Was this message really meant for the whole list?
In collection development, each of us needs to select for our specific school in
our specific community using our specific sometimes tiny budgets. A school library
is not a public library. Selection is not censorship.
A librarian who chooses not to buy and circulate the Graveyard Book for their
specific population is NOT a coward. The book begins with a gruesome murder.
Surely any of us can imagine a middle school where this book may not be appropriate
choice. As I buy and decide where to shelve books, I do think -is this a book I
want in the hands of a third grader? I did make the decision to segregate teen
middle school fiction books into another room. Not everyone has the space for that
kind of choice.
And yes, lest I be thought of as a wimp- We had Hunger Games (children fighting to
the death) and Graceling (a girl whose talent is as a murderer) in our 7th grade
Mock Printz.
I am sympathetic to those who might be afraid of a challenge. I have been through a
few and believe me NOT fun. It is sad that a librarian may think a book may be
challenged therefore did not select it. Education not name-calling would be more
helpful. I just had a meeting with our new Dean. One of the first items on my
agenda was our collection development policy and our procedure for when (not if) a
book gets challenged. He jokingly said that in his years as an educator he had only
had to ban one book. ( In my head I said one too many) When I asked about it , we
agreed to table that discussion for another time.
Lisa
Lisa Von Drasek
Children's Librarian
Bank Street College of Education
School for Children Pre-K- 8
610 West 112th St
NY NY 10025
lisav@bnkst.edu
212 875 4452
>>> Debbie Remington <n2kidlit@YAHOO.COM> 07/28/09 10:37 PM >>>
Hi Lori,
WOW! I can't believe the slew of LIBRARIAN cowards we have. Afraid of a
challenge?? C'mon? I put "The Hunger Games" on our middle school summer reading
list to "stir things up" as I told my Principal. I encouraged reading of "The
Graveyard Book" for the creepiness(for elementary level) even though it is NOT my
favorite genre. Sorry folks, I think you are being tooooo selective and as Greg
Kinney might say,"wimpy".
Currently reading: Runaway by Van Draanen, The Outliers, Go Big or Go Home and
Fahrenheit 451
Debbie Remington
Media Specialist
Manatee Academy K-8
1450 S.W. Heatherwood Blvd.
Port St. Lucie, FL 34986
N2kidlit@yahoo.com
772-340-4745
________________________________
From: Lori Belair <lbelair3@TWCNY.RR.COM>
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2009 5:31:19 PM
Subject: HIT: The Graveyard in a 4-6 elem school
Thank you so much to all the people who responded. Below I have posted the
responses I got:
I have the book in my K-8 library. Kids have loved it and the parents who have read
it have been accepting. No problems here...yet??
I used the first line from The Graveyard Book, and the first line from
Charlotte's Web, in a presentation to my school board, as an example of why
school libraries need librarians! Both books have knives, but I'd put
Charlotte's Web in a 2nd grader's hands, and definitely not The Graveyard Book.
I can't imagine any challenges to Gaiman's book in a 4-6 library. By the end of
the year, at least 60 of my 90 fifth graders had read it, and I pushed it to the
parents as well, with no complaints.
This book is on North Carolina's 2009-2010 Battle of the Books list for middle
schoolers. I read it this month and didn't really care for it. Thought it was too
demonic. The drawings were eery. I really felt sorry for the mortal as he lived his
life in the cemetery. I am anxious to see how my students react to the book this
fall. My Battle of the Book students are avid readers, so will be quick to let me
know their reactions.
PS I felt that this book made Coraline seem almost normal! : )
PSS I probably would not encourage elementary students to read this book. In fact,
I'm not sure I'd even purchase it for an elementary library.
I just began reading the book last night---wow---but was immediately concerned
about the murder in the beginning (and haven't gotten to the end yet). I'm pretty
sure I'm going to keep it in my library but would love to see the responses (if
any) that you get. Please post a HIT. Thanks!
I would be curious to your responses. I purchased it this summer and after
reading it have the same concerns that you mentioned for my K-5 school.
We have it. Kids love it. They love "scary" books of a shivery sort. I'm just
thrilled that they read anything, and I think their parents are too.
I'm really interested in hearing the responses to this question, too.
I borrowed the book on CD from my local library to preview it and was pretty
shocked after listening to the first chapter. I have a miniscule budget anyway,
so I decided to forego purchasing it for my school library (K-5). Please let me
know what you hear back from your posting!
I considered putting this book (which is awesome, by the way!) in my collection. I
find our sensitivities today--compared with what I grew up with in the 70's and
80's---way to the other end of the spectrum. However, I know that I have to live
and work in this space, and I know that there are some who would be quite offended
if they came across this story. I also looked at the reviews from SLJ and
Booklist, and, per our selection policy, knew I couldn't support its inclusion at
my K-5 school. If I would have had to defend this book, I likely would have lost,
with the ultimate result that it would be removed from my shelves and probably put
at the middle school.
One can never begin to guess which books will be challenged and why, but this one
looked like it had high potential for that happening. I have come up against a few
minor, informal challenges, and they made me very sad. I would prefer never to
have to go through any kind of challenge again!
I am in a K-8 school and have debated the merits of the book. I decided against it
- for my student population. When I did my Newbery lesson I did mention it and let
students know that while we would not have a copy in our school library, it was
available at the public library.
Unfortunately, none of us has the time for a book challenge!
I have it and it hasn't been challenged yet, but I am anticipating a challenge. If
you get past the first chapter the rest of the book is fine. I had one of my
stronger readers help me decide whether to buy it or not. She, of course, said it
was a must have, but two teachers read the first chapter and gave me the "hairy
eyeball". To compromise, I have the book in my office and if someone specifically
asks me for it, I say that I think it is on my repair shelf. This allows me to
judge the student's maturity and the parent's tolerance. My school is small (513
students), so I know my students and many of their parents. Is this censorship,
well maybe yes, but I prefer to call it protecting myself from litigation.
Lori Belair, Librarian
A.J. Smith & Cayuga Elem Libraries
Union Springs, NY
lbelair3@twcny.rr.com
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