Running head CENSORED BOOK REFLECTION 1 Censored Book Reflection Name Children s Literature RDG 350 CENSORED BOOK REFLECTION 2 Censored Book Reflection People have been challenging books all throughout history Books are usually challenged with the best of intentions to protect others frequently children from difficult ideas and information American Library Association 2012 para 3 Challenges are often motivated by a desire to protect children from inappropriate content or offensive language Other times books are challenged because the author expresses ideas or beliefs that may be considered unconventional Judy Blume is an author who has faced censorship since the early 1980 s Her 1974 book Blubber about school bullying has been challenged quite frequently and banned 13 times from libraries across the country One elementary school in Perry Township Ohio challenged the book on the basis that evil goes unpunished Blubber was banned in another school in Alabama because of the use of the words bitch and damn While this book does deal with some of the harsh realities of school bullying I do not believe it should have been censored or banned from school libraries Bullying as wrong and unpleasant as it is is a real issue Judy Blume writes about real life situations and sometimes it is not easy to read Critics are correct in saying that the bullies go unpunished in the book however if they were to read the book carefully they would see that these girls paid a price for their actions They did not get into any trouble with their parents or teachers but they did suffer in their own way There are no winners in this story I believe this book should be used in fourth and fifth grades as an enrichment activity on bullying I would have each child talk about any experience they have had with bullying either as the bully or the victim We would discuss the different types of bullying and talk about how it is equally wrong to watch someone being bullied and do nothing about it I would then read CENSORED BOOK REFLECTION 3 Blubber aloud to the class After the book has been read I would have the children break into groups and assign each child a character from the book to portray I would have them act out different scenarios while focusing on how to either stop the bullying or seek assistance from an adult Each child would have a turn as the bully and each child would have a turn as the victim The story of Blubber and the topic of bullying is not a feel good read Parents worry about their children reading such a book and being exposed to things they are not ready for Children will read the book and hear about issues they may or may not know about As long as there are books written about controversial topics there will be someone who wants to censor them CENSORED BOOK REFLECTION 4 References American Library Association 2012 About banned and challenged books Retrieved from http www ala org advocacy banned aboutbannedbooks