|
Post by aln1982 on Aug 9, 2007 16:42:13 GMT -5
^ Thanks ;D
|
|
mckay
Junior Sitter
Posts: 672
|
Post by mckay on Nov 8, 2007 4:24:10 GMT -5
I liked this book when I was a kid, but I just reread it and thought the book banning stuff was really heavy-handed. And no way is a thirteen-year-old going to say "I disagree with their beliefs, but I respect them and I would like to know more about them to understand the other side better." I have never in my life known a teenager who thought like that.
The readathon sounded like fun. My library had a reading program for kids the summer I was 17 and I spent most of the summer sitting in the library reading. I got some cool prizes out of it, too.
|
|
|
Post by aln1982 on Nov 8, 2007 16:30:40 GMT -5
^ I always wanted to do a read-a-thon but never got to. My little cousins did do a math-a-thon but that's the closest anyone I know has ever come. ;D I mostly just read this one for the library stuff and skim over the book banning and "mystery" part. I do like the stuff with the kids, though, especially Nicky seeing that there are good books and reading more about his relationship with MA and about all of the kids getting into reading. It's nice to see. ;D
|
|
Penny Lane
Sitting For The Arnolds
The Girl With Colitis Goes By
Posts: 2,888
|
Post by Penny Lane on Nov 10, 2007 15:00:06 GMT -5
I just reread this one, this morning. It was pretty good. I don't really remember reading it when I was a kid, but I think I read it when I bought it last year. I wish the writer would have done some more research or whatever and let us kids know what was objectionable in the banned books. That's something I ahve always been interested in. I was one of those teens who liked to hear both sides before I decided my opinion was always correct.
I suppose though, that explaining why Bridge to Terabithia was banned (not from my school - we had to read it, it was fantastic), would have been too complicated and sounded a bit like liberal propaganda. And lord knows we can't possibly alienate a segment of readership.
It also seemed really random to have Sean start the fires and it just sort of ended. But I think that it is one of the better Mystery books.
|
|
|
Post by liss31d on Nov 11, 2007 1:47:22 GMT -5
I remember The Diary of Anne Frank was one of the books they wanted to ban... that sounds kind of sinister that they'd want to ban it to be honest... but then again some of the Stoneybrook community to have a bit of a KKK/Nazi attitude from time to time (Mrs Lowell being one of them... I bet would have loved the idea of book burning). Also The Outsiders had a murder in it, rumbles, two kids on the run, an accidental death and a suicide... great book though. I had to read it for school about 4 years ago.
|
|
mckay
Junior Sitter
Posts: 672
|
Post by mckay on Nov 11, 2007 15:29:54 GMT -5
Why WAS Bridge to Terabithia on the ban list? I never liked it, so I haven't reread it since I was forced to 14 years ago, but I can't remember anything remotely objectionable about it, besides the protagonist being annoying
|
|
Penny Lane
Sitting For The Arnolds
The Girl With Colitis Goes By
Posts: 2,888
|
Post by Penny Lane on Nov 11, 2007 16:11:30 GMT -5
^As far as I can tell, it promotes witchcraft, satanism, and imagination. The same things as Harry Potter.
Also, a girl dies, and they use the lord's name outside of church or prayer.
|
|
|
Post by aln1982 on Nov 11, 2007 16:25:47 GMT -5
^ I've never read that one either but it's probably the witchcraft/satanism thing. I'm not for banning books but I stay far away from books that talk about that kind of stuff (except ones about the Salem witch trials and historical fiction and history books on the witch trials) so don't think I'd want to read that one. ;D As for the girl dying and using the Lord's name in vain, I doubt that's it since a lot of books have that. I wish they would have done more with Sean in this one but was glad they brought him back in later books (though his issues were certainly not resolved in those either. ;D)
|
|
Penny Lane
Sitting For The Arnolds
The Girl With Colitis Goes By
Posts: 2,888
|
Post by Penny Lane on Nov 11, 2007 17:55:13 GMT -5
^It doesn't talk about that though. It's a story about a boy who's family is kind of poor and he's overlooked, and doesn't really have any friends. Then this girl moves in next door or across the street, and her parents are artists, and she's really creative. They become friends and build a fort in the woods and crown themselves king and queen of this magic kingdom, where there are trolls and monsters and things, and then the girl dies and everyone is sad and finally the boy becomes friends with his little sister.
I got my information off of a couple of websites. I don't specifically remember any witches or wizards running around, and I remember in the movie that recently came out there were some questions about god or whatever, but it couldn't have been to bad, we read it at a catholic school. Of course, I went to a fairly progressive catholic school where we were allowed to think and ask questions about faith and god and stuff.
I wish we could have found out more about Sean too. I don't really "get" why he was burning books. Was it in protest? To be weird? To get attention? That doesn't really seem logical.
|
|
mckay
Junior Sitter
Posts: 672
|
Post by mckay on Nov 11, 2007 18:02:04 GMT -5
I was going to say, I don't understand what's satanic about BtT. I can understand if people freaked out over the recent remake of the film, because that was really heavy on the CGI trolls and junk, but I can't remember the book having a very strong emphasis on the fantasy aspects. But then, when has book banning ever been highly logical...
I think Sean was just burning books to express his frustration at being forced into doing something else he didn't want to do by his sucky parents, but I agree, it doesn't make a terrible lot of sense.
|
|
alula
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 406
|
Post by alula on Nov 14, 2007 4:35:10 GMT -5
Bridge to Terabithia is always in the top ten or twenty banned books. Today the most common rationale is that it promotes "New Age" religion or occultism, and that it inappropriately blurs fantasy and reality, but the use of the word "Lord" in non religious contexts and the inclusion of death are frequently cited as well. When it was published, it was one of very few contemporary novels to deal with death from a child's perspective--that was one of the reasons Katherine Patterson wrote it, after the death of a child in her son's class. Katherine Patterson is, incidentally, IMO a super-cool person who has led a fascinating life, including growing up as the daughter of missionaries in China and marrying a Presbyterian minister, so she is obviously part of the war on Christians! (A Wrinkle in Time is also usually banned on charges of being anti-Christian, which if you know ANYTHING about Madeleine L'Engle (RIP) is hysterically funny.)
ANM definitely took her choices directly from the ALA list of most commonly banned books; those are all "standard" banned books. Although she of course managed to avoid any that are banned for supposed sexual content, like In the Night Kitchen where OMG you can see the little boy's thingy! (I just previewed and "thingy" wasn't the word I used. Heeheehee.)
|
|
mckay
Junior Sitter
Posts: 672
|
Post by mckay on Nov 14, 2007 14:30:18 GMT -5
The Nicky thing was cute, but no way could he have made up enough ground to out-read the kids like Charlotte, who read constantly anyway, and Rosie, who was determined to win.
I so would've won that as a kid ;D I could read a few books in a day if I had the time. I wish I still could read that fast!
|
|
blossom114
Sitting For The Papadakis's
Posts: 1,504
|
Post by blossom114 on Nov 14, 2007 15:55:23 GMT -5
found a list of the top 100 books that were banned or challenged or whatever from 1990-2000. I've read quite a few of these... www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htmnto surprised about harry poter. GOOSEBUMPS? I LOVED bridge to terabithia...even though it made me cry like a baby (the movie was surprisingly good too, and true to the book, even though they took some creative liscense with the fantasy parts, but i can't blame them) I hated Lord of the flies... Lol hold up... HOLD UP... WHERE'S WALDO??? I'd like to hear people's reasoning for these books. Some I can understand...like the sex themes and all that... i've got to read forever.. ii've never read it. I 've got to see what the hype is all about. and I thought summer Sisters was bad in terms of sex... (it's actually my favorite book...but you know what i mean)
|
|
Lauren
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,026
|
Post by Lauren on Nov 14, 2007 16:03:48 GMT -5
How did Where's Waldo? make it on the list? That's absurd.
|
|
Penny Lane
Sitting For The Arnolds
The Girl With Colitis Goes By
Posts: 2,888
|
Post by Penny Lane on Nov 14, 2007 16:23:12 GMT -5
^ I think it had something to do with A.) no educational value whatsoever and b.) Sometimes the women were scantily clad. Of course, this is completely from memory, so I cna't be sure.
|
|