Booksology The day the book disappeared Earned several glowing reviews from industry publications. That includes a starred review in School Library Journal, which says the book is “destined to be read aloud in classrooms around the world” and that “adults can clearly see parallels to the book challenges that are becoming too common across the country and engage young readers in discussions about kindness, empathy, and respect.” book list He added: “Given the increasing restrictions on access to books, this selection could be the nectar that enlightens a few flies.”
So imagine organizing a book tour, only to have one of the school visits canceled because the administrators didn’t want the authors, Kushin Pritchard and Ho, to talk about the modern state of censorship of the book that inspired their book. That’s exactly what happened to these two at Country Club Elementary School in San Ramon, California.
Upon arriving at the school, the two authors were called to the principal’s office. There were concerns about what would be included in the presentation to students who had already lined up to enter the library. The principal instructed the authors not to talk about the banning of the book and to avoid any mention of gay authors or stories centered around gay people.
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Of course, the authors were talking about the banning of books to their audience, elementary school students, in an age-appropriate way. The theme of The day the book disappeared The work is inspired by the removal of books by and about marginalized people. Their presentation material consisted of 45 slides (mostly spreads from the book itself) and included seven address book no-nos. The five slides featured images taken from a PEN America report showing the number of books banned in the United States, as well as a sample of the types of books banned.
Despite instructions from the principal, neither author intended to change their presentation.
At this point, the principal had to call senior management to see if the event could proceed as is. During this time, both authors sat and waited. On the wall? A display promoting this month’s school personality trait: Acceptance.
The authors waited for 40 minutes before finally hearing back from the principal. The next thing she shared was not good news and that the event needed to be canceled immediately. The authors were asked to leave the school without addressing the students, and the students were returned to their classrooms.
This is not the first time the author’s school visit has been canceled upon arrival. In an era of book censorship and educational gag orders, the chilling effect is real, with administrators, educators, and librarians bowing down to what those outside the building perceive to be threats to their careers. Political pressure groups such as Moms For Liberty operate at the local level, targeting public schools and libraries and attacking them at every opportunity.
The Cumberland Valley School District (Pennsylvania) has canceled an April 2024 school visit by actor and children’s book author Maulik Pancholy. What is the reason? The author’s activism and gay identity were concerns. Mr. Pancholy’s talk was about bullying prevention, but instead the school district bowed to the imaginary bullies and stepped into the role of bullying itself. Due to the public outcry against this decision, the author’s lectures were revived.
In this era of book bans, surprise school visit cancellations are on the rise, with the majority specifically targeting authors and books within the LGBTQ+ community.
Students at Country Club Elementary School were once again denied the opportunity to hear from two outstanding authors this month. Similar to Pancholy’s cancellation at the Pennsylvania school, the San Ramon cancellation represented exactly the message the authors were trying to share, completely contradicting what the school claims to be an important character trait: acceptance.
San Ramon has not been without issues of book censorship in recent years. In 2023, some parents complained: genderqueer It became available in high schools, but complaints about other LGBTQ+ themed books and books by and about people of color increased over the next year. Some of these challenges have been encouraged by at least one member of the district’s school board. There is an active chapter of Mamas for Liberty in the county.
It is difficult to understand how this school got into this situation. Multiple layers of approval are required to make an author’s school visit a reality. Among the most basic tasks? Know what the book will be about and what the presentation will be about before the author shows up at your door. nothing at all The day the book disappeared It is not appropriate for elementary school students because it is written for them. There is also nothing inappropriate in these authors presenting the background information that inspired their stories, especially since the authors, who are former educators, do so in an age-appropriate manner. It is true that books by and about diverse people are being challenged and banned.
It’s also true that exactly those kinds of books have been denounced in school districts for years, thanks to a few people with intentions as innocent as Arnold and his passion for airplane books.
So what now?
The students at Country Club Elementary School who were denied this visit deserve a visit, and the authors who worked hard to arrange this visit deserve the opportunity to share their stories with these readers. To be clear, this decision was not made by school librarians or principals. It came from a top chain in the area. Please take the time to write to San Ramon Valley Unified School District and let them know why the decision to cancel the author event was inappropriate.
It is also important to let students know that there are several lessons they can learn from this book. This includes “acceptance,” which our school promotes as this month’s character value.
