Book burning! Setting books on fire is a sure way to make a statement - just ask Pastor Terry Jones in Gainesville, FL. But the Qu'ran isn't the only book that barely escaped the flames this past decade in America- did you know that in 2001, the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling was nearly set ablaze in a small town in Maine? The fire department swept in to save the day - only to see the books get chopped up with scissors.
Why so much rage over such a popular, well-loved book? For the parents of Lewiston, Maine, the answer was clear: Harry Potter was promoting witchcraft and devil worship.
Lewiston isn't the only town to object to Harry Potter. The series faced challenges in schools across the country - some successful, and some not.
The argument to kick England's favorite wizard out of American schools is one we hear again and again in book challenges: Protect the children! These parents are asking libraries to be gatekeepers, monitoring what people read.
What do you think? Should librarians guard what information comes in and out of the library? Or should parents - not librarians - be responsible for what they want their kids to read?
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