Cindy, you are right that kids will sneak books, movies, and music too. I know my child doesn't live in a bubble. As for the judgment of the school librarian, I seriously doubt that she reads the books she orders for each grade. My hunch is that she goes by the recommended age level from her book vendor when placing orders. For that reason, I don't have much confidence in her judgment. There seems to be little interaction or dialog allowed between the school library staff and parents in my county, and that makes me less willing to relax and trust the school system. On the other hand, our public library actively encourages parents and children to use the library together, and I feel much better about trusting the recommendations of the librarians there. Then again, they have taken time to listen and understand my concerns about what my daughter reads.
To be clear, I don't want books to be banned or burned from public libraries. What I do want is a way for a parent to prevent a child from checking out a book that the parent believes is inappropriate for that child. I don't want to take books from someone else's child. That's not my right or responsibility. I want the tools to be able to do my part in raising my child well and in the way I believe is best.
Monica Willyard Grandma Cindy wrote:
You make some good points, but don't you think it's up to the librarian to decide if the books are age-appropriate for that school library? If children take books home from the library parents can look at the book and if they don't want the child to read it they can explain why, rather than having it banned from the library so that no one can read it.
