Alice in InfoLand

There’s been major harrumphing in the biblioblogosphere and then the MSM about a discussion on LM_Net re the 2007 Newbery Award winner:
Susan Patron’s The Higher Power of Lucky.

FWIW, the definitive response to the whole brouhaha is Kristen Mclean’s Thoughts on the Great Scrotum Kerfuffle of 2007.  As Liz B on Pop Goes the Library says of Mclean’s exposition: “It’s thoughtful, it’s well documented, it covers all sides.  And it has a scientific illustration!”

My comment to all those who’ve dismissed the book without even reading it — Judge not, lest ye be judged.

Addendum:  read Susan Patron’s excellent article in the L.A. Times, responding to all the criticism.  As she points out:

The problem with “scrotum,” evidently, is discomfort among adults who do not wish to see references to body parts in children’s literature. Also, fear of giggling. What if the teacher or librarian loses control of a class of kids, however briefly, while reading the book aloud? …

Of course, adults are right to fear a word in a book, although not, as in this instance, because it names a body part. They are right in the implied assumption that books have enormous power and influence. Children who read widely understand more about the world; they have a foundation for making better decisions. …

There are Newberys for every taste and for a range of reading ability and developmental levels. …Certain winning titles introduce concepts such as child abuse, racism, animal neglect, the Holocaust, slavery, abandonment. Why burden children with these heavy subjects? Because they live in the same world we do. They perceive much more than we may want to recognize. Well-written books that respect a child’s intelligence enable readers to identify with the protagonist’s mental and physical struggles. This helps them to see different perspectives and shades of gray, rather than a world of absolutes.

Granville Hicks said it best:  “A censor is a man who knows more than he thinks you ought to.”

tags: Newbery, censorship