| Muggles Perform Magic for Harry Potter:
Zeeland Restrictions Rescinded Who
says muggles can't perform magic? Six months after imposing severe restrictions on the use
of Harry Potter books, a school superintendent in Zeeland, Michigan, has bowed to pressure
from a local group, Muggles for Harry Potter, and rescinded almost all of them. At a press
conference yesterday, School Superintendent Gary Feenstra announced that he would accept
all of the recommendations of an advisory committee, including restoring the books to the
shelves of the elementary and middle school libraries. The only remaining restriction is a
ban on oral reading in elementary school classrooms. However, children in those grades now
have the freedom to borrow the books from the library and to use them for book reports
without parental permission. Older children are not restricted in any way.
ABFFE actively supported the Zeeland
Muggles, encouraging national groups to join it in condemning the restrictions and
producing a Muggles for Harry Potter button that was worn by supporters of the Potter
books. In March, ABFFE and eight other groups launched a Muggles for Harry Potter Web
site, www.mugglesforharrypotter.org, that has enrolled over 3,300 members in the United
States and in many foreign countries.
Judy Blume Headlines ABFFE
Panel, "Wild About Harry," at BookExpo
Judy Blume will discuss the censorship of
Harry Potter and other works of children's literature during an ABFFE program at BookExpo
America. The program, "Wild About Harry: Censorship and Children's Literature in the
Year 2000," will be held on Saturday, June 3, at 4 p.m. in Room 502b of the McCormick
Convention Center. ABFFE members who are planning to attend are encouraged to arrive early
because seating is limited. The program is cosponsored by the American Library Association
and the Association of American Publishers.
When the program concludes at 5 p.m., Blume
will join ABFFE members at a reception celebrating the launch of Muggles for Harry Potter
on the national level. She will sign copies of "Places I Never Meant To Be," a
book that she edited that contains stories by children's authors who have been the target
of censorship. There will also be live music and a cash bar. Muggles buttons, posters and
T-shirts will be on sale during the reception, which will be held in front of the ABFFE
booth. The ABFFE booth will be located near the main entrance of the South Hall, adjacent
to the children's publishing area. The reception will also give people an opportunity to
place bids in ABFFE's Silent Auction.
Judge Refuses to Order
Restoring of Banned Books List in Virginia HS
On May 2, a federal district court judge in
Virginia refused to order school officials in Harrisonburg, Virgnia, to repost a Banned
Books Week list that they forced teacher Jeffry Newton to remove last year on the eve of
Banned Books Week. ABFFE, the American Library Association and the other sponsors of
Banned Books Week had joined Newton and several students in challenging the order.
The principal of Spotswood High School
ordered Newton to remove the list after a parent complained that it contained several
titles that were "inappropriate" for students, including "Women on Top: How
Real Life Has Changed Women's Fantasies," "The Joy of Gay Sex," and
"Understanding Sexual Identity: A Book for Gay Teens and Their Friends."
In his decision, Judge James Michael
acknowledged that the list itself doesn't pose a serious threat to the peace and safety of
students but insisted that it does threaten the right of school officials to control
curriculum because some of the titles it mentions are at odds with the lessons that the
school district is trying to inculcate through its family life education and substance
abuse policy. The lawyers representing ABFFE, Newton and the other plaintiffs are
considering an appeal.
ABFFE Online Auction Offering
Great Bargains on University Press Books
The ABFFE Online University Press Auction
will enter its third day Saturday with many great bargains still available from the
university presses of Princeton, California, Illinois, North Carolina, Arizona, Alabama,
Wayne State, Temple, Teachers College, Penn State and the State University of New York. In
addition to getting a great deal on the books themselves, winners receive free shipping.
The auction is running on the ABFFE Web site, http://www.abffe.com. It closes Monday at 3
p.m., Eastern Daylight Time. Don't miss this opportunity to grab a bargain and support
ABFFE!
Previously in ABFFE Update
|
