S.D. Middle Schools Pull Graphic Novels (Ariel Schrag)

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

Two Sioux Falls, SD, middle schools have pulled Stuck in the Middle: 17 Comics from an Unpleasant Age (Viking, 2007) from their general collections, giving only teachers access to the graphic novel anthology but not its intended audience: students.

The Sioux Falls School District's school board made the decision on November 9, following the unanimous recommendation of a committee of two teachers, two parents, one administrator, and Ann Smith, the district’s library coordinator.

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Ariel Schrag, who edited the book, understands that parents have the right to choose what their children get to read and watch.

“But my intent in editing this book was to help children who might be experiencing some of the things the characters in the book experience—bullying, rejection, acne, depression, etc.—feel less alone,” says Schrag in a statement. “The goal was also to let kids who aren't experiencing these things, but who might be engaging in some of these negative behaviors (i.e., the bullies) read the book and think about how kids who are dealing with these problems might feel.”

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/index.asp?layout=talkbackCommentsFull&talk_back_header_id=6635086&articleid=CA6709044

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Fuckin' wingnuts. Ariel's work is phenomenal.