School Library Journal» Pat Scales

Oh, Mama!: What to do when a parent wants to narrow her child’s reading choices | Scales on Censorship January 2013

Pat Scales — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 17:00:48 +0000

As I was preparing a library card for a new student, she handed me a two-page list of books that her mother won’t allow her to read. Then later on, her mother called and told me she expected me to monitor what her daughter was reading. What should I do?

You need to tell the mother that it’s not your role to monitor students’ reading. If she has an issue with the titles that her daughter chooses, then she needs to take it up with her. Also, make sure the mother understands that you have students whose parents want them to read the books on her list. My bet is that the girl will find a way to get her hands on those titles without her mother’s knowledge. Any book that is “forbidden” is more enticing to young readers.

My middle school principal has warned me not to automatically order Newbery-winning books, because some of them have been challenged in our school. I feel that we need these prize-winning titles. Please advise.

I don’t know what Newbery books have been challenged in your school, but I could probably guess based on previous challenges. Make sure that your principal understands that the Newbery Medal is awarded to the author of “the most distinguished contribution to American Literature for children” published in the previous year. Children are defined as “persons of ages up to and including fourteen”—which clearly includes middle schoolers. Committee members consider the literary merit of books, and if they’re doing their job, they don’t focus on any possible controversy.

It sounds as if the principal is caving in to a few parents. Inform him that the majority of parents want their kids to read books that have literary merit, like the Newbery winners. Talk with the language arts faculty and ask them to support your decision to include these titles in the collection. I bet they actually use them in their curriculum, and they may need your support as well. Let the principal know that if any parents complain about the titles, you’ll handle it. I bet he’ll take you up on that. He just wants them off his back.

A teacher in our school saw a Banned Books Week display at the public library that included William Steig’s Abel’s Island. She reads that book to her fourth graders every year and was concerned that she’d have problems if parents happened to see the display. How can I assure the teacher that she has nothing to worry about?

The purpose of a Banned Books Week display is to celebrate the freedom to read, and to create an awareness of challenges to that freedom. Teachers shouldn’t allow those displays to frighten them. According to the American Library Association, the only public challenge to Abel’s Island was in Clay County, FL, in 1990. The novel was removed from the optional reading lists for fifth and sixth graders because of “references to drinking wine which the administrators determined violated the district’s substance abuse policy.”

Just because parents may have seen the display doesn’t mean they’ll bring a challenge. The teacher has successfully used the book in the past, and she should continue to use it. Let her know that you are behind her, and that her former students’ enjoyment of the book should be testament that she makes good reading choices.

I just read a review of Lois Lowry’s Son, and it sounds intriguing. Years ago, The Giver was challenged in our middle school. The school district’s reconsideration committee dealt with the challenge and recommended that the novel be retained. I haven’t had any further problems with The Giver, but I’m afraid if I purchase Son, I may have problems. What should I do?

Buy the book! Just because you had one challenge to The Giver doesn’t mean that you’ll have further problems with it, or with Son. If you do, it should be handled the same way as the initial challenge. Fans ofThe Giver will flock to Son, and you should give them that chance. And take the time to read it yourself. That’s your best defense should a problem arise.

Pat Scales is a spokesperson for First Amendment issues and chair of the American Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee. You can send your questions or comments on censorship to her at pscales@bellsouth.net.

Mum’s the Word: What to do when a pushy principal has questionable principles | Scales on Censorship

Pat Scales — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 18:26:17 +0000

In addition to reading your column, what’s the best way to keep up with news about censorship?

Start by checking out the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom (www.ala.org/offices/oif), which maintains a database of challenges to library materials. These challenges are reported in its Intellectual Freedom Newsletter ($50 a year), unless the person reporting the challenge asks ALA to keep the information confidential. Another helpful resource is Robert P. Doyle’s Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read (ALA, 2010). The National Coalition Against Censorship (http://ncac.org/) records censorship cases on its website and in a newsletter that’s available for those on its mailing list. You might also want to check the state chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Council of Teachers of English. If you do a quick Google search, you may be surprised by the amount of censorship cases you’ll discover—some of them may even be in your own backyard.

Our assistant principal found a library book on the cafeteria floor. He wanted me to tell him who had checked it out, so he could tell the student that he’d have to pay for any lost books. I responded by asking the administrator to put the book in our book drop. He was furious.

You did the right thing. This is a confidentiality issue, and I’d hope that the administration understands that. Kids drop as many books as Hansel and Gretel did bread crumbs. The important part is that the books usually find their way home.

A sixth-grade teacher asked his students to select a book of their choice to share with the class. When a student picked a book about evolution, he made her return it and then asked me to justify why I had books on evolution in our library. The girl was upset because she was genuinely interested in the subject, and I felt as though my professional judgment was being challenged. How should I handle this?

You should talk to the student first because the teacher has probably thoroughly humiliated her. Let her know that there’s nothing wrong with reading about evolution, and perhaps she should talk to her teacher about the assignment. After all, he gave his class permission to choose any book that interested them and he can’t take that back just because he doesn’t agree with a student’s selection. Make sure that the student knows that she can borrow books about evolution anytime she wants.

I’d also request a conference with the teacher. It’s time that he understands that library materials represent many different ideas, beliefs, and theories. He also needs to understand that a library provides materials to satisfy students’ individual interests. In this case, the student is interested in evolution.

I’m in library school and one of our assignments is to chart the challenges to the “Harry Potter” series. I’ve noticed in the literature that new challenges arose every time a new “Harry Potter” book was published. Is that typical when the first book in a series has been challenged?

Yes, that’s what typically happens. After the first book in Dav Pilkey’s “Captain Underpants” series was challenged, each new title faced challenges for identical reasons: “unruly behavior,” “language,” and “underwear.” The Agony of Alice, the first volume in Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s “Alice” series, wasn’t challenged until the later titles triggered concerns because of “references to alcohol” and “questions about sex and sexuality.” Anastasia Krupnik, the first book in Lois Lowry’s “Anastasia” series, was challenged for its “language,” which sparked additional complaints about the series’ subsequent titles. And Suzanne Collins’s entire “Hunger Games” trilogy has been challenged for its “violence” and “dystopian society.”

Sometimes a body of unrelated work by a particular writer ends up being challenged. This has certainly been the case for books by Judy Blume, Laurie Halse Anderson, Ellen Hopkins, Walter Dean Myers, Robert Lipsyte, Chris Lynch, and Chris Crutcher.

What To Do When Kids Aren’t Allowed To Read Digital Books in School | Scales on Censorship

Pat Scales — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 12:00:14 +0000

Parents who visit our library’s children’s room have told me that ereaders have encouraged their kids to read. My son is a struggling reader, and he was very excited when I bought him one. But then we found out that his reading teacher won’t allow her students to read ebooks—they can only read books from the school library. How do I handle this?

Rather than focusing on a book’s format or where it’s shelved, his teacher should concentrate on getting the right title into your son’s hands. There’s nothing wrong with asking her to explain her rationale. Is she attempting to control her students’ reading choices? Let her know that you’re willing to experiment with any format that’ll help your son. Perhaps she isn’t aware that many of the school library’s books are also available in digital form, and may be found at the public library. I’ve heard many censorship cases that deal with the content of library materials, but this is the first I’ve encountered in which a book’s format has been censored. The teacher needs to enter the 21st century. Show her some articles about schools that are successfully using iPads and ereaders with their students, such as September 2012 SLJ cover story, “Travis’s Excellent Adventure”.

Our library’s technology manager told me that under CIPA we’re required to block all social networking sites. Is that true?

No. CIPA requires libraries that receive E-rate funding to teach students about cyberbullying and the appropriate use of social networking sites. There are various ways to do that, including offering programs for children and teens or weekend programs aimed at families. Dori Hillestad Butler’s The Truth about Truman School (Albert Whitman, 2008) is a perfect book to help kids understand the perils of online bullying.

One of our social studies teachers requires her eighth graders to read a book of their choice about the Holocaust. After one of them chose Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, she got a complaint from his mother, who told her that theliteratemother.org had recommended the book for older teens because of its language and violence. Now our principal wants me to remove it from our collection. When I explained that the parent needed to file a formal complaint and then the case would go before a reconsideration committee, he told me to skip that step. What should I do?

Sites that rate books are popping up everywhere, and they’re causing librarians a lot of grief. I visited “The Literate Mother” and discovered that it’s using the same criteria as Common Sense Media. I wouldn’t call anyone “literate” who takes words and scenes out of context like these sites do. If you do your homework, you’ll find that none of these sites use professional reviewers. It’s also not uncommon for them to take a simple kiss out of context and then point out that a book has sexual content. Remind your principal that students should be offered choices, and any book set during the Holocaust is bound to contain violence. This is a case in which a teacher is expected to teach, but a parent, and even the principal, doesn’t want students to learn. Stick to your guns. It sounds as if your district has a formal process for dealing with book challenges, and you should stick to that, too.

Our elementary school library’s parent volunteers don’t understand the importance of confidentiality. In fact, one of them even told her fifth-grade daughter that a particular classmate wasn’t a good reader and still checked out Beverly Cleary books. Any advice?

Parent volunteers can be invaluable, especially when you’re short-staffed, but it’s important that they understand their role. At the beginning of the school year, offer a workshop for your volunteers. Tell them that library records are confidential, and you’d prefer to do all of the reader guidance yourself, since you understand students’ reading preferences. Keep the problematic parent on your radar screen and give her a job that doesn’t require interaction with students—there are always books to be shelved.

How Low Can You Go?: What to do when young students want to read ‘The Hunger Games’ | Scales on Censorship

Pat Scales — Wed, 02 May 2012 03:53:29 +0000

Our fourth and fifth graders (and a few third graders) have been asking for The Hunger Games. I love the novel, but it’s not in our elementary school’s library collection because it’s a YA book. I think my students would enjoy reading it when they’re a bit older. I need your advice.

Elementary school students aren’t the novel’s intended audience. I have no doubt that some of your students are reading The Hunger Games because the movie is so hot right now. They’re also attracted to the book because many older siblings are reading it. Don’t worry. You aren’t censoring. It’s wise to base your purchasing decisions on the reviews you’ve read. A librarian has to make book-selection calls all the time, and reviews serve as our professional guidance tools.

One word of advice: I wouldn’t tell your students that they’re too young to read the novel. Instead, I’d say, “I’ve read The Hunger Games, and I think it’s exciting, but there’s not enough money in our budget to buy it. If you decide to read the story, I’d love to hear what you have to say about it.” If a parent asks you about The Hunger Games, I’d tell them it’s recommended for older readers.

A group of parents recently visited our private school and demanded to know if the library had any gay and lesbian books. We have And Tango Makes Three in the elementary school library, and Annie on My Mind in the middle and high school library. The parents haven’t filed a formal challenge, but they assured me they would if I didn’t remove those titles. What should I do?

I suspect that you’re in a fairly conservative community or you probably wouldn’t have this problem. Many private schools have a narrow mission statement to accommodate the families they want to attract. Don’t give in to those parents. Instead, let them file a challenge. I hope your school has a selection policy you can use to defend the titles. If not, now’s the perfect time to develop one. I’d suggest that you look at similar independent schools’ mission statements and selection policies as you create or tweak your own.

A group of parents appeared at the school board meeting and insisted that we remove all fairy tales from our elementary schools. Their complaint was that the violence and magic in most of these tales promote evil behavior. What should I do?

You didn’t tell me how the school board responded. I hope it had the good sense to let the parents know that fairy tales are classics, and their children will eventually have to call upon their knowledge of these tales when they’re referred to in other literature. Maybe you need to have a parent session and expose them to the many versions of popular fairy tales. I bet that will solve your problem.

My district offers eighth graders the option of taking ninth-grade honors English. Parents want their “accelerated” students in the class, but they don’t want them exposed to some of the required readings, such as Romeo and Juliet. The teacher is frustrated because she’s expected to teach the prescribed ninth-grade curriculum. What should I tell her?

Teach the curriculum. The parents have the option of taking their kids out of the class. If they want them “accelerated,” they have to accept all that goes with it.

I read a newspaper article about a South Carolina middle school teacher who was placed on leave because he read aloud in class excerpts from Ender’s Game, The Devil’s Paintbox, and Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case. Have you heard of other teachers who have gotten into similar trouble?

I’ve been following the press on this case. Placing a teacher on leave for reading aloud from a novel is a drastic move, unless there’s more to the story than we know. There have been other attempts to censor which books are read aloud, but I don’t know of another case in which a teacher has been disciplined in this way. I’ll keep you posted.