterization and differing voices among her three protagonists.  This was helped by each of them typing in different fonts and regularly taking online personality quizzes.  (I remember taking similar quizzes throughout high school.  Oh, memories.)

Despite these efforts, it did take me a little bit of extra time to ease into the story and to figure out characterizations.  I did notice there was a little bit of resistance whenever I had to put the book down.  But each time I picked it back up and eased back into the characterizations, it was hard to stop reading.  (Which is about as good as it gets.)

I decided to finally read ttyl because--alas several weeks too late for banned book week--this was the week to discuss censorship in my literature course.  Since the ttyl series topped the 2009 top-ten list of most challenged books, I'd been curious about its content.  I wondered if it was the fact that the story was structured entirely as instant messages that contributed to the trouble.

It turns out the first book takes on a lot of topics that may be sensitive; like underaged drinking, (mild) dirty humor, female characters being critical of each other and referring to girls they don't like as "sluts," and discussion of pubic hair, lubricant, etc.  At various points, characters contemplate losing their virginity, are critical of religion or consider having a romantic (and creepy!) relationship with a teacher.

I firmly believe the vast majority of fourteen or fifteen-year-olds at the very least have contemplated these issues, overheard discussions or jokes like these, if not discussed them with their friends.

The student-teacher romantic relationship did make me more than a little uncomfortable, especially since (vague spoiler!) the teens don't report the situation to the administration.  But still, it was great that the book included discussion of such a concern and showed how a friend can provide support to a conflicted and confused teenager.

While I think ttyl is a great read for the novel's intended audience, Myracle is also famous for writing some younger, middle grade series.  I could see a parent of a ten-year-old girl who just finished reading Myracle's Eleven and going on to read ttyl getting upset.  I say "parent" intentionally.  TTYL is an unlikely book to be assigned to an entire class, because of this, I think any young reader who has a choice to read it, but isn't ready for its subject matter, will self-censor and put the book down if they're uncomfortable.


Dinner Conversation:

 (p.1)

 (p.3)

  (p. 122)

Tasty Rating:  !!!

New ALA Banned Book Lists

Within the past several days (week-ish?), the lists of most challenged books have been updated on the American Library Association's (ALA's) website.

Not only is the new 2009 list up, but there's now a listing for the 2000-2009 decade.

Call me a nerd, but I am super excited about this.  Since the only decade previously complied was 1990-1999, for the first time I'll be able to compare lists.  (YAYZ!!!!) But what's more, there were also some books in unexpected spots in the rankings.

This is causing me to also feel more than a wee-bit disoriented.

Now I have to do some re-learning.  Like how And Tango Makes Three was number one on the yearly list for the last three years.  Not so for 2009.  It is number two.  The TTYL series has stolen it's spot.  (But still, I can't help but wonder if ALA makes any consideration for whether a number of books that make up a series are being challenged individually, meaning the series over all challenged numbers would be higher than a stand alone book like Tango.  Anyone, anyone, have an answer?)

I was also surprised by the number of classics on the 2009 list.  But it was kind of exciting to see Twilight there (number five, my friends).

For the 2000-2009 decade, it probably won't surprise anyone that Harry Potter took number one.  Anyone surprised, anyone?

Is anyone else out there reeling from the changes or am I alone in this?

Banned Book Week REVIEW: And Tengo Makes Three

Bloggers and blog readers,  I now present you with the number one most challenged book of 2008.  And 2007.  And 2006.  And it was already causing some controvercy in 2005, the year that it was published.  Meet Tango, everyone.

Richardson, j., & Parnell, P.  (2005).  And Tango Makes Three.  New York:  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

0689878451

Now, I know Tango doesn't look threatening.  And she isn't to many.  But let's take a closer look at the plot to discover what all the hub-bub is about.

PLOT SUMMARY:  And Tango Makes Three presents the true story of penguins, Roy and Silo  who paired off in the New York Central Park Zoo.  One of the zoo keepers gave the two pengins an egg to raise.  That would be how Tango entered the scene.

So, what's the problem?  Why all the dramas about this picturebook?  Well, both Roy and Silo are male penguins.  The book describes them and Tango as a family, thus causing major freak outs by those who prefer to think that two men and an infant can't form a family.

While the fact that both Roy and Silo are male penguins forming a couple is a key point in the book, the story does use aloof, distant language, that historically is privileged in information books.  The only time Roy and Silo are described as being "in love" is in the thoughts of the zoo keeper, Mr. Gramzay.

Since, I mentioned the vocabulary choices, I have to admit that I feel And Tango Makes Three leans a little too far away from using child-friendly language and falls into talking down to the readers.  But as far as I know, I may be the only person who feels this way.  Anyone?  Anyone?  Am I truly alone?

The illustrations are done in watercolor, with pale colors that realistically represent New York City, the Central Park Zoo and the penguins. 

And although word on the teacher-street is that Roy and Silo have separated since the book was published, students could go to the Central Park Zoo and meet Tango.

Reasons Censored:

"Anti-family, homosexuality and unsuited for age group"

After several discussions over what exactly makes this picturebook so controversial, I've come to the conclusion it's the fact that this story is classified as nonfiction that makes this book controversial.  Afterall, fictional picturebooks that present homosexual families, such as King and King, are not challenged nearly as often.  It's the fact that And Tango Makes Three could lend itself to the argument that homosexuality can be seen in nature and therefore may be natural that gets some people's panties in a bunch.

Potential Counter-Arguments:

This is a nonfiction book that is educational.  Richardson and Parnell very intentionally avoided presenting bias in their vocabulary choices. 

And Tango Makes Three is not anti-family.  It's all about presenting families in a positive light.  Instead of challenging family, it expands the way "family" may be understood.

Uses in the Classroom:

And Tango Makes Three can be used to discuss the birth process and behaviors of penguins, the fun of going to a zoo, adoption or the structure of a family.

This book could also be used with older young adult students who may be working on research papers.  A teacher could guide them in a discussion over the illustrations.  Do colored pencil sketches lend the story the same amount of authority as photographs would have?


Quotes of Note:

"In the middle of New York City there is a great big park called Central park.  Children love to play there."

"Two penguins in the penguin house were a little bit different.   One was named Roy, and the other was named Silo.  Roy and Silo were both boys.  But they did everything together."

"Roy and Silo watched how the other penguins made a home.  So they built a nest of stones for themselves."

"Then Mr. Gramzay got an idea.  He found an egg that needed to be cared for and he brought it to Roy and Silo's nest."


TASTY RATING:  !!!

Banned Book Week REVIEW: Fallen Angels

Meyers, Walter Dean. (1988). Fallen Angels.
309 pages -- 0-590-40943-3

Thirty Second Summary: Richie Perry’s a seventeen-year-old basketball player from Harlem. He tries to be a good role model for his brother Kenny. He’s got a knee injury that should have kept him out of the war, but due to a mix-up, his medical files have gone missing and he’s shipped overseas to Vietnam. His only goal now is getting out alive.

Fallen Angels is one of my failsafe book recommendations for my male friends who “can’t find anything to read.” (This isn't to say girls won't enjoy it -- I certainly did, at age fifteen -- but guys are more drawn to the cover, I think.) It’s exciting, it’s tense, it’s occasionally funny, and at times downright terrifying. It’s a war story, but also a political statement… with some regular old teenage drama thrown in for good measure. If you’re uncomfortable with introspective moments, though, this may not be the novel for you. Fallen Angels will make you ask yourself what you would do, and how you would change, in the situation in which Perry finds himself.

Reasons Censored:

Banned because of vulgar language, sexual explicitness, and graphic violence. Oh, and drug abuse, and torture. And slang terms for homosexuals, and racial epithets.

Potential Counter-Arguments:

I’m sorry. Are we not talking about the Vietnam War? I don’t recall that was a time filled with polite discourse and hugs and puppies. Vietnam, as one of the characters puts it, is “like a trip to friggin’ hell.” So yes. There is killing. There is a lot of killing, and all of it is senseless. Soldiers die, civilians die, babies die, and Perry finds it every bit as confusing and disgusting and terrifying as the reader does. There is also vulgar language, and torture, and sexual explicitness, all of which is representative of the situations the soldiers found themselves in.

I’m not saying that you should give this book to a seven-year-old, any more than I’d suggest handing them a copy of The Things They Carried, or letting them watch the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. I do, however, find it slightly ironic that high school students as young as those who fought in the war are now being banned from reading about that time period.

This is an incredibly powerful novel, and an incredibly powerful anti-war statement. There is none of the great, sweeping war-story romance one would expect in a book aimed at teenage boys, but neither does it come off as preachy. If we lose the reality of war, and only hold on to the Guns and Glory aspect of the thing, we’re setting ourselves up for further senseless conflict – young adults, who are capable of enlisting in the military, should certainly understand every aspect and implication of their decisions.

Quotes of Note:

We were supposed to smile a lot and treat the people with dignity. They were supposed to think we were the good guys. That bothered me a little. I didn’t like having to convince anybody that I was the good guy. That was where we were supposed to start from. We, the Americans, were the good guys. Otherwise it didn’t make the kind of sense I wanted it to make. (p. 112)

“Vietnam don’t mean nothing, man,” Johnson said. “We could do the same thing someplace else. We just over here killing people to let everybody know we gonna do it if it got to be done.” (p. 149)

I stopped for a moment to look at the bodies of two old men, their arms around each other in death. I saw them even after I turned away. (p. 178)

I went to the john and puked my guts out. I was scared…. I couldn’t breathe, my hands were sweating. What would I do? I had heard of guys running away to Sweden. How the hell did you get to Sweden from Nam? Was there still a Sweden to run to? (p. 217)

Tasty Rating: !!!!!

REVIEW: Little Black Sambo

Bannerman, H.  (1921).  Little Black Sambo.  Bedford, MA:  Applewood Books.

9781557094148

Once upon the time (AKA as recently as the 1970s), Little Black Sambo was considered a wonderful example of international literature and was a recommended read.  Within the last few decades there's been backlash to that perspective and Little Black Sambo has become the go-to example of stereotypical and offensive depictions of black characters in children's literature.

PLOT SUMMARY:  Sambo is a young boy whose mother and father have bought/made him a nice new outfit.  When he wears it for the first time, several tigers bully Sambo into giving them all of his clothes.  Afraid to go home in only his loin cloth (I kid you not) and face his parents, Sambo faces the tigers to regain his outfit.

 The fact that Sambo's supposed blackness is a part of his official name--Little Black Sambo--makes me more than a little uncomfortable.  This is magnified by the official definitions of the term "Sambo."  My dear friend, the OED, provides two meanings:

1.  "Applied in America and Asia to persons of various degrees of mixed Negro and Indian or European blood; also, a name for a kind of yellow monkey."

2.  "A nickname for a Negro.  Now used only as a term of abuse.  Also with reference to the appearance or subservient mentality held to be typical of the black American slave."

Ugh.  And if that's not enough, the illustrations make me much more uncomfortable about the idea of sharing this with wee little children:

 

Some far from fair representations here...

REASONS CENSORED:

Stereotypical and negative depictions of black people.  This book is ranked as 90 on the top 100 list of the most challenged books of the 1990s.

POTENTIAL COUNTER-ARGUMENTS:

Part of the conflict surrounding this book is the uncertainty of the setting.  Some educators believe the book was originally intended to be set in India (where Bannerman had been traveling when she came up with the idea for the book).  If that's the case, then the depiction of of Sambo and his family as black is out of place, giving readers motive to say, "What the heck is going on here?"

Others believe Little Black Sambo is intended to be perceived as a fantasy story, set in an imagined land.  While this does explain the talking tigers (you mean, some people don't accept that tigers talk in this land?  I know the tigers at my local zoo speak to me), it still doesn't explain the far from fear depictions of Sambo and his family:

So, is it possible to say the illustrations are the source of classifying this book as presenting a VERY negative depiction of black people?  I'd say yes.  But what are your thoughts?

I know a handful of older adults who are in love with this book.  For them, it brings back fond childhood memories.  But then, they're also white.

I'm not saying ban this book.  This book is a part of our cultural past.  Ignoring that causes its own problems.  But I do think, if shared, a teacher needs to provide a lot of context and scaffolding when sharing Little Black Sambo.

USES IN CLASSROOM:

Personally, I wouldn't use this in a classroom unless said classroom was filled with undergraduates.  In which case, I'd be addressing issues of book challenges and stereotypes as I'm doing now.  The book also lends itself to discussing how ideology is always woven into a text and operates as understood assumptions and are often only noticed when ideology has shifted to a new idea or understanding of the subject.

I suppose, I would consider pairing Little Black Sambo with Julius Lester's version of the story:  Sam and the Tigers.  In which case, I'd present the books as an example of changing a story and would present students with the opportunity to change a work of fiction or a story from their own lives that they would have liked to be presented differently.

If a teacher HAD to use this book, it could be used to help identify articles of clothing.


QUOTES OF NOTE:

"Once upon a time there was a little black boy, and his name was Little Black Sambo."

"Oh!  Please, Mr. Tiger, don't eat me up, and I'll give you my beautiful little Red Coat."

Banned Book Week REVIEW: In the Night Kitchen

Sendak, M.  (1970).  In the Night Kitchen.  New York:  Harper Collins Publishers.

0064434362

PLOT SUMMARY:  A young boy named Mickey is having trouble sleeping because of all the noise coming from the kitchen.  He goes on an adventure, losing all his clothes and falling through the floor into the Night Kitchen where he searches for milk for the morning cake.

Okay, so here's the thing I avoided saying in that little summary.  Initially, the Night Kitchen bakers bake Mickey into a cake.  Some kids, will find this freaky.  I mean, there is literally this picture where Mickey's little hand is presumably waving, trying to escape the batter:

Weird, right?

The illustrations are dark and kind of bland, but they do create a fantastical world in which getting that oh-so-necessary cup of milk is essential (making this a wonderful book to share with kids who don't want to drink their milk).

The majority of the text of this book is one long, poetic run-on sentence.

Reasons Censored:

In the Night Kitchen is the 25th most banned book of the 1990s.  But since it hasn't made the top 10 list of challenged books in the 2000s, the ALA doesn't give the reasons for the challenges.

So, here's my guess as to why:  There's full frontal nudity, on the part of wee little Mickey.

I was once told a second-hand story about this book by a librarian.  She told me of a library patron who'd checked this book out and when she returned it, she approached the librarian, carrying the book.  The patron whispered, "The little boy is naked in several of the illustrations of this book."  Before the librarian could respond, the library patron continued, "so I went through and drew blue diapers on all the inappropriate illustrations.  You can feel free to send me the rest of the library's copies to me and I'd be happy to draw diapers on the rest."

Oh, library patron.

Potential Counter-Arguments:

While Mickey is naked and his private parts are exposed in several of the illustrations, he's depicted as a small child.  There's nothing sexual about it.  In fact, Mickey is shown to be an age when children often love to run around naked.  I doubt the four or five-year-olds would take offense.

Now, if someone wanted to object to this book on the grounds that the book is a little creepy...well, I'd have to agree.  But I wouldn't take it off my classroom book shelf.  How about you, few and dear readers?

Uses in the Classroom:

This is a fun imaginative read that could be used as a bedtime story.  Since all of the Night Kitchen bakers are male, a teacher could try to challenge traditional gender roles by showing men cooking.  After reading the book, a teacher could guide children in the kitchen and create some of their own fantastical treats.  (Of course, under no circumstances should the teacher attempt to bake any child into a cake.  No matter how delicious kiddie-cake may be.  It's still illegal, or something)

Another option includes discussing where readers really think milk comes from.  They could tell stories about the possibilities, then drink their daily dose of it, chanting "the milk's in me."

Quotes of Note:

"Did you ever hear of Mickey, how he heard a racket in the night and shouted "Quiet down there!" and fell through the dark, out of his clothes, past the moon & his mama & papa sleeping tight."

"And they put that batter up to bake a delicious Mickey-Cake."

"What's all the full?  I'm Mickey the pilot!  I get milk the Mickey way!"

Banned Book Week REVIEW: It's Perfectly Normal

Harris, R.H.  (1994).  It's Perfectly Normal:  Changing bodies, growing up, sex & Sexual Health.  Cambridge, MA:  Candlewick Press.

0763600512

Holy crud, is this book thorough!  It's Perfectly Normal  uses aloof, nonjudgemental language to describe the differences between sex and gender, the process of reproduction, puberty and on and on.  The 85 page information book takes into account the psychological and physical aspects of growing up.  The book includes multiple illustrations on every page of children and adults from various racial backgrounds.  It shows both bi-racial and homosexual couples without judgement.  To help lighten the topics a roughly drawn bird and bee share jokes and

common responses to the information being presented.

It's Perfectly Normal is the most thorough sex-ed book I've seen.  It doesn't omit any topic.  It explores aging, specific sex acts (including masturbation, vaginal intercourse, oral and anal sex--all described in distant non-judgmental terms), sexually transmitted diseases, abuse, birth control, etc.

Now having said that, It's Perfectly Normal isn't the type of book I'd personally want to get caught reading on my own in public...or in private.  There are many, Many, MANY illustrations of nude figures that realistically show the many variations of human bodies (we're talking different races, ages, weights and disabilities).  While this is meant to make readers comfortable in their own skin, if a reader, say, opened this book to a random page while picking up the book at her local library, I might have been just a tad bit shocked and embarrassed.  But I got over it.

Did I mention that this information book was thorough in terms of the topics it addressed and maintained a nonjudgemental scientific voice throughout?  Yes, yes, it does.  I was very impressed.

Reasons Censored:

It's Perfectly Normal was the 13th most challenged book of the 1990s, and has made a few appearances on the top ten lists during the current decade.  The reasons cited for the challenges are "homosexuality, nudity, sexual content and sex education."

Potential Counter-Arguments:

Here all the accusations are 100% true.  But, umm, it's kind of the point.  I can't think of many sex-ed related questions that It's Perfectly Normal doesn't answer in honest nonjudgemental language.

This is a valuable resource, even if some parents, school administrations, religious institutions, etc. disagree with some of the details shared.  It's Perfectly Normal  lends a scientific and honest voice to many topics that students are too often encouraged to remained silent about.

The book specifically attempts to welcome readers from different backgrounds into the text and to remind them that not only their experiences are normal, but that they are too.

Uses in the Classroom:

Sex-ed, focusing around the time of puberty.

As with most books that present awkward or challenging topics, it's important to allow for open and honest discussion about the topics raised.  Handing off a book to a child is never enough.  An adult has to be willing to talk with students, no matter how awkward.


Quotes of Note:

"Sometimes between the ages of eight or nine and fifteen or so, kids' bodies begin to change and grow into adult bodies" (p. 9).

"Both girls and boys have crushes.  They have crushes on people they know, as well as on people they don't know--like TV stars, movie stars, rock stars, or sports stars.
They have crushes on people of the same sex, as well as on people of the opposite sex, on people who are the same age, older or younger.  Having a crush on someone is perfectly normal" (p. 13).

"Babies and children grow up in all sorts of families.  There are kids whose mother and father live together, or whose mother and father live apart, or who have only one parent, or whose parent or parents have adopted them, or who live with a parent and a step-parent, or who live with an aunt, an uncle, a grandmother, a grandfather, or other relative, or who have gay or lesbian parents, or who have foster parents" (p. 50).

Tasty Rating:  !!!!

Banned Book Week REVIEW: The Stupids Die

Allard, H. (1981).  The Stupids Die.  New York:  Houghton Mifflin Company.

0395303478

The Stupids series are a group of picturebooks that are relatively light in plot and share the silly misunderstandings the Stupid family has as they go about their day.  Luckily the Stupids are cared for by their rather intelligent pets.

The big misunderstanding the Stupids have in The Stupids Die is that during a power outage, the Stupids assume they have died.

The Stupids series is a romp into the absurd, likely to make some readers a little uncomfortable and others uproariously amused as societal norms are violated.

Often the illustrations are essential in understanding how one of the Stupids have misinterpreted a simple activity.

Reasons Censored:

The Stupids are listed as 27 on the most challenged books of the 1990s.  But that particular list doesn't share the most common reasons why the series was challenged.  But I can imagine that it has do with age appropriateness or casual way the word stupid is thrown around.

Potential Counter-arguments:

While adults may find this series a little inappropriate, young students will love the fun with language and nonsensical behavior.  An adult can calm all of their concerns over sharing this book by reminding children that while it's okay to laugh at the Stupids and call them 'stupid,' it's not okay to use that word with real people.

An adult could also encourage readers to think of synonyms for the Stupids behavior.  A key word to embrace would be "silly."

Uses in the Classroom:

The Stupids can be used to show that everyone makes mistakes.  These books provide a fun little rebellion for young readers, providing them an opportunity to say "stupid" without getting in trouble and to poke fun at a lot of societal norms, like sleeping in beds instead of under them (much more fun!).


Quotes of Note:

"One morning Stanley Q. Stupid woke up with a funny feeling.  "Something really stupid is going to happen today," he said."

"The Stupids all had breakfast in the shower, as usual."

"After breakfast the two Stupid kids had chores to do.
Buster mowed the rug."


On a non-banned book related topic, check the site again tonight!  We're going to be launching a book giveaway that will last through October 19th.

Banned Book Week REVIEW: More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Schwartz, A.  (1984).  More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.  New York:  HarperCollins Publishers.

0812449142

Enjoyment Rating:  !!!

Schwartz's Scary Story trilogy are collections of short American folktales meant to scare and entertain.  Shwartz is an actual folklorist, who collected and retold these narratives.  And his series has been immensely popular to bring on camping trips and also is one of the most challenged series of the 1990s.

Speaking from my own experience, these stories never scared me.  Not ever.  The writing is mediocre, characters are never introduced well, but there is often a sentence in most of the stories that reveals the twist or spooky aspect (which if fine).  The illustrations done by Stephen Gammell on the other hand...

...kept me up a few extra minutes before falling asleep when I was younger.

More Scary Stories is split up into parts, focusing on ghost stories and many creepy events that could really happen.  Some of the narratives are in first person, others in third.  Quite a few are set in the past, but only a small handful actually mention their setting.

Reasons Censored:

The Scary Stories series is most commonly challenged with the argument that it promotes the occult (and I suppose "A Ghost in the Mirror" chapter could lend support to this since it describes how to play the game Bloody Mary while looking into a mirror).  Other reasons given are inappropriateness for age group (the books are listed on the cover for being for ages nine and up) violence and insensitivity.

Potential Counter-Arguments:

Most of these stories are common oral tales that are a part of our culture. Ignoring them, we ignore stories about ourself.  These stories provide another perspective on ordinary places and events.  And honestly, you may as well allow kids to enjoy reading these tales, because chances are good they'll hear worse from their classmates or friends.

Another argument is to present these stories as light fun.  The last section contains humorous stories.  In all cases, the supernatural elements are preexisting, nothing that necessarily encourages a child to go out and research the occult.  Rather, a teacher could try to use these stories to get a child interested in folklore.

Uses in the Classroom:

Middle grade students would probably appreciate the option of hearing or reading some of these stories on a school camping trip or around Halloween.

Since some of the stories are based in history, (such as during The Civil War) a teacher could take those individual short stories as teaching moments.

These stories are an excellent way to share the concept of folklore.  But, overall, probably best as an elective read for individual children who want to pick up the series.  If it does spark interest with students, a teacher could also direct them to the Ghosts of America website which organizes people's ghost sightings by state and city.


Quotes of Note:

"These scary stories will take you on a strange and fearsome journey, where darkness or fog or mist or the sound of a person screaming or a dog howling turns ordinary places into nightmarish places, where nothing is what you expect."

"I will go away and take Arthur with me.  And you will get a new mother with glass eyes and a wooden tail" (p. 32).

"She saw two small yellow-green lights moving through the woods near the graveyard at the bottom of the hill.  They looked like the eyes of some animal.  But she could not make out what kind of creature it was.
Soon the creature left the woods and moved up the hill toward the house.  For a few minutes, Margaret lost sight of it.  Then she was it coming across the lawn toward her window" (p. 37).

Banned Book Week: The Harry Potter Series

Let us begin this week of Banned Book reviews with the obvious...The Harry Potter Series.

PLOT SUMMARY (just in case you do in fact, live under a rock.  Which begs the question of how you gained access to the internet): After he turns eleven, Harry Potter learns that he is a wizard and heads off to wizarding school where he makes both friends and enemies.  While there, he learns that the evil wizard responsible for his parents' death isn't as dead as the wizarding community thought.  Let the epic battle between good and evil begin!!!!!!!

While not the number one most challenged book of the 1990s or 2000s (yet), Harry Potter has had it's share of controversy and has been subject to book burnings.  In fact, several burnings.

I'm guessing at least some of the book burners must have skipped the official challenging process established by the ALA, because the series was only number 48 on the most banned list of the 1990s.  (Of course, most of the books came out in the 2000s, but Harry Potter was already a growing cultural phenomenon in the late 90s)

And since Harry Potter is so popular, I thought I'd ask you, my few and faithful readers, have you had any experiences of people expressing hate for Harry Potter?

Since I teach children's literature to undergrads, my students expect me to discuss the books (although I've never assigned any of them, assuming my students either have already read them or really don't want to.  Plus, if I were to teach one of the books in the series, it'd be Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, because of the discussion we could have about the government's role in education.  But that book doesn't come first, is lOOOOOOOooooOOOOng and I'm not that mean).  So, how about you?  And HP dramas?  Any good lesson for incorporating HP?

Reasons Censored:

"Occult/Satanism."

Of course a better argument against the series would be age appropriateness.  As Harry matures so do the conflicts and problems he faces.  Some of the imagery in the later books could be downright disturbing.  Inferi, I'm talking about yoooouuuuuuuu!  Lots of nightmare potential for students who aren't ready for those creatures (and that's not something limited by age).  So, a better argument would be not to share the first books in a classroom of middle grade readers for fear that they may read on and discover plots they're not ready for.  Of course, chances are good, students would be reading on their own, so at that point, any censorship decisions should fall to the parents.

Potential Counter-Arguments:

While the books do feature magic, they still show moral struggles over right and wrong, with the goal of good triumphing over evil.

In general the books show education in a positive light and make readers excited both to read and learn.  The series has become a cultural phenomenon with its own movies, music and games, making it hard to ignore.

Plus the characters, celebrate christmas as a happy occasion for gift giving and family and friends.

This series gets kids reading.  A dream come true right there.  Let them read!!!!!!

In response to my own challenge on the basis of age appropriateness, if students are reading the book independently and they discover a tension, image, plot point they aren't ready for, the kids may self-censor and stop reading or skip ahead all on their own.

Uses in the Classroom:

These books are fun and imaginative, catching the attention of many students who wouldn't otherwise pick up a book so thick or any book at all.  That alone is reason enough to make this series available to readers.

If a teacher were to use the books or quotes from the books in a classroom teachers could use the books to discuss mythological figures, dealing with loss, character foils, descriptions, and on and on.

Day One of the Best Week Ever AKA Banned Book Week

Today is the beginning of the best week all year for promoting books with young readers.

It's ALA's Banned Book Week. Check out your local library for books that have caused some controversy around the country. They always make for great subject matter and discussion in the classroom.

To find out about some of the books that have made the ALA's list, check back here all week. And to find out more about Banned Book Week, check the ALA site. They have events planned and ideas of how to use this week in the classroom.

Nothing tastes so good as forbidden fruit and nothing is as fun to read as a book you're denied.

I plan to wear banned book T-shirts into class the week, discuss censorship with my education students, and show them this brief, but powerful video.  I'll also show them video of YA poet, Ellen Hopkins, reading her poem, Manifesto:



You can find the words to the poem here as well.

Are you ready to cause some controversy in your classroom? All you need is one book.