Comments on: Banned Books Week – Avoiding the “C” Word

By: lori-your intern

lori-your intern — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:50:18 +0000

Well Shoot, there goes my next planned BookTalk for yall’s school HAHAHA!

By: Kelly Cieslak

Kelly Cieslak — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 02:27:49 +0000

What a timely example! I think your response is a really good one. And I totally agree with you that when the teacher talks to the student about the subject, that it should be without judgement. Some careful thought would have to be put in to exactly what to say so that any whiff of judgement is removed from the conversation. I recently had an elementary school student ask me if we had The Hunger Games. I simply said “No. But they might have it in some of the middle school and high school libraries. I bet you could find it at the public library as well.” I had to think and really be careful about saying anything like, “That’s just not appropriate for elementary school students!” (Actually, I think it’s entirely appropriate for SOME elementary school students, but appropriate with parental approval and at home). I love discussions about censorship and book challenges. It keeps things interesting, for sure! And, yeah, as for AR … you’re preaching to the choir.

By: hilda weisburg

hilda weisburg — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 20:43:15 +0000

I love your blog and totally agree with your comments– and yes it is a perfect tie-in with Banned Books Week. There is a critical difference between book censorship and book selection. The former is about not permitting certain ideas and focusing on isolated parts. The latter is concerned with the work as a whole and its age appropriateness. I wouldn’t put 50 Shades of Gray in a high school library although it might be appropriate for some of the seniors. It’s still not where I would put my book dollars. (I also agree with your AR reaction.)
I know you are a member of the SLW Facebook page — are you also a subcriber to School Librarian’s Workshop. If not, request a sample issue (which comes to your email inbox) by emailing me at slworkshop@hotmail.com