Why a Challenged Book Procedure is Important to Have in Place

A challenged book procedure is a must in any media center. School administrators, board members, and media specialists need to be aware of their school's policy and how to handle any complaints or challenges from parents or community members. Having a procedure in place ensures that everyone is treated with respect and their opinion and concerns are heard and addressed. A plan also protects the media specialist and gives an opportunity to defend the material that is in question. A procedure ensures that everyone is treated fairly and is given the right to voice their opinion in an organized and professional manner.

Why Children Are So Attracted to Reading Fantasy

Children love reading fantasy books for several reasons: the impossible is possible, the reader can escape to another world, and magic is involved. Fantasy books also appeal to children's imagination. Fantasy series can also encourage children to read multiple books because they fall in love with the characters and the story line. These elements are very important in fantasy books: characters, plot, setting, theme, and style. I have many fantasy books in my media center because the students request them, and these books are in constant circulation. After all, everyone needs to escape sometimes...

The Importance of Evaluating Information Books and Historical Fiction

Reading for information and reading about history are two subjects students generally aren't interested in. Many students view history as boring and not revelant to their lives...SO SAD!!! This is the very reason it is so important that as media specialists we evaluate information books and historical fiction books to ensure that students will want to read them. These books should have interesting characters and engaging plots. These books should hold the reader's attention while being historically accurate. We should also consider issues and perspective when choosing these types of books for our media center. Books that are authentic to the time period and the author's writing style should also be reviewed. Guest speakers, museum resources, and primary resources are all great ways to promote information and historical fiction books.