Friday Five
Five links for the weekend
1. The Book Stacks lists some reasons why books have been banned or challenged.
My favorite? Where’s Waldo? was removed from the Springs Public School library in East Hampton, N.Y. (1993) because there is a tiny drawing of a woman lying on the beach wearing a bikini bottom but no top.
I remember hearing the rumors of that back in the day and I remember looking. But like goofy Waldo, the topless woman eluded me.
2. Nikki Grimes author of Bronx Masquerade, one of my favorite books for reluctant high school readers, is chatting tomorrow night at the Readergirlz forum. If you haven’t read Bronx Masquerade put it on your list. Here’s what Grimes writes about her book on her website
Bronx Masquerade is a novel written in 18 voices. It follows a classroom of high school students over the course of a year, exploring who they are behind the masks they wear, and using poetry to do it.
Bronx has no single main character, in the traditional sense, but there is one character whose point of view is represented throughout: Tyrone Bittings. Tyrone serves as Greek chorus, commenting on every character in the book. He helps the reader connect the dots from character to character and from one subplot to the next. Each character has his own story to tell, but Tyrone is privy to them all.
3. Judy Blume wrote an editorial back in 1999 asking, “Is Harry Potter Evil?” Sadly, eight years later, it’s still relevant.
4. Since I don’t live in the UK I failed to notice that it’s Children’s Book Week there. Booktrusted has the inside scoop.
5. And lastly for the vintage book lovers, here’s a digital collection of 20 children’s books.
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