books

MUF Reads Banned Books

By on December 17, 2021   /   Articles, books  

“There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches.”
~ Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

If you’re someone who reads our blog, chances are you are aware of the barrage of book bans, book challenges, and, yes, even threats of book burnings in the US these past several months.

The list of books being challenged is long, and the challenges have little to do with the actual educational value of the books in question. The challenges are all about preventing children from having access to and the freedom to choose books that center a range of perspectives and, more often than not, the perspectives of characters who have been underrepresented in libraries and classrooms for far too long. These challenges focus on books kids desperately need to better understand themselves, their peers, and the world they live in. (See Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop’s Windows and Mirrors and Sliding Glass Doors for more information about this idea).

Because that’s what books do. They let us see ourselves. They let us see that we’re not alone in our struggles, our confusion, and even our joys. And, they let us see outside of ourselves into a wider world. They let us explore different perspectives, try on different points of view, and develop empathy.

I remember finding such a book in my local library when I was 10. Even though the book was about a 15 year-old girl, the heart of the book –  the character’s fears, worries, grief, and guilt – mirrored by own, and reading it made me feel less alone and less broken in the year after my father’s death. The book was Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume – a book that has been banned for sexual content and language in school districts across the country. I’m forever grateful that no one deemed that book “too adult” or “inappropriate” for ten-year-old me. They couldn’t possibly have known how much I needed to travel with Davey that year and to read the words “We’re going to be all right,” at the book’s end.

As I look through the recent list of banned and challenged books, I don’t just see books, I see the faces of the students I have handed these books to, students I have had long and engaged conversations with about characters and settings and plot and life. I see students who read more, felt more, and thought more simply because they were given the choice to read a book that spoke to something they have experienced, or recognized, or wondered about.

I asked the other members of the blog to share some of the banned and challenged books they love. The list is varied – and not nearly long enough, but here are some of MUF’s favorite banned middle grade titles:

See You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Are You There God It’s Me Margaret by Judy Blume

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D Taylor

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

New Kid by Jerry Craft

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis

Melissa (Previously titled George) by Alex Gino

Front Desk by Kelly Yang

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot by Dav Pilkney

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds

Even the inspiration of this blog – From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler by EL Konigsburg – has been banned.

This list is merely a tiny glimpse of the books being pulled off of school and library shelves.  There are far too many more.  The American Library Association has lists of Frequently Challenged Books on their website. It’s worth checking out.

If, like me, you are looking for ways to take action, check out the resources at:

The National Coalition Against Censorship

Texas Library Association

#FReadom Fighters

American Library Association

National Council of Teachers of English

Lots of people smarter than I am have written their thoughts on the subject as well. Check out Kate Messner’s post for an Open Letter that educators and librarians can share.

And, read this statement signed by authors, educators, librarians, booksellers,  publishers, concerned citizens and organizations standing up for students and their First Amendment rights.

 

Please, comment below with your favorite banned/challenged book as well as any resources you’d like to share.

And remember, books are powerful. No one would want to ban them if they weren’t.

 

 

 

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Book Spotlight: Wonderworks by Angus Fletcher

By on November 26, 2021   /   Articles, Book Lists, books, For Writers, Nonfiction, STEM, STEM Tuesday  

It’s the time of the year to be grateful. Grateful for what we have in life. Grateful for communities like From the Mixed-Up Files…of Middle-Grade Authors. Grateful even though life sometimes throws us curveballs. 

Life does throw us curveballs. Sometimes we hit the ball, most of the time we miss. Life also has been known to lob a ball right down the fat part of the plate allowing us to take one heck of a swing. Sometimes we drive those for base hits; other times we knock the ball out of the park. Life provides unexpected opportunities.

Recently, while listening to the fantastic three-part episode on The Little Mermaid from Malcolm Gladwell’s excellent podcast, Revisionist History, life lobbed a pitch that floated across the strike zone as big as a beach ball. 

In Episode 2 of the Revisionist History podcast, Malcolm Gladwell talks to Angus Fletcher, a literature professor at the Ohio State University’s Project Narrative. Dr. Fletcher talks about fairy tales and what makes the oldest of the fairy tale twist stories work for kids while the poetic justice fairy tale stories and their modern “Disney-fied tales really don’t resonate with them.

After listening to Dr. Fletcher’s interview, two things jump out.

  1. Angus Fletcher is a neuroscientist turned English professor.
  2. He has just released a book called, Wonderworks: The 25 Most Powerful Inventions in the History of Literature.

Cover for Wonderworks

Wait! A literature professor with a background in brain science wrote a book about 25 ground-breaking literary inventions?

Count me in!

So I bought the book. I started reading the book. I knew immediately I needed to share this book with my MUF friends and family.

The format of Wonderworks is well designed. Each literary invention is a chapter. It starts with a literary history and a background as existed at the time of the invention. The literary invention is introduced by an author or philosopher in their creative work with an explanation of why the invention worked. Examples are often provided highlighting the use of the invention by different authors.

The kicker, the hook, the thing about this book that reels me in is the section of each chapter where Dr. Fletcher delves into the brain science, the neurology and neurochemistry behind how and why the literary invention works for the reader. Shots of dopamine. Left brain/Right brain interactions, the HPA Axis (Hypothalamus, Pituitary gland, and Adrenal gland), the balance between the amygdala vs the prefrontal cortex. So much awesome, I’m in reader/writer/scientist heaven!

As a scientist/STEM-enthusiast and writer, this connection is what earns Wonderworks a place on the top shelf of my writing resource books. Absolutely fascinating to read a book about the effect literature has on the brain.

Confession time. I fully expected to be completely through Wonderworks by the time this post was due. 

I’m not. But there’s a great reason why.

Each chapter is so intriguing and packed with information, I find myself needing to work slowly through each of the literary inventions. I find myself seeking out the works mentioned as examples. Some of these books I have on my own shelves. Some I find online, while others I’ve found in my local library. I’ve landed on the Project Narrative website at Ohio State seeking more story knowledge and have downloaded academic papers from the participating faculty. Talk about going down the rabbit hole! Each invention listed in Wonderworks has sprouted many paths to investigate, directions to discover, and mysteries to seek out.

Have a wonderful holiday season, everyone! Enjoy the process. Create like the world needs your work because the world needs your work. Be grateful and celebrate the power of words. If you get time, I recommend Wonderworks: The 25 Most Powerful Inventions in the History of Literature.

The story of story, it turns out, is a fascinating story.

 

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Indy Spotlight: A Children’s Place, Portland OR

By on July 19, 2021   /   books, children's bookstores, independent bookstores, Indie Spotlight  

It’s always a treat to feature an independent bookstore devoted to children’s books, especially one that has been in continuous operation for years. Today we’re talking with Pam Lewis, owner of A Children’s Place in Portland, Oregon (www.achildrensplacebookstore.com).

MUF: Portlanders love books. It would be hard to find another town with so many good independent bookstores, and yet some have folded recently. During the COVID challenge, what have your strategies been?
Pam: Well,  it’s been a lot more work and procedure to get books out the door. We’ve relied on face-timing and phone orders and delivering at the curb or sometimes directly to cars.

MUF Have you had good community support during this time?
Pam: Oh yes, that’s why we’re still here! Our community made a good effort to buy from us rather than from Amazon, even during the shutdown.

MUF: Have you been able to resume live events?
PAM: No. We will not have live events here again until all children can get vaccinated!

MUF: What kind of atmosphere do you aim to create in A Children’s Place?
PAM: Welcoming to all. We greet everyone, parents and kids, and offer to help them find their next best book. Our staff reads the books and talks about them with customers. The store has a little stage and colorful posters all around. Customers who have been coming to the store since they were babies are now in college and still coming.

MUF: How do you choose the titles to carry in your store?
Pam: We talk with book reps about what books are “hot,” and we order books from authors we know and like. We listen to the interests of the children who come into the store. In addition to fiction, our customers look for books about birds, nature books, and guides to Oregon trails.

MUF: As middle-grade authors we’re curious to know: what are some books, new or old that you find yourselves recommending to readers 8-12 these days? That they ask for?
Pam: Dragons and dragon stories are always in demand, as well as unicorns and dinosaurs. Series are big with this age group: Tui Sutherland’s The Wings of Fire (dragon epic), Shannon Messenger’s Keeper of the Lost Cities (a telepathic girl in a strange world), Chris Colfer’s Land of Stories (fairytale adventures). In graphic series there’s Kazu Kibuishi’s Amulet .
We’re finding, too, that parents who buy the books are looking back to the classics, books they read as children and want to share with their own.

MUF: Tell us about how your store pursues it’s mission of “raising readers,” including your relationships with teachers and with homeless students in the Community Transitional School?
Pam: We give discounts to teachers and work closely with them to help build classroom and student libraries. We’ve been active with the Community Transitional School from the beginning. This welcoming school provides a stable education for homeless children pre-school to 8th grade. It even provides transportation to the site, something that is often difficult for the homeless to manage. Every Christmas, we have a Giving Tree with book requests on it that our customers can purchase. This means we can deliver a new book to every child in the school each year.

MUF: Describe an ideal day for you at The Children’s Place.
Pam: It’s kids coming in and finding the next book they want to read. We get to know our customers, who the advanced readers are who are the reluctant readers. Helping them find good sci-fi or graphic novels or whatever their interests are is what we like to do.

MUF: If a family from out of town visited your store, would they find family-friendly places nearby to get a meal or snack after shopping and browsing? And if they could stay longer, are there some especially unique or interesting sites or activities nearby you’d recommend for a family to see?
Pam: Yes. There’s Caffe Destino, Grain Gristle, and Lucca (Italian). There are so many sites of interest in the area, including The Rose Garden, the Japanese Garden, Mt. Hood, and numerous hiking trails.

Thank you, Pam, for taking the time to talk with us today. Readers, if you haven’t been to A Children’s Place, be sure to visit next time you’re in Portland. 1423 NE Fremont Street.

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