I'm doing an assignment on censorship for my Adolescent Lit class, and I just looked up the list of 100 most frequently challenged books. There were quite a few on there that I'd read - I mean, Harry Potter was right there near the top, and the most challenged book is Scary Stories, which I'm pretty sure we all read in elementary school. My roommate Mandy just bought them in October to read to her 7th grade practicum class on Halloween. But my favorite challenge was number 88: Where's Waldo? by Martin Hanford.Where's Waldo?
Really?
I looked it up to see if I could find out why - apparently there is an "exposed woman" in the beach scene. It was changed in later editions, so don't worry.
Insidious book, bombarding our eyes with centimeter high naked cartoon women. Down with such trash! Burn it! Also Harry Potter. Evil!
My teacher had a different story. She said it was challenged because apparently there is a picture in which Waldo is looking in a mirror and he has no reflection! Meaning . . . what? He's a vampire? A devil? I prefer to believe the first story, if only because there is some actual case for objecting, but I wouldn't put it past those Harry Potter hating book burners. (I'm sorry, did that sound like an attack? Because it was.)
Yeah. Keep up the good work, people. Protect our children.
4 comments:
hahahahahaha. where's waldo? who even has the time to
a. find the naked lady on a beach and
b. find other people who are also angered by this and try to get the book banned (or challenge it)?
it's sad to think what some kids will miss out on b/c they have uptight, paranoid parents. Will my child attempt witchcraft if they read Harry Potter? Will they seek out nude beaches b/c they saw a naked sun bather in a Where's Waldo book when they were 6? It's like not letting them watch Superman or Mary Poppins b/c they might go up to the roof and try to fly down with an umbrella or a cape. Frankly, that's the fun in it - trying to figure out if you could actually do it and weighing the pros and cons of a test run. haha. silliness.
That is pretty hilarious. this lady in Mass. or something is STILL trying to sue the school districts for their HP allowance. Good glorious. Does it look like over 100 million people are practicing witch craft? Those people haven't even READ Harry Potter. If they would, they would see how ridiculously HARMLESS it is. Sigh... Society, focusing on the wrong problems...
Elise, didn't you hear? There are 100 million people who are practicing witch craft. No one can see them because they have their own governmental establishments and rulers to protect them. Its going to be terrible when they finally get to our children..oh wait..JK already has...
Your comment on Tiffany's post led me here... you're right... your post is not nearly as serious as hers, but definitely funny just the same. A "Where's Waldo" book... who'da thought? LOL
And it kind of blows my brains out that people think Harry Potter is evil. I mean, I just don't see it. They do not make me angry, and I am not hateful about it and I try not to be judgmental, but I honestly, truly, in the depths of my soul do not get it. I wonder if these people are cool with Greek and Roman mythology, because a lot of JK Rowling's research for the Potter books is based on that sort of thing... anyway.
Almost two years later... betcha never thought you'd get another comment on this one...
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