Common Sense Ratings

Thanks to Stephanie at Pretty Sweet YA Book Reviews (With Cherries on Top) who wrote a blog entry about Barnes & Noble's announcement that it was going to add Common Sense Media's ratings of children's books, movies, games, and music to its web site.

Common Sense Media is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization "dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology." Their "Common Sense Beliefs" can be found with their Mission Statement.

Concerns about Common Sense Media's ratings being included on Barnes & Noble's site, according to a Publisher's Weekly article are that "they seemed to emphasize negative subjects like sex, violence, drinking, and drugs over subject matter."

My belief that parents should be well informed of what their children are reading is conflicting with the idea that a third party is being trusted to rate books for their children. The criteria used in rating are Social Behavior, Sex, Violence, Consumerism, Drugs, and Language. In Judy Blume's Are you there God? It's me, Margaret, Social Behaviour has been flagged "iffy" because some characters lie. It is flagged "iffy" under "Sex" for "mentions of Playboy, kissing, menstruation, bras, emerging sexuality," not any mention of sexual intercourse. This is Meg Cabot's take on the Blume rating.

Because taken out of context, the warning that Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret contains “Playboy, kissing, menstruation, bras, and emerging sexuality” makes this wonderful, beloved book about a sixth grader who does nothing racier than stuff her bra with cotton balls and worry about disappointing her family sound like it’s about…well, Playboy, kissing, menstruation, bras, and emerging sexuality!

There is also a very real danger that the section on "What Parents Need to Know" can be too subjective.

I was curious to see how Judy Blume's Forever was rated. I found a better balanced view of the book on Common Sense Media because they included "The Good Stuff" -- information on the message and role models in the book.


Enter the Banned Book Challenge. Choose a goal for the number of challenged or banned books you can read between now and June. Let us know about your goal on our form, so we can keep track. Not sure what to read? Check out our suggested reading and the many links on the right side bar.

A Milestone for Us

Today our counter hit over 100,000 hits and 150,000 page views since we installed Sitemeter. Thank you to our faithful readers and to Meg Cabot, who, with one mention had us shut down as a spam site for a day as our stats spiked.

Everything I Needed to Know about Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume

This August saw the release of Everything I Needed to Know about Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, a new young adult book many written by a host of woman who now write for young adults. Each author has contributed an essay on the effect Blume's books had on their own teenaged years. Blume's books have sold 75 million copies and have been translated into more than 20 languages. Judy Bloom has had her share of controversy over the years and every once in a while a new challenge is made against her books for their frank approach to puberty and teen sexuality. Forever is the usual target.

Meg Cabot, another author who has had her books (The Princess Diaries) challenged recently, is one of the essay writers.

Read an interview with editor Jennifer O’Connell on the CBC website.

Celebrate Freedom to Read

Today marks the beginning of Freedom to Read Week in Canada. The Pelham Public Library challenges the world to read a banned or challenged book...or two...or three between February and June 2007. Register for the "Banned Book Challenge" and join challenged authors Meg Cabot, Deborah Ellis and Maryrose Wood as we celebrate our freedom to read.

Now where are all of the other challenged and banned authors -- Lois Lowry, Chris Crutcher, Madeleine L'Engle, Katherine Paterson? Who else is up for the challenge? Just drop me a line!

Gearing Up For Freedom to Read Week

At the Pelham Public Library, we are getting geared up for Freedom to Read Week. We are sending out the invitation for readers around the world to take the Banned Book Challenge.

Meg Cabot, author of the Princess Diaries, among other books for both youth and young adults is up for the challenge.

Meg says,

What a great idea! I would love to post a link to your site on my blog the week of your event. Would that be okay?

Stay tuned to see which other authors have agreed to take the "Banned Book Challenge."

"If the censors had their way...these would be your choices."

Meg Cabot Gets Her Wish

Meg Cabot's Diary reports that among other places, The Princess Diaries have been banned from North Joshua Elementary School in Texas. The books were cited for sexual content and found inappropriate for grades pre-kindergarten through 6th grade.

Says Cabot,

Have you ever had a secret—or even not-so-secret—dream?

A dream that maybe you wished upon a star would come true?

Or prayed for on bended knee?

A dream that everyone told you was totally unrealistic…would never come true…to just give up on…that, yeah, okay, might happen for other people, but was never going to happen for you?

This post is for all you dreamers out there. Keep on dreaming, dreamers.

Because dreams? They really can come true, if you hang in there, and believe in them long enough.

Because my dream? It finally came true. Through hard work, perseverance, and many, many references to French kissing.

Yes, people. It finally happened:

I’ve been banned.

YEAH, BABY!!!!!

A Long Way to Go

According to Meg Cabot's Web Page, she dreams one day of being banned.

According to Cabot,

I even have a whole speech written up in case it ever happens, so I can remember to thank the people who helped get me banned (my publisher; editor; friends; husband; parents who raised me with no idea that the stuff we regularly talked about in my house could get you banned if you put it in a book). I mean, I wouldn't want to leave anyone out, like Hillary Swank did when she forgot to thank her husband the first time she won an Oscar (and look how that turned out).

Tongue in cheek, she talks about how it is all about getting banned to be in such company as Judy Blume, R.L. Stine, Toni Morrison, Sonya Sones, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, and Hikaru Hayashi & Kimiko Morimoto.

Unfortunately, the mention of spermicide and french kissing in The Princess Diaries wasn't enough to rate banning. It just resulted in letters from irate parents.

In a subsequent entry, Cabot mentions that sympathetic readers pointed out that Thirteen Stories That Capture the Agony and Ecstasy of Being Thirteen, an anthology which she participated in, was challenged in Texas. However, she points out that her story was not the one that got the collection banned and the book was restricted, not banned outright.

Apparently she was banned from speaking at a school in Ireland. I'm not sure of the circumstances but it seems a little strange. She jokes,"...my being banned from speaking WAS glorious, as it meant I got to go on the Irish news and have a lovely Irish lunch out with my then UK publicist, Alyx. I enjoyed every minute of it."

Having just finished reading How to Be Popular, which is a very sweet book, I would say she has a long way to go. In fact, we decided to move it from Adult to Young Adult after I read it. It is all about first love, a first kiss, and good values. Wait -- "good values!?" -- often books that teach good values end up on the banned book list.

Meg, you might have a chance yet. Add a school board and an irate parent and you might have a formula for banning.

Check out the Meg Cabot Book Club especially if you like reading Chick Lit.