The 2007 Newbery Award winner, The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron (Atheneum, 2006) has caused quite a stir in the children's literature field over the last few weeks. The controversy, over the use of the word "scrotum," became especially heated this Sunday after The New York Times published an article entitled "With One Word, Children's Book Sets Off Uproar"
Brief reviews from School Library Journal and Booklist can be found on Amazon.com
A response from the author was posted on Children's Bookshelf, the e-newsletter for Publishers Weekly.
A background piece, "Listservs Buzzing Over Newbery Winner" was also included in Publisher's Weekly.
School Library Journal's Extra Helping this week included an article entitled: "Scrotumgate Lives On"
The New York Times followed up yesterday with an opinion piece "One Troublesome Word"
Two teachers chime in on the blog "A Year of Reading"
Four letters appeared in the February 22nd issue of the New York Times under the heading: "A Grown-Up Brouhaha Over a Book For Kids"
Finally, our colleagues from the North Suburban Library System provided input to an editorial in the Daily Herald, "Does 1 Word in Award Winning Kids' Book Hit Below the Belt?"
Best advice for all of us, READ THE BOOK and follow a few blogs---the discussion over this title has been quite unique!