New Books @ the Youth Library

Children:

Pinkalicious: Pink of Heats by Victoria Kann
Being Wendy by Fran Drescher - A heartwarming story that encourages readers of all ages to embrace being true to who they are.

Early Readers:

Magic Tree House #27: Thanksgiving on Thursday by Mary Pope Osborne
Magic Tree House # 47 A Merlin Mission: Abe Lincoln at Last!  by Mary Pope Osborne
Magic Tree House Fact Tracker: Abraham Lincoln by Mary Pope Osborne

Middle Readers:

The 39 Clues Cahills vs. Vespers book 2: A King's Ransom by Jude Watson
The Book of Books: The Bible Retold for all ages
Dear Dumb Diary, Year Two: School. Hasn't This Gone On Long Enough? by Jim Benton
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney
The Winter Pony by Iain Lawrence - An account from the point of view of a pony of what it was like to be part of Captain Robert Scott's 1910 expedition to readh the South Pole.
The Best of Everything Basketball Book by Nate LeBoutillier

Teen/Young Adults:

Witch & Wizard: The Fire by James Patterson
Fix Me by Rune Michaels - A 16 year old girl endures a miserable life with her aunt and violent twin brother, but when memories of an even worse past resurface she runs away to a zoo, where she finds an unlikely sanctuary and allies.
Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith - Leah's path has been laid out for her by her controlling mother and perfect sisters, but when Leah meets a boy who isn't in her social class, she begins to question what she wants for herself.
Ranger's Apprentice Book 1: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
Ranger's Apprentice Book 2: The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan
Ranger's Apprentice Book 3: The Icebound Land by John Flanagan
Ranger's Apprentice Book 4: The Battle for Skandia by John Flanagan
Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic - Austin Parker is never going to see his 18th birthday.  He probably won't even se the end of the year.  But in the short time he has left, there's one thing he can do: He can try to help the people he loves live--even though he never will.

Holiday Closing

The Woodbine Public Library will be closed December 24th for Christmas and December 31st for New Years. The Woodbine Public Library would like to wish everyone a very Happy and Safe Holiday Season.  Merry Christmas from The Woodbine Public Library!

BOOK BLURBS

Children:

The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle

Belle: The Amazing, Astonishingly Magical Journey of an Artfully Painted Lady by Mary Lee Corlett

Heaven is for Real for Kids by Todd Burpo

National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Dionsaurs by Catherine D. Hughes

Do You See, What I see? Toyland Express by Walter Wick

Ugly Snowflake by Micki Mchary

Easy Readers:

Carl and the Kitten by Alexandra Day

Early Chapter Readers:

Cam Jansen and the Graduation Day Mystery by David A. Adler

Hank the Cowdog: The Case of the Mysterious Voice by John R. Erickson

Middle Readers:

At First Bite: A Poision Apple Book by Ruth Ames

Fetching by Kiera Stewart

Poptropica: The Offical Guide by Tracey West

Teens:

The Daughters Join the Party by Joanna Philbin

Destined: A House of Night Novel by P. C. Cast & Kristin Cast

Inheritance: Or the Vault of Souls by Christopher Paolini

Ranger's Apprentice: The Lost Stories by John Flanagan

The Heroes of Olympus: The Sone of Neptune by Rick Riordan

Halloween Coloring Contest

The Woodbine Youth Library is having a Halloween Coloring Contest for kids in grades Kindergarten through 3rd.  Stop in to the Woodbine Youth Library anytime between now and October 21st to pick up a coloring sheet, all sheets need to be turned in by 9:00AM October 22, 2011 to be judged.  A first, second and third place winner will be chosen and all pictures will be displayed in the library for Halloween!

Story Hour @ the Woodbine Public Library!

Don't forget, story hour starts today!!  11:00 - 12:00 in the Youth Library, and if you're coming from Pre-school, don't worry if it's a little after 11:00, just pop right in!!

Keeping the Freedom of the Written Word

The Woodbine Public Youth Library carries a variety of books - including books that have been challenged or banned. This week Sept. 24 through Oct. 1 is celebrated by the American Library Association and their members as "Banned Books Week."  The week is ment to highlight the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.  Above ar four books that have been challenged including: "Snakehead," part of the Alex Rider series by British author Anthony Horowits, challenged in an elementary school Flordia because "drug and weapons smuggling and gang violence is too much for any child to have access to"; "Betrayed," book two of the House of Night series by P.C. Case and Kristin Case, challenged in an Alaska high school because "it simply causes kids to think even more of things sexual"; "Speak" by Laurie aHalse Anderson, banned dut to story plot focused around sexual assault; and "Bone," a allcolor graphic novel series from Jeff Smith, challenged due to content regarding gambling, drinking and sexual appeal. The series is rated suitable for fourth grade and up, has won several awards, and received positive reviews from national publications, including Time, which touted the series as the "best all-ages graphic novel ever published."

 Woodbine Public Library celebrates "Banned Books Week"

Nikki Davis

Editor

  Woodbine Public Youth Librarian Wendy Doyel doesn’t think the concept itself is all that difficult. 

“Just don’t read it. How hard is that? If you don’t agree with a TV show, you don’t watch it. If you don’t like a movie, you don’t go to it. So if you don’t like a book, don’t read it. Don’t let your kids read it. It’s pretty simple to me,” Doyel said.

 The American Library Association always celebrates Banned Books Week the last week of September, falling Sept. 24 through Oct. 1 for 2011. Banned Books Week is meant to highlight the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.

  And it may hit closer to home then one would think.

  “Before I started working here, I was told there was a group that tried to ban the Harry Potter series from here,” Doyel said. “I don’t know how far they pushed, but I know that in the Library Bill of Rights that public libraries use, it states that, ‘Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval,’ and ‘Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.’”

  Aside from that, Doyel cited attempted bannings in Waterloo as well as Kenawha and Newton. In 2007 in Newton, the classic novel, “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck was challenged due to concerns of profanity and the portrayal of Jesus Christ. In Waterloo, ”The Catcher in the Rye” by JD Salinger was contested in 1992 due to profanity, lurid passages about sex and statements defamatory to minorities, God, women and the disabled.

  Other books, such as classics “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” “Gone With the Wind” and “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest” were banned due to the use of a now used derogatory term for those of African American descent.

“But you have to put things in context.  When these books were written, the context of the word was prevalent. It wasn’t written into these books to offend or upset people, it’s just the way it was. You’re going to ban a book for one word?” she asked. “Do I agree with the word myself? No. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to say, ‘Don’t read that book.’ You have to take it in context.”

  Doyel also cited “Whale Talk” by Chris Crutcher as being targeted in Harrison County’s own Missouri Valley. The Missouri Valley School Board voted 3-2 in March of 2007 to allow the book to be read by 10th through 12th graders, but if it was used in the classroom, parents would be allowed to select an alternative book. Brit Liljedahl, Brenda Dooley and Dan Zaiser voted in favor of the resolution while Trish Allmon and Mark Warner opposed it. 

Ironically, “Whale Talk” has been classified as carrying the primary themes of overcoming obstacles … and teaching tolerance and humanity.

  A bit of background information in the past 10 years regarding THE 4,660 books that were either challenged or banned from American libraries:

• 1,536 were challenged due to “sexually explicit” material

• 1,231 were challenged due to “offensive language”

• 977 were challenged due to material deemed “unsuited to age group”

• 553 were challenged due to “violence”

• 370 were challenged due to “homosexuality”

Out of those numbers, 1,720 of the challenges were in classrooms, 1,432 were in school libraries and 1,119 were in public libraries.

  And Doyel stands her ground … no books should be banned or even challenged. It’s a choice. It’s a freedom thing.

“It’s about freedom. It boils down to when people complain about the horrible things banned in other countries that do this or don’t do that. Then they come here and want the books taken out of schools and the libraries? It’s only a small thing … but you take these books out of the school and circulation, then what’s next? They tell you what clothes you can wear? What you can say? It all just spirals,” she said.  

  In honor of Banned Books Week, Doyel has set up a display inside the Youth Library with a list of statistical figures - including where certian books were banned and/or challenged and the reason(s) why.  All of which she believes can be fixed simply.

  "If you don't agree with it, don't read it.  Don't let your kids read it.  It's pretty simple to me," she said.  "They're books.  They are written for entertainment purposes."

  For more information on Banned Books Week, visit the Woodbine Public Library or visit the American Library Association's Website at www.ala.org. 

BANNED BOOKS WEEK

Stop in to see our Banned Books Week display @ the Woodbine Public Library on the youth side, it will be set up from now till October 1st.  You may just be surprised by what books have been banned and/or challenged.