Middle School Librarian – Closet Censor?
Apr 21st, 2012 by Cathy Jo Nelson
Warning DO NOT READ by Yaniv Golan; Licensed CC
Love this!! My friend Samantha asks our thoughts on reviews in our library reviewing tools, and their never really giving us the “real” story on content that might be questionable. Thanks, Samantha, for allowing me to use this in my blog!
Middle School: Drawing the line on PG-13 + content?
Okay, we’ve had this discussion before on the listserv about YA lit and cursing, etc. but where do we draw the line and how do we know the content of every book without reading every page when selecting those titles that tread the line between YA and middle school (i.e. “recommended for grades 6 and up”)? Do we just assume that anything rated for grades above 6 are book challenge fodder?
Today I had one of my custodians pick up a brand new book I just ordered because it had rave reviews in SLJ and was starred in Booklist, both with specific ratings for grades 6-8. She was attracted to it because of the cover and just skimmed the first few pages. Within seconds, she was passing it to the other two custodians, showing them a passage. I asked to see it. The passage referred to masturbation. A boy asked to be excused from the table and his grandfather chimed in that the boy probably wanted to go masturbate. Now, no explanation was given so it wasn’t rated R or anything, but really?! A recommended best book for middle school? Am I just too protective of my kids? Am I the censor in the closet? And, no, I’m not dumb enough to believe that many middle schoolers aren’t familiar with this term, but can I defend the presence of this book? Now I have it in my bag so I can take it home and read it to see if the overall novel is really suited for my patrons. Why, oh why, wasn’t this mentioned in the reviews?! (The book is The Downside of Being Up by Alan Lawrence Sitomer.)
I had the same thing occur with another highly recommended book for middle schools a few months ago. In David Klass’ Stuck on Earth, the first 20 pages are filled with pretty much every curse word most of us know, minus the big stinky “F” elephant. Why? Because of a bully featured on those pages and the main character’s own frustration at his low-man-on-the-totem-pole status. Of course, after reading the whole book, I did keep it on the shelves rather than passing it to the high school. I also placed a “YA” sticker on the spine and a note in the book’s records reminding me about the issue. Now, I talk to the kids who check out that book, warn them of the language, and ask if they can “handle it” as mature readers.
I still question content, however. No, I don’t think kids are dumb and yes, I know they are more jaded than when we were growing up because we didn’t have cable TV or all the garbage that passes for “suitable” for children these days. Help me! Do I need to re-adjust my thinking and just move on, quoting the recommendations in reviews when questioned about my choices? I can’t possibly read every book I order and I count on my colleagues who review these books to clue me in when there is questionable content. I can’t even read every review written or check all the Goodreads comments for every book, not when I order a couple thousand dollars worth of books a year! Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a “questionable content list” anywhere! Ideas? Suggestions? Name of a good psychologist?
Thanks!
It’s always best to be aware–no one wants to have questionable content pointed out to them regardless of who (and shocking worst case IMHO would be an irate parent.)
“But do research your YA books beyond just the reviewing tools that fail IMHO almost every time to tell us the amount of promiscuity, profanity, and violence included in a book.” That aligns exactly with what a school super said in Kalida, OH: “School Excoriates Book Reviews that Fail to Disclose ‘Graphic Sexual Details’ in Books for Children; Lush by Natasha Friend is ‘Wildly Inappropriate’ for Certain Children”
http://safelibraries.blogspot.com/2010/12/school-excoriates-book-reviews-that.html
I think I’m going to add a link to this blog post of yours to the bottom of mine that I just linked.
Thanks so much.
Dan Kleinman of SafeLibraries´s last [type] ..Library Sexual Harassment Law Suit Settles
Cathy, you did a great job covering all the bases. Over the weekend I read the Downside of Being Up (and now get the title). I posted my review on Goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/317410560. No, it wasn’t flattering. Unless you are a middle school boy, I don’t predict getting much enjoyment from this one. Of course, I have to say middle school boys (maybe even high school boys) would totally love this novel. I’m just the wrong audience. I’ve decided I’ll keep it on my shelf, with my YA sticker and flag in the catalog. Boys will be boys, but I won’t be sending this one home with 10-year-olds!
As a middle school librarian, my most useful tool in knowing what’s on my shelf (content wise) is my students. They know that if they read a book that gives them pause, they are welcome to bring it to my attention. They also know that just because they tell me “this book has swear words in it” doesn’t mean it’s going to be “banned” (thank you banned books week lessons!).
And because of the lessons I do during Banned Books Week (6th grade: what does “appropriate” mean?, 7th grade: history of banned books week, 8th grade: intellectual freedom and you – at age 13) my students are pretty aware of what is/isn’t appropriate for them. I have some students who will say “Miss C, does this book have swear words in it? Because I don’t want to read books with swear words”.
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[...] Jo Nelson whose blog is always full of good ideas. I found it as I was reading about censorship here. Another great post. I’m just heartily recommending Cathy Jo. Share [...]
Authors make a conscious choice whether or not they are going to use profanity and situations inappropriate for middle school students to read. I make a conscious choice whether or not I will financially support their decision. I can’t buy every book published, so I will choose books that can be read by the largest number of students. I HAVE tried to read every book, and I still miss things.
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