ABFFE Panel on Censorship of Children's
Literature is SRO at BookExpo America
There was standing room only at the ABFFE panel at BookExpo America in Chicago on
Saturday. More than 100 booksellers turned out to hear author Judy Blume and a panel of
experts discuss the problem of school censorship as exemplified by the recent attacks on
J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. Blume was joined by Jim Dana, the executive director of
the Great Lakes Booksellers Association and an organizer of Muggles for Harry Potter, a
group formed to fight restrictions on the use of Harry Potter books in a school district
in western Michigan.
Coincidentally, the other bookseller on the
panel was also from Michigan. Cammie Mannino, the owner of Halfway Down the Stairs, a
children's store in suburban Detroit, discussed her successful campaign to force the local
school district to reinstate Suzanne Staples' novel, "Shabanu," which had been
banned based on allegations that it was sexually explicit. Both Dana and Mannino urged
booksellers to join with teachers, librarians and others in their communities to
resist censorship in the schools.
Joan Bertin, the executive director of the
National Coalition Against Censorship, chaired the panel, which also included Judith F.
Krug, the director of the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom.
Muggles for Harry Potter is a
Hit with Booksellers at BEA
Although Muggles for Harry Potter was first
formed to fight the school censorship battle in western Michigan, it has since become a
national organization with its own Web site, www.mugglesforharrypotter.org, and a list of
4,500 members that is continuing to grow rapidly. ABFFE's Good Foundation store
quickly sold out of Muggles for Harry Potter buttons as well as a special
Muggles T-shirt that had been produced for BEA. Buttons can still be ordered
through ABFFE's online store, www.abffe.com, or by calling ABFFE at (212) 587-4025.
ABFFE Online Auction Enters
its Final Days with Bargains for Everyone
The online auction that ABFFE launched on the first day of BEA is now entering its
final weekend with many bargains still available on items of interest to booksellers
and non-booksellers alike. For booksellers, there are still many attractive package deals
for the regional trade shows this fall as well as some great prices on internet
resources from Bowker, Baker & Taylor and BiblioExpress. There are also many items of
entertainment, including baseball tickets (Mets, Orioles and Rockies), a Britney Spears
concert in Sacramento, DVD collections featuring James Bond and the movies of
Stanley Kubrick, video games and much more.
The auction closes Monday at 3 p.m., EDT.
Sign on at www.abffe.com.
The ABFFE Online Auction--great bargains in
a great cause!
Previously in ABFFE Update
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