Is "scrotum" a word 10 year olds should not read?

by Victoria Revay | February 20, 2007 at 09:18 am
714 views | 5 Recommendations | 2 comments

Photos

jennimi's updated librarian trading card

jennimi's updated librarian trading card

see larger image

uploaded by jennimi

At first glance, The Higher Power of Lucky, a children's book written by Susan Patron seems to be a typical children's book. It's even this year's winner of the Newbery Medal, which is one of the most prestigious awards for an author's contribution to American Children's Literature. Yet it's causing quiet a stir within the academic community. Why? Because on the first page of the book, the word "scrotum" appears. The book's heroine, a 10-year-old orphan named Lucky hears the word through another character that says he saw a "rattlesnake bite his dog, Roy on the scrotum." The book has been banned in some libraries across the U.S. while the debate continues online, questioning the role of librarians when selecting or censoring literature for children.

With One Word, Children’s Book Sets Off Uproar
Advertisement
recommend This comment thread is now closed
0
Jordan Yerman

The West's fear of even the possibility of sexuality never ceases to amaze me.

Victoria Revay
Victoria Revay
flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 11:20 on February 20th, 2007

Librarian.net has a great thread on this topic.

This story was created over 3 months ago, the comment thread is now closed.

closeSign in to NowPublic

is reporting from