Freedom to Read Week is coming up next week from February 26th (Sunday) to March 3rd (Saturday) and I am going to try and take part. This is something that we will be talking about in the school library this week.
Freedom to read can never be taken for granted. Even in Canada, a free country by world standards, books and magazines are banned at the border. Schools and libraries are regularly asked to remove books and magazines from their shelves. Free expression on the Internet is under attack. Few of these stories make headlines, but they affect the right of Canadians to decide for themselves what they choose to read.
I am always baffled at how people think they have the right to say what we can and can't read. I know as a parent I am very selective of what I allow Michael to read but that is only because I don't want him to read inappropriate stuff but I would never tell him that he can not read a book because of an issue. I would not want a 9 year old to read an teen book and that is only my opinion. Thankfully I don't think I will have to worry because he is very aware and sensitive to what is around him. He has told me that there are some books he doesn't want to read yet because he thinks they are scary or not suited for his age.
You can click on this link to see what is currently on our banned list.
This week I will be rereading one of my favorite banned books and that is To Kill A Mockingbird.
Are you planning on taking part?