The Effect of Book Banning on Child Culture: A Close Look at the <i>Harry Potter</i> Series

  • Allyson J. Casares Purdue University

Abstract

The Harry Potter series has been both immensely popular and frequently criticized, and even banned in some quarters. All literature requires active participation from its readers, and children's literature provides a context that can allow children to make valid judgments about their culture. If we remove that opportunity for contextualizing, we may leave children with narrow knowledge and experience to make those judgements. This article considers how the conflicting approaches of banning and free access to problematic texts may be resolved.

Author Biography

Allyson J. Casares, Purdue University
Aavid Beagley is Lecturer in Children's Literature and Literacy at La Trobe University's Bendigo campus, Victoria, Australia, where he teaches units in Genres, History, Australian and Post-colonial children's literature. He has previously taught in secondary schools, and has been a school and university librarian.
Issue
Vol. 8 No. 3 (2004)
Section
Emerging Voices
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