Kamdem’s Book Comment Was Misleading

To the editors:



I appreciated Ronald K. Kamdem’s comment “Not So Lucky” (Mar. 1). However, saying “The Higher Power of Lucky” was banned “in many school libraries across the country” misleadingly suggests that efforts to ban the book have been common. In fact, librarians choosing not to stock the book (many of whom are making that decision under strong pressure from their communities) are very decidedly in the minority. Far more significant is the fact that the book did, as Kamdem notes, win the Newbery Medal. That honor will guarantee strong sales and wide attention for author Susan Patron’s novel.

There have always been efforts to restrict or ban material from young eyes, but overall, today’s children have access to a range of sophisticated literature that would have seemed astonishing just a few decades ago. This is to the credit of children’s librarians, who routinely and effectively fight censorship.



JAY GABLER

Cambridge, Mass.

March 1, 2007

The writer is a lecturer on sociology at Harvard University.