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Library Police: Who Determines What Is “Appropriate”? | Scales on Censorship
I always buy the Caldecott Medal winner and Honor Books for my elementary school library, and I was appalled to discover This One Summer (First Second, 2014) by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki [among the...
View ArticleWhen Colleagues Need Clarification About Restricting Books | Scales on...
As a K−6 elementary school librarian, I frequently hear other librarians debate the question: What grade level do you let borrow the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” (Abrams) and “Captain Underpants”...
View ArticleIt’s About Choice: Tactics for Fostering Intellectual Freedom | Scales on...
Our public library is making program plans for Banned Books Week that target adult patrons, but the director also wants at least one program for children. We have done things for middle school and teen...
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Open Door Policy for All Students | Scales on Censorship
A parent has challenged my policy that K–5 students may not come to the library until second semester. I do take a cart of books to the K–5 classrooms, but this parent wants his son to have access to...
View ArticleFresh Alternatives Build Engagement | Scales on Censorship
My students are very enthusiastic and sometimes competitive readers. Last year our first graders became obsessed with Diary of a Wimpy Kid but the books were really above the reading level of most of...
View ArticleAssessing Controversial Books | Scales on Censorship
You previously made reference to FactsonFiction.org, a site that labels books that have controversial content, and I can’t find it. Please advise. Thankfully, it appears that the site no longer exists....
View ArticleCourting Controversy? | Scales on Censorship
Have you known of a teacher who taught a book for the purpose of getting it challenged? I suspect it happens, but I’ve never had anyone write to me and tell me that they intentionally wanted to create...
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When a Volunteer Oversteps | Scales on Censorship
A parent volunteer in my high school library saw a sign in a local used bookstore that said, “Warning to parents about all Ellen Hopkins’s books.” Hopkins is one of the students’ favorite writers, and...
View ArticleWhen Book Sharing Backfires|Scales on Censorship
I will finish my library degree this summer and would like to work in a school library. I’ve interviewed with three principals. I asked about the school district’s selection policy, and none knew of...
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Mock Election Worries | Scales on Censorship
The principal of my high school told the social studies teachers that the school couldn’t hold a mock presidential election this year. He fears complaints because of the vitriolic rhetoric from the...
View ArticleBlack Lives Matter; Syrian Refugees | Scales on Censorship
Our high school students are very concerned about the police brutality in some cities in the nation. They are interested in marching with Black Lives Matter, but our principal doesn’t want the faculty...
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Art History Without Nudity?; Gay “Captain Underpants”| Scales on Censorship
The art teacher at my middle school wants to introduce her students to the works of famous artists. The library has excellent art resources, but the teacher wants assurance that I will not show...
View ArticleAge-Appropriate Reading? | Scales on Censorship
The libraries in my district frequently share books through interlibrary loan. My fifth and sixth grade students are asking to borrow YA books from the high school that I don’t have in my collection...
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Laurie Halse Anderson Reflects on the “Seeds of America” Trilogy
Ashes (Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Bks., Oct. 2016) is the third title and conclusion to Laurie Halse Anderson’s historical “Seeds of America” trilogy. The stories take place as the nation fights for its...
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When Kids Share Banned Books | Scales on Censorship
A parent who helps me in my middle school library asked me why bookstores were putting the picture books I Am Jazz (Penguin, 2014) and Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress (Groundwood, 2014) in...
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Offended at Open Mic | Scales on Censorship
A fourth grade teacher in my school loves Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach and wants to read it aloud to her students. She asked my advice about using it because she has heard that it has been...
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Too Edgy for the Kids’ Section? | Scales on Censorship
Are there issues with teachers using Netflix or public library resources from Hoopla in a classroom setting? I think it is fine as long as they are using it for teaching purposes and not redistributing...
View ArticleFoiled by Curses | Scales on Censorship
Shiloh’s curse words; a visiting author’s objectionable language; complaints about "A Day No Pigs Would Die"
View ArticleParental Demands and Accusations | Scales on Censorship
One mother accuses a librarian of "stunting her daughter's intellectual growth," while another says lack of policing child's book choices gave her son nightmares.
View ArticleBully Principal Missed Opportunity | Scales on Censorship
Parent with Caldecott concerns, a librarian fears "Vincent and Theo" content issues (again), and an administrator who cracks down on students' rights: Pat Scales sets them straight.
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