Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Ten-year-old Awarded for Defense of Freedom to Read

Freedom to Read Poster 1994










A Toronto Star article entitled "Plucky Reader Honoured for Book's Defence" reports that ten-year-old Evie Freedman is being awarded with the Writers' Union Freedom to Read Award. Evie is a grade 5 student in the Halton Public School Board. When a number of school boards decided to pull Deborah Ellis' Three Wishes: Palestinia and Israel Children Speak, Evie was very vocal about the importance of this book and was widely quoted.

According to Evie, adults were always underestimating what kids can understand and she was adamant she didn't need anyone to tell her what she could read.

She went on to say that one particular line from Three Wishes stood out for her. "If children are tough enough to be bombed and starved, they're tough enough to read about it."

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