Several months ago, I asked for your recent (2004 +) challenges to
school library material for a presentation I was giving at a local
community college. I've compiled responses below. Thanks for the
information and sorry for the delay in sharing your responses.
Elementary School Challenges
Book: Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple
Potty People by Dav Pilkey
Challenge: Parent described the book as generally “horrible.”
Result: Parent talked to both media specialist and principal. As a
result of these discussions, media specialist agreed not to check
Captain Underpants books out to her son, and the matter was dropped.
Book: Curious George by H.A. Rey
Challenge: Parent complained that she was choosing to “raise her
children in the realm of reality” and felt that inaccurate
representations in children’s books would “harm future knowledge.”
In Curious George’s case, parent objected to the fact that Rey did
not draw George - a monkey - with a monkey’s tail, and parent felt
this book should be removed in favor of more anatomically correct
titles.
Result: Parent never filled out/returned “request for
reconsideration of library materials” document, and the matter was
dropped.
Book: Elinor and Violet: A Tale of Two Naughty Chickens by Patti
Murphy.
Challenge: Parent objected to the naughty antics of the chickens and,
further, that these antics went unpunished (She felt this was a bad
message for kids). Parent, apparently, did do some research, because
she mentioned that the naughty chicken was brown while the good chicken
was white – a fact mentioned in a Publisher’s Weekly negative review
(The book received a mediocre School Library Journal and positive
Booklist, Horn Book (starred), Kirkus and Library Talk reviews.
Result: In a written response to parent, media specialist pointed out
that this was a great opportunity for mom to let child know what is and
isn't acceptable in their home, consequences of behaving unacceptably,
etc … The book remained in the library.
Book: Fifteen by Beverly Cleary
Challenge: Challenged by parent who thought pre-marital sex was too
risqué for elementary school children.
Result: The book was pulled from all elementary schools in our
district. It was retained at the several K-8 schools in the district -
due to its appropriateness for the middle school population.
Book: King & King by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland
Challenge: Parents (husband and wife) voiced specific concerns:
“The princesses looked ugly, and there would never be a church that
would marry two men.” More generally, parents felt it was not an
appropriate book for an elementary school library and provided a list of
books of which they "approved.” On this list, there were lesbian
relationships represented but no gay relationships.
Result: District had an established reconsideration policy, and this
policy was followed. After review, the reconsideration board decided
to keep the book in the library for the following reasons: “It is
representative of the diversity in our population; there are very few
books about same-sex relationships of males; it received positive
reviews in professional literature; it is age appropriate; it encourages
discussion of an important topic; and it promotes tolerance.”
Book: Science Verse by Jon Scieszka
Challenge: Parent of a first grader was highly offended by a poem on
evolution included in this compilation (The book was classified as
Easy).
Result: Media specialist made the decision to shelf the book in 811
(poetry) based on the fact that it was, indeed, poetry, and older
readers would be more likely to find it in the nonfiction section.
Book: Zoo by Anthony Browne
Challenge: Parent lodged a formal complaint, writing that the book
“undermined family values.” She asked that the book be removed
from the shelf so that “no child be harmed.”
Result: Reconsideration committee voted to retain the book on library
shelves.
Recent Middle School Challenges
Book: After the First Death by Robert Cormier
Challenge: Parent objected to select “words that made this book
sound like porn” - particularly the word breast.
Result: Review committee felt that the book should not be withdrawn
just for its few references to the word breast but did feel that the
violence in the book might not be suitable for all middle school
students. As a result, the book stayed on the shelf, but the AR reading
quiz was deleted and the AR labels were removed from the book (Thus, no
student would be "tempted" to read the book just to earn AR points).
Book: Give a Boy a Gun by Todd Strasser
Challenge: Parent objected to the title.
Result: Review committee (principal, media specialist, and curriculum
director) read the book and decided it should stay in circulation.
Child of the parent challenging the book had the option of reading
another book. In this case, the principal was leaning toward taking the
book off the shelf. The media specialist, however, reminded her of the
district's selection policy.
Book: Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen
Challenge: Parent of a sixth grade student challenged the book based
on “inappropriate content” (The book was owned by the school media
center and was also required reading in a sixth grade language arts
class).
Result: After review by the school’s Media Advisory Committee, the
book remained on the media center shelves and was also retained as a
sixth grade curriculum book. The Media Advisory Committee did come up
with several alternate titles - should future objections arise.
Book: Harry Potter series
Challenge: Parent challenged the series’ overriding themes of
witchcraft and magic.
Result: All titles within the series were removed (This was a
parochial school).
Book: The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
Challenge: Parent challenged the book’s inclusion in the eighth
grade curriculum - citing “sexual innuendo and bad behavior by a
character.”
Result: Teacher assigned student another book; the parent, however,
requested that the book be removed from all but the high school library.
The review committee and the superintendent voted to keep the book.
Book: Wayside School is Falling Down by Louis Sachar
Challenge: Parent of a sixth grader objected to the word hate in the
book.
Result: The book was maintained in the collection.
Recent High School Challenges
Book: Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
Challenge: Parent objected to the book’s profanity and “pagan
content.”
Result: Superintendent had all school copies of the book (included
those used in the ninth grade curriculum) destroyed.
Book: How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
Challenge: Parent objected to the sexual content and profane language
within the book.
Result: In a closed meeting, school board decided to remove the book
from school libraries.
Book: Sandpiper by Ellen Whittlinger
Challenge: A student checked out the book for a report but then
refused to return it - saying that its graphic descriptions of oral sex
made it inappropriate for a school library. The student’s grandmother
then filed a formal complaint about the book and discussed her concerns
with the school’s reconsideration committee formed to review the
book.
Result: Committee decided to keep the book in the library. Next,
grandmother appealed committee's decision to school board. In the end,
school board decided that Sandpiper would stay on library shelves - but
not because board wanted it there.
Christine Neirink,
Media Specialist, Frankenmuth High School,
Frankenmuth, MI
cneirink@frankenmuth.k12.mi.us
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