More than a Writing Utensil

Censorship of sexuality, especially while simultaneously violence, particularly sexual violence, is left uncensored, and the harmful implication this juxtaposition has on our collective sexual wellness, is something I’ve written a lot about, like here and here. Hell, I’ve even written a book about it.

So when I found out there is a new “kid safe” search engine called Kiddle designed to block adult search returns for children, I feared it had sex-is-bad-and-violence-is-normal disaster written all over it. When I learned the results are handpicked by humans and not a computer broadly banning based on keywords, I was extra curious to see if I was still right. I was.

I typed in a bunch of different searches that a child might reasonably want or *need* to anonymously ask the Internet. Well, I’ll let you see the results for yourself:

My girlfriend hits me” is also a bad word.

Inquiries about vaginal discharge are, you guessed it, also bad words.

Related bad words: menstrual care, menstrual pads, menstruation, and uterus.

When avoiding a gay dating website in the search results is considered a higher priority of “safety” for children than their homelessness, and you recommend confronting their abusive parents, we have a tish bit of a problem.

But the human censors allows kids to search for this one under their “kid safe” censorship policies.

RE(A)D CARPET

Last night’s Oscars saw some of the most glamorous gowns and debonair tuxes (and even a gown/tux combo—we’re looking at you, Gaga) and we at NOVL HQ loved watching the year’s biggest stars make their way down the red carpet. But the only thing better than a best-dressed starlet? A best-dressed book cover! That’s right—book nerds never take a night off.

In honor of Hollywood’s biggest night of the year, we’re bringing you a round-up of some of our favorite looks that remind us of our favorite books with NOVL’s very own re(a)d carpet.

1. Charlize Theron—Josh Sundquist’s We Should Hang Out Sometime 

Who do we wish we could hang out with sometime? Red-hot Charlize Theron of course! And we think Josh Sundquist, author of We Should Hang Out Sometime would agree. After all, her stunning Dior dress pairs perfectly with his hilarious memoir. Best-dressed couple alert!

2. Leonardo DiCaprio—Jeff Garvin’s Symptoms of Being Human 

Is getting a little weak in the knees when you see Leo smolder on the red carpet a symptom of being human? We’d wager so. In any case, his classic black tux reminds us of the eye-catching cover of Jeff Garvin’s debut novel. Side note: How cute were Leo and Kate posing together? We’ll never let go, Jack.

3. Naomi Watts—Rebecca Serle’s Truly Madly Famously 

Naomi Watts was working the carpet in support of her man Liev Schreiber and Spotlight’s Best Picture win, but her shimmering Armani gown kind of stole the show! If her look were a book, it would have to be Rebecca Serle’s Truly Madly Famously. And how appropriate! This sequel to Famous in Love gives readers a glimpse of life and love behind the silver screen.

4. Brie Larson—Marie Rutkoski’s The Winner’s Crime

We bow down to Best Actress winner Brie Larson, who looked downright regal in Gucci. A royal blue gown paired with a glistening silver accessory? It reminds of another stunner, Marie Rutkoski’s The Winner’s Crime. Of course, Brie rocked a bejeweled silver belt and Kestrel is wielding a sword, but to each her own!

5. Mindy Kaling—Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia’s Dangerous Deception

Escape Route.

I’ve been into the musical Hamilton of late – and by that, I mean, I’ve been listening to the album non-stop for the last three months.

So if you’re anything like me and want to consume every piece of media that’s tangentially related to the new thing you love, then here’s something for you – Lin-Manuel Miranda narrated the audiobook for Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.

Here are some of the many books honored by the American Library Association with awards this morning, including the prestigious Caldecott Award (Finding Winnie, illustrated by Sophie Blackall) and Newbery Award (Last Stop on Market Street, written by Matt de la Pena).

(via Saturday Morning Cartoons: Baopu #15) by Yao Xiao

Remember this post about a man who phoned to ask about filming an advertisement in the library? “It would feature biscuits and a live alpaca,” he said.

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”

I am excited to be a guest blogger and share a fantastic experience we had in our library. After hearing Shannon speak at UELMA last spring about a mother gathering autographed books for her daughters and then asking her son if he wanted a “girl book” signed for him, the gears in my brain went to work. As a librarian, how could I change that perspective with my students? And so the Boy/Girl Book challenge was created. 

To start my lesson, I talked about reading books and magazines that my kids, who are young adults now, read so I can find out more about what they like and then we can have great conversations about those topics and I get to know them better. I, in turn, share articles and books with them, and they get to know me better. It might be car magazines, outdoor adventures, travel books, cookbooks, or just some great fiction. It’s a great way to understand people better.

Then I told them I wanted to share two great books with them. I gave a short, but very descriptive, summary of “Island of the Blue Dolphin” by Scott O’Dell and “Ghost Hawk” by Susan Cooper, but I kept gender out of the description all together. I also wrapped the books to hide their covers. I chose these books because I felt they had several things in common. They are stories with history, Native American ties, struggle, and survival. They both have a beautiful sense of tragedy and heroism. I did point out that one was written by a woman and one by a man, but didn’t tell them which.

After my descriptions, I started asking questions to see if they had listened and which book sounded interesting to them. I asked what they noticed about the two books that was similar, and what was different. Then I asked, by raise of hands, which one would they read and maybe it would be both. 

I then left that point of my lesson, and shared the experience that Shannon had shared with us that I mentioned earlier. Their reactions were wonderful and exactly what I was hoping for. They were dismayed, outraged, and had lots to say on the subject. I let them express their feelings for about a minute and then began the challenge.

I uncovered the books and reminded them about each story, but this time, letting them know which one was about a girl and which was about a boy. I pointed out that the author of Ghost Hawk was a woman and a man had written the other. I asked if they thought that authors wrote books for only boys to read or only for girls, or did they write books for people to read. By now some of the students began to catch on, and there were some groans and rolling of eyes, but we pressed on!

I then challenged the girls to check out what they would consider to be a “boy book” and the boys to check out a “girl book”. More moans and groans! Then I used their words of dismay, outrage, and other thoughts against them! They quickly surrendered because they knew their protests would be lost on me! Then I turned them loose on the library and watched amazing things unfold! Boys were recommending books to girls. Girls were recommending books to boys. In some cases I heard, “Well if I read this book, you have to read one I give you!” but, they were listening to descriptions from each other and taking their advice!! It was GREAT!

I did a follow up “Book Talk” two weeks later, so the kids could share what they were reading and what they had learned. In most cases, they had discovered that they could read anything they wanted to in the library and were learning about different perspectives. It was twenty marvelous minutes of students teaching students! I did give all of the students who participated a book mark to thank them, but I didn’t tell them at the start they would earn a reward for participation. That was a surprise.

Two interesting things I observed through this little experiment. One: this was certainly not mandatory, and a few of my cool boys resisted at first, but when they saw how many others were participating, they slowly began to get involved. They really got interested after they heard students sharing what they had read during Book Talk and asked if it was too late to be part of it. Second: I had two boys whose parents told them to return their books because they didn’t want them reading girl books. One father was concerned that the pink book about dragons and princesses wasn’t something his son should read. The boys came to me, still wanting to participate, but couldn’t have the books they had checked out. I told them they could check them in or maybe there was something they could come up with to solve the problem. One boy went back home and explained everything again to the parents. His book still had to be turned in. The other kept his book at school and finished it. I did this experience with my third through sixth graders and it got such great response that a couple of months later, I did something similar, but this time profiling our “ugly books”. They loved this one too!

The first week back in library this year, the first question that was asked in every class was, “Are we going to do the challenges again this year?”  I am happy to report that it is now trendy to read “girl books” and “boy books” because the books in our library are for EVERYONE to enjoy!

Thanks for this opportunity, Shannon! I would love to share ideas and get feedback from all you fabulous librarians out there. Margaret Millward     [email protected]

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