Category: Education

Pensacola Principal Cancels Little Brother Summer Reading Program

In a move reminiscent of South Carolina’s months-long battle over Fun Home at the College of Charleston, a high school principal in Pensacola, Florida last week cancelled a One School/One Book summer reading program because he thought Cory Doctorow’s Little…

Political Cartoons for Peace

A globalization class at Lebanese American University hosted political cartoonist Hassan Bleibel as he paid a visit to illustrate the power of using art to tackle sensitive issues. The cartoonist is best known for his work at the Daily Star…

Judy Blume: Let Kids Choose What They Read

After more than 40 years in the business, beloved children’s and YA author Judy Blume knows both young readers and the censorious impulses of some adults very well. Speaking recently at the annual Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts…

Banned Books Week 2014 Celebrates Graphic Novels

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), with the national Banned Books Week planning committee, today announced that this year’s celebration of the freedom to read will emphasize a thematic focus on comics and graphic novels. This year’s Banned Books…

British Education Secretary in Hot Water Over Alleged Ban of American Classics

Educators in the United Kingdom and some authors — including Phillip Pullman and Nobel winner Toni Morrison — are upset over allegations that British Education Secretary Michael Gove is removing American classics and other non-British books from GCSE English syllabi.…

Why Is LGBT Romance “Too Adult” For All-Ages Comics?

There is a common refrain that we often hear when children’s books with age-appropriate LGBT themes are challenged in schools and libraries. While there are still plenty of detractors, who bluntly declare same-sex relationships to be “unnatural,” these days there…

Freedom to Read Under Attack in Schools

A recent spate of book challenges and bans highlight a growing concern that the freedom to read is under attack in our public schools. From middle schools to higher education, books have been attacked across the country. In many recent…