With the help of Jen from I Read Banned Books I'm hosting a Banned Books Giveaway Hop. This will run similar to the hops I usually host but has a requirement that giveaways must be for a banned or challenged book OR include information about Banned Book Week as part of the post.
This hop runs from Saturday, September 24th to Saturday, October 1st with winners announced on October 2nd or 3rd.
My take on Banned Book Week:
All books have their place, but not all books belong on every shelf.
I believe it's my responsibility as a parent to know what my children are watching, playing and reading. I don't allow my children to watch R rated movies. I'm selective on which PG-13 movies I allow them to watch. We run all our videos through a ClearPLay video editor. Rated "M" video games are not allowed in our home. Although books don't come with ratings I feel certain books are not appropriate for my children to read.
I believe in age appropriateness when it comes to books, movies and video games. Take last year's controversy over the book Speak. I'm a fairly conservative reader and I've read Speak. It's a well written, powerful book, but I wouldn't allow my children to read it at this point in their lives. It's not age appropriate for my 11 year old daughter. If asked I would object if it were on the library shelves at our elementary school which only goes to 5th grade. However I feel Speak is a book that would be appropriate on the shelves of a high school.
I do admit there are certain books that I personally will never be old enough to read. I'm not a fan of strong language, graphic sex and gory violence in books, movies or television. There are many books I have put down or decided not to read due to their content. I'm not saying those books should be removed from a public library, but I am saying it's my right as an informed reader to choose the books I will and won't read. That's not censorship, that's making a choice on what is right for me and my family.
All books have their place, just not on my shelf.
This is just my opinion, if you disagree I respect your right to have your own opinion.
My winner will pick from the following:
#1
$10 Amazon.com gift card to purchase a banned or challenged book
#2
$10 in banned or challenged books from the book depository
#3
Box of 20 Books (Shipped to US only)
FYI - Some of these have been banned or challenged, some have not.
*Some of these are new, some have been read, some are ARCs. Twilight, New Moon & Eclipse are signed (but not new).
To enter just be a follower of this blog and fill out the form. Last day to enter is Saturday, October 1, 2011.
This hop officially starts at midnight but posts are already popping up. For best use of your time wait until tomorrow when all the posts are up to start entering the giveaways. If you start now most sites will not have a giveaway up!!
The linky should be accurate by noon on Saturday.
Mary D
ReplyDeletezenrei57 (at) hotmail dot com
USA
It really surprised me to find out that both Twilight and The Hunger Games were on the Challenged list for 2010. I've read both and cannot fathom anyone finding either book objectionable.
Radiance is the only book I could find that doesn't seem to be banned or challenged! Shocking! These are such great books that people should be able to make their minds up about. I read banned books:)
ReplyDeletebchild5 at aol dot com
It amazes me how many banned and challenged books are out there. Thanks so much for another great giveaway!
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I like the box of books, but if I win you can keep the Twilight series. I am not kidding.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the opportunity for international readers :)
ReplyDeleteTwilight and the Hunger Games? Really? What's so wrong about those books? Seriously people! Gosh, some people just don't know a good book when they read one. oh, and thanks.
ReplyDeleteit is so cool that you are doing this! as a teacher every year someone somewhere challenges what we are reading, what is on our selves, they sometimes even challenge our alternate assignments. having a small child i understand your point and am glad that you are not throwing out the baby with the bath water, so to speak! :D
ReplyDeleteThe vast majority of banned or challenged books occur in schools (there are no "banned books" to my knowledge in the U.S. as in they are not allowed to print or sell them). I think the educational setting, suggesting these books are being taught, is what gets parents concerned. I think most parents are like you - they may find a book objectionable for their child but realize the right of other parents to let their kids read whatever.
ReplyDeleteThe heart of the issue to me is this: what legal rights to minors have concerning their reading and on the flip side, what material is ok to give to a minor? It's one thing for a minor to find a book but another for a teacher, a person of authority, to assign a book.
Personally, I think parents (especially of teens) can overreact and do their kids a serious disservice by refusing to let them read certain books. I wish kids could read what they want. But that's my opinion. And that's all I see floating around - opinions. ALA has an opinion. Librarians, teachers and parents have opinions. But school boards have the power. There's no hard and fast rule about the heart of the issue making this a grey area and leaves room for censorship to occur.
Great selection of books for the giveaway. The box of twenty is very generous. I'm keeping my fingers crossed....and my toes too. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for this opportunity
ReplyDeleteNive giveaway! And thanks for organising the hop.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great giveaway! Down with banning books!
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the amazing giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting the hop and the great giveaway. I hate it I find a really great book that I'd love to share with students but then have to consider is there anything in there that could offend anyone.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting the hop!
ReplyDeleteI love your froggy rating system. Frogs are my totem animal :-)
ReplyDeleteThe Secret of Spruce Knoll is AWESOME!! Love Heather writing about what teens face today!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the giveaway and hop!
ReplyDeletePosted on Murder She Writes but reposting where I can, to say thank you for raising this issue.
ReplyDeleteWent to American Library Association website for list of banned/challenged books. http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedclassics/index.cfm
Happy to say, I’ve read most of the classics, or consciously chose not to read a few, but was floored to see To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee; 1984, by George Orwell; A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway; Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell; and Sophie’s Choice, by William Styron, to name a few on the short list.
A commenter there pointed out that the Bible often is banned.
Much thanks for hosting this awesome hop and your great giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI am always amazed at the books that get added to the banned and challenged list each year. The reasons are always absurd. It is such a shame that we have become so censored that we ignore fantastic books.
ReplyDeleteMy Giveaway Banned Books Week post is up and running. I will also post something every day this week about Banned Books,Censorship, or activities this week in my library.
ReplyDeleteAs both a librarian and a parent I understand what you are saying about appropriateness of reading materials for age groups and monitoring what goes into your children (visual). It is best if handled within the family unit.
Anne
My Head is Full of Books
Thank you for the hosting the hop and for the post!
ReplyDeleteI have to say, I'm pretty strict and I'm sure I'll do the same thing you do for my own children.
There's a time for everything.
Thank you for hosting this hop! I love your post! I completely agree!
ReplyDeleteKristin
Thanks for hosting the hop!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting this hop! I agree with you that there is a time and age for things, but still it's heartbreaking/sad that some books are banned, for some books we could learn from.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea for a giveaway... Thanks so much! I also agree with what you said about being an informed reader. I don't have children yet, but I've already decided that I will keep an eye on what comes in my home.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for the chance!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the giveaway, and for hosting the giveaway hop!
ReplyDeleteMy entry in this blog hop is now up. Sorry I'm late. Can you put me back in? Thank you.
ReplyDeletehallililburn.blogspot.com
I am really surprised about some of these books being on the list.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the giveaway and for co-hosting the hop! I'll be posting about a giveaway of my own to participate in the hop tomorrow. :)
ReplyDeletePosted my comment earlier but wanted to let you know that, while SOS Aloha doesn’t seem to have joined the hop formally, still posted about banned book week:
ReplyDeletehttp://sosaloha.blogspot.com/2011/09/weekly-winners-plus-banned-book-week.html?showComment=1316947607535#c44855803650
As a parent, I can understand where you are coming from, I screened my daughter's books while we homeschooled. Funny, none of the Pony Club books are here--and they are the ones I banned from my house. Eventually Harry Potter was let in, and I read a copy of it too, so I could discuss it with my daughter. However, my grandmother, an English teacher, said books should never be banned. Her opinion was that the child's mind only accepted that which it was ready to accept. I loved the Witch of Blackbird Pond when I was growing up. When I read it as an adult, it wasn't the same book, my adult mind saw other things that my child's mind did not. I hope that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteAWESOME prizes. Thank you. :)
ReplyDeleteHOLY CANOLI! If I won that box of books, I think I would die from excitement. I just gasped seeing that Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse are signed. That would literally make my life.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the giveaways! I'm excited!
ReplyDeleteI won't qualify for the giveaway because I'm Canadian ... but good luck to the others!
ReplyDeleteI can see your point and agree with you. As you said "All books have their place, just not on my shelf".
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the giveaway. I'd love the box of 20 random books. The more books, the merrier...
You didn't offend me at all and I agree I believe as a parent it should be left to us to what is appropriate for our children.
ReplyDeleteThanks for another awesome blog hop
Thanks for the giveaway! Banned Books rule!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway. it always surprises me how many books end up banned.
ReplyDelete