Upcoming conference keynoter Matt de la Peña visited Tucson last week. The trip bears mention because the students raised the money themselves to bring Matt out to speak, and Matt spoke at one of the schools that had recently removed his novel MEXICAN WHITE BOY (and a lot of other books) for being too Latino. You... Continue Reading →
Banned Books Week (Sept 25-Oct 1)
Thanks to Janet Lee Carey for sending this post!! Read an interesting post on Library Lions about Banned Books Week. Lesley James, librarian at Douglass-Truth Branch of the Seattle Public Library roars about Banned Books,"The serious fact is that every year books are removed from the shelves of libraries when library staff responds to patrons’... Continue Reading →
This week in censorship
Just in time for Banned Books Week, Ellen Hopkins was barred from visiting a middle school in Norman, OK after a parent complained that CRANK--the semiautobiographical story about her daughter's addiction to crystal meth--was inappropriate for kids.The full account is on School Library Journal, which has a link to Ellen's blog and her perspective.This is... Continue Reading →