Scholastic Censors Myracle’s ‘Luv Ya Bunches’ from Book Fairs By Rocco Staino - 10/21/2009
Don’t expect to see Lauren Myracle’s new book Luv Ya Bunches (Abrams/Amulet, 2009) at Scholastic school book fairs this year. It’s been censored—at least for now—due to its language and homosexual content.
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'Twilight' Catches Heat in Time For Banned Books Week By Lauren Barack - 09/30/2009
Just in time for Banned Books Week brings word that Stehenie Meyer's popular vampire series, "Twilight," is being cast out of schools—this time in some Australian elementary schools—with the four novels being relegated to segregated sections of libraries where younger students can’t check out any of them
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YA Author Hopkins Banned from School Visit By Rocco Staino - 09/23/2009
Young adult author Ellen Hopkins was recently banned from speaking at Whittier Middle School in Norman, OK, following a parental complaint over one of her books, a semiautobiographical account of her daughter’s battle with a crystal meth addiction.
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Celebrate Banned Books Week, September 26–October 3 By Rocco Staino - 09/09/2009
The recent book-banning controversy over Tintin au Congo (Little, Brown, 2005) at New York’s Brooklyn Public Library is yet another reminder of the importance of Banned Books Week, an event in which thousands nationwide will read from banned or challenged books, speak out and learn about censorship, and celebrate the right to choose reading materials without restriction.
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High Standards?: When Books Are Intentionally Shelved Beyond Young Readers' Reach By Pat Scales - 09/01/2009
I’m about to replace an elementary school librarian who has had the job for 35 years. When I visited the school, I noticed that the picture books and fiction were shelved on the bottom three shelves, and nonfiction was shelved on the top shelves. When I inquired about this arrangement, the librarian told me that only fourth and fifth graders were allowed to check out nonfiction; so she ke...
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Tintin in the Hot Seat Again By Rocco Staino - 08/25/2009
Tintin, the 80 year old Belgian comic book character, is in trouble again—but this time it’s a book banning controversy.
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TN School District Dumps Filters that Block LGBT Sites By Rocco Staino - 08/17/2009
A federal court has dismissed a lawsuit against two Tennessee school districts for agreeing to stop using Internet filters that block access to information about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues (LGBT).
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A New Script: Can works of fiction be adapted for Readers' Theater? By Carrie Russell - 08/01/2009
As part of a program for young people, we’d like to adapt a children’s book for Readers’ Theater. The resulting script will be presented in a school or public library. I’ve come across a lot of helpful tips on how to transform a book into script, but I haven’t found anything on copyright issues.
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Justine Larbalestier’s Cover Girl By Karen Springen - 07/24/2009
Story from Publishers Weekly: Bloomsbury Children’s Books put a white girl with long, straight tresses on the jacket of Justine Larbalestier’s Liar, a novel about an African-American tomboy with short, “nappy” hair.
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DC School District Restores Gay-Themed Titles to Summer Reading Lists By Rocco Staino - 07/02/2009
The Washington, DC, school district that had previously scrubbed gay-themed books from its summer reading list has restored all of thetitles following objections from librarians and the capital’s gay and lesbian community.
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Have No Fear: Don't Be Frightened by Book Challenges—Be Prepared By Pat Scales - 07/01/2009
I live in fear that someone will challenge one of our books. I’m not very confident about dealing with censorship because I didn’t have a single course about it in library school. Now that I’m an elementary school librarian, I feel that my library school failed me. Where can I go for help? I don’t know very many library schools that offer a course that deals exclusively ...
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GLBT Titles Scrubbed from DC Public Schools’ Summer Reading List By Rocco Staino - 06/21/2009
You won’t see books like And Tango Makes Three (S & S, 2005), The Geography Club (HarperCollins, 2003) or any other gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLTB)-themed title on the summer reading lists for the District of Columbia Public Schools.
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Morrison, Lebowitz, Blume Talk Censorship By Rocco Staino - 06/10/2009
Famed authors Toni Morrison and Fran Lebowitz gathered at a New York City cocktail party last week to talk about book banning—in libraries, schools, and stores.
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WI’s West Bend Library Board Says ‘No’ to Relocating YA Books By Debra Lau Whelan - 06/08/2009
A list of sexually explicit and gay-themed titles will remain on the YA shelves of Wisconsin’s West Bend Community Library following the board’s unanimous vote to reject efforts by local parents to restrict access to those books.
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TN Schools Ends Censorship of GLBT Web Sites By Rocco Staino - 06/05/2009
Access to online information about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) issues has been restored to dozens of Tennessee schools.
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West Bend City Council Fails to Reinstate Library Board Members By Debra Lau Whelan - 05/20/2009
The four board members of Wisconsin’s West Bend Community Memorial Public Library who were likely to vote against moving sexually explicit YA books to the adult section won’t be reinstated—a move that the library’s director finds disturbing.
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Tennessee Districts Sued For Blocking GLBT Sites By Rocco Staino - 05/20/2009
A media specialist and several high school students are suing two school districts in Tennessee for unconstitutionally blocking access to online information about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) issues.
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Judy Blume’s Support for Planned Parenthood Brings Death Threats By Rocco Staino - 05/07/2009
“Are you there, God? It's me, the anti choice extremist who sent a death threat to Judy Blume” is a tweet circulating on Twitter. This came after the National Planned Parenthood Organization reported that Blume, the iconic children’s author, is receiving “harassing phone calls and hate mail, including death threats,” following a Mother’s Day fundraising letter Blume wrote in support of the organization.
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