Thanks for your comments and questions, Cindy.

I saw an editorial in the paper a week or two ago about Dumbledore's sexual orientation.  It said that in an interview, JK Rowling was asked whether Dumbledore was ever in love, and she said that he and Grindelwald (I think that's the name--the evil wizard he eventually dueled and defeated) had briefly been in love, so, yes, she said that Dumbledore was gay.

Personally I think it was crazy of her to answer that question in that way, whether she imagines him as a gay or straight character.  His love life has nothing to do with the stories and doesn't factor into the books in any way, so why did she even respond to the question?  He's an imaginary character, he doesn't have a life outside the books, except in her imagination!  

in an article in the Family Section of the Nov. 2 Lincoln Journal Star, Cindy Perle, editor for Common Sense Media, an online publication dedicated to helping parents make informed decisions about media programs for their children, is quoted as saying:

      If your kids have read Harry Potter or seen the movies, you can point

      out to them that nothing in Dumbledore's behavior gave any clue

      about whether or not he was gay. Rowling purposely didn't reveal

      that information until after people had formed their opinions of him.

      You can explain to your younger kids that Rowling clearly doesn't

      believe that Dumbledore's being gay affects the plot or the other

      characters in the story.

I think books have to be judged on their own merit, and not on added comments by the author (or questions about the author's religious beliefs).  These can add depth to discussions about the book, but the book has to stand alone as something you can read independent of background from or about the author.  So, in my reading of Harry Potter books, Dumbledore's sexual orientation is totally irrelavent, as are JK Rowling's comments about it.

posted by Carla November 16, 2007

Ok, my sister called me tonight asking me what I thought of the last Harry Potter book, The Deathly Hallows.  I told her I liked it.  Then she asked me what I thought about the accusations that JK Rowling had the headmaster being a homosexual.  She heard this on the radio as well as TV.  I did not get the impression that Dumbledore was gay, and I never have heard or read anything about this. 

What do you think?  Did you get any idea that Dumbledore was gay? Does it matter to you his sexual preferences? 

I was totally surprised at this and never once thought if Dumbledore or any of the characters were gay or not gay.  It never crossed my mind.  It really is not a part of the story.  What on earth is going on?!  I wonder if this is the same group that says The Golden Compass leads to God-hating children. 

On that note, I have done a little research on the author Pullman.  Once asked what he thought of the religious groups saying that his books were anti Christ, he basically avoided the question.  He did say that even though he attended church as a little boy, as an adult he has wandered away from God.  In reading this I was not able to conclude anything one way or the other about the books.  I guess I will have to read them myself and figure out what the “hoopla” is all about. 

posted by Cindy November 16, 2007

I finished The Golden Compass last night, and I see why it's considered antiChristian, although I'm not sure I agree with that assessment.  Near the end of the book, there are some negative comments about "The Church," mostly about The Church's role in politics and science.  The people's daemons are revealed to be their souls, and the General Oblation Board--the "Gobblers" who are stealing children--are an arm of The Church that is experimenting with severing children from their daemons to see if separating the soul from the body prevents humans from becoming subject to "Dust," or original sin. 

The adults in the book are all very concerned with finding the source of this Dust, of which they are afraid.  It is believed to originate in a world that is visible through the Aurora Borealis.  Lyra simply wants to rescue the children before they and their deamons are separated, a very painful and traumatic process that renders them less than human and often leads to their death.  Lyra doesn't go searching for God to kill Him, at least not in this book.  The Golden Compass, book one in the trilogy, ends with Lyra wondering if perhaps Dust is a good thing, to be "sought and cherished" rather than destroyed, and she and her daemon resolve to find its source before the adults do.

The storyline in the book is complex.  I consider myself an educated adult, and I had difficulty understanding what Dust is and why it is so important.  I probably would have paid as little attention to the anti-Church elements of the story as I did to the difficult Scandanavian names if I had read it before hearing all this controversy.  I would have read the book as an adventurous fantasy and anxiously followed Lyra on her quest to rescue the children.  I think that is how most children who read the book will read it, too. 

Yes, The Church is mentioned in not very positive terms in The Golden Compass, and the church leaders are portrayed as evil and heartless.  There is a lot of evil in the book; even characters that the reader thinks are good turn out to be evil.  But, as in all good fantasies, after reading the first book of the trilogy, I'm still convinced that good will conquer evil in the end.

I think that's the important thing to remember--that this is a fantasy.  The author says in an introduction that the book is "set in a universe like ours, but different in many ways."  The Church in the book is a fictional church; perhaps the author is making a comment on a real church, perhaps he is just creating an imaginary church to fit in his imaginary world where bears can talk and people have daemons.  Maybe we find out in book two, which is set in "the universe we know."  Either way, there is no denying that the church in our real world has been responsible for much evil throughout history.  Admitting that doesn't make one antiChristian, although Philip Pullman may in fact be antiChristian.

Whether you as a parent are concerned that your child may absorb anti-Christian messages by reading the book or watching the movie is your decision.  I encourage you to be aware of what your children read and watch on television and in the movies and make your own judgements based on your personal values and not those expressed in this or any other website. 

I personally will allow Joel to read The Golden Compass if he chooses to do so, and then make sure that I am available to answer his questions or respond to his concerns.  This may even be a vehicle for strengthening his faith, rather than for damaging it, if we use it as an opportunity to clarify our family's beliefs.

One last note:

Some have said that their concern with The Golden Compass is that the author is a professed athiest.  Does the author's background really matter, or should his or her writing speak for itself?  To muddy that question, think about the fact that Shel Silverstein, the much-loved children's poet who wrote The Light in the Attic, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and The Giving Tree, has also written for Playboy Magazine. 

I'd love to hear your comments on The Golden Compass or any other book-related issue.

posted by Carla November 6, 2007

Thanks Vikki and Camille for sharing your thoughts on The Golden Compass.  They're both women who know a lot about children and books, and I respect their opinions.  Vikki was in charge of much of this year's Plum Creek Children's Literacy Festival at Concordia--and it was wonderful, as usual.  Camille is a former high school English teacher, and her husband Pete is a Presbyterian minister/family doctor. 

Camille mentioned The Schwa Was Here in her note, saying her 14 year old daughter loved it.  I did, too.  It's on this year's 7th and 8th grade Golden Sower Nominee list, and I hope it wins.  I loved the writing style even more than the story itself and have recommended it to several people looking for gifts for teens.  Neal Shusterman's other books have been popular with young adult readers, too.  If I remember right, at least one of his other books has been on a previous year's Golden Sower list.

Anyway, back to The Golden Compass.  I read more last night.  It gets better, as Vikki says.  In fact, I got so into it that I almost forgot to take Nate to gymnastics!  Lyra went to live with a beautiful lady named Mrs. Coulter, ran away from her new home, was nearly kidnapped but rescued by the gyptians, and now is trying to find a way to go with the gyptians to the North on a rescue mission to free the children who have been taken.

At least so far, there's only been very minor antichurch sentiment expressed, and it's not central to the story.  Reading this book as a parent, rather than just for my own pleasure, I cringed in a few places, thinking about Joel's questions if he were reading it: Lyra is conceived in an adulterous affair, her father kills her mother's husband and shows no remorse, and her mother turns out to be the evil Mrs. Coulter who is stealing children.  How do Christians deal with THOSE issues in a story their children are reading? 

I'm still not ready to forbid Joel to read the book, but I am moving it from the Middle Grades to the Young Adult section of the store.  Books that deal with moral and ethical issues in fictional contexts provide great opportunities for talking with our children about those issues, letting them hear us express our values in nonthreatening settings.  I'd rather use the book as a teaching opportunity than censor it.  That said, I don't think it's an appropriate book for young children, so I'll encourage Nate to wait to read it.

And now, it's time to get some work done.  I'd still like to hear your comments on the issue, and will post them as they arrive.

posted by Carla November 2, 2007

The Seward Memorial Library recently had all their book clubs read and discuss The Golden Compass.  I've finished the book, but I have to say that it was difficult to get started.  Halfway through I thought that this was a fantastic book and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. . . a real page turner.  However, the last couple of chapters really ruined it for me.  At the end it seems to go off on another tangent completely, and I lost interest.  I was all set to read the next two books in the series, but won't waste my time now.  There are too many other fabulous fantasy stories to devour to waste time on this one.

I do think the reason that folks are up in arms is that the book was written by a devout athiest.  This can be scary, especially if they try to persuade the reader into the same type of thinking.  Honestly, I don't think that kids will make it past the first couple of chapters.  And, if they get to the end, well, it is all pretty confusing and weird.  I'll be anxious to hear how Joel likes it and what he thinks! 

As for the movie, well it promises NO religious discussion.  It might be interesting to see how they end the story.  They will have to change it completely.  However, that seems to be the norm when you go from book to movie anyway.

posted by Vikki November 1, 2007

Hi Carla!

I received three warnings about The Golden Compass yesterday!  We have had the book for a couple of years.  We actually got the book as a gift from a very strong Christian family.  They loved the book.  We started reading it out loud as a family. For whatever reason, we didn't make it past the first chapter or two (maybe for the same reasons you mentioned).  But, like you, I'll read it now!  I'll let you know what I think.  Pete's instant reaction was to roll his eyes.

I did finish Can't Wait to Get to Heaven.  Nat loved The Schwa Was Here.

posted by Camille November 1, 2007

Yesterday I took home a copy of The Golden Compass and asked Joel, my sixth grader, what he knew about it.  He wasn't at all interested in reading the book and said he didn't want to see the movie--until I told him that a lot of parents don't want their kids to read or see it.  Now, of course, he's very interested.  Since we engaged in the pagan rituals of Halloween trick or treating last night, he didn't start the book, but maybe tonight he will have time.

I did read the first three chapters this morning.  What surprises me so far is the fact that those who express concern about the novel didn't mention the language (a few mild swear words), or the fact the the Scholars at Oxford burn poppies after their feast, or that the children are unsupervised--all in the first three chapters!  That reinforces my belief that the people who are complaining about the book haven't read it and are basing their judgement on someone else's word.

My impression so far:  The story is set in England, in an unknown time period.  The main character is a girl named Lyra, who lives at Oxford under the care of the Scholars, including one who is her uncle and who is only there between his expeditions to the North to study the Northern Lights and explore the possible existence of worlds other than the earth, Heaven and Hell.  All people have companions called daemons that take the shapes of various animals and talk to them, perhaps as a conscience.  Lyra's playmates are the children of the servants at the college, as well as children in town and gypsy children who travel through the town.  A "Gobbler" has been snatching children, although Lyra and I haven't yet discovered who the Gobbler is or why the children have been snatched.

The story was a little hard to follow at first, and it's taken me awhile to get into it.  I probably would have read the first chapter and not finished the book, if it weren't for this controversy.  I'll let Joel read it if he wants to, or maybe read it aloud with him, and talk to him about it.  I think it's a little above my fourth grader's comprehension level, so I won't encourage him to read it until he's a little older.

I'll get back to you after I've read more.

posted by Carla November 1, 2007

Yesterday I received an e-mail from a friend, with a link to a website with Christians' concerns about a new children's movie coming out in December.  The movie is based on a book by Philip Pullman, The Golden Compass.  According to the website, Pullman is an athiest, and the characters in the book are attempting to kill God, and we should not let our children read or see it.

We have carried the book at Chapters since we opened three years ago, and have sold several copies of it.  No one has ever complained about it.  The book has won numerous awards and been highly praised by respected sources including Publishers Weekly and The Horn Book.  It has a cute, innocent-looking cover illustration of a child, a mouse, and a polar bear.  It's the first in a trilogy.  

Honestly, I've never opened the book or even read the teaser on the back.  But, I will now.  I'm reserving judgement until I've read the book, which is what I'd suggest any concerned parent do.  Don't judge a book by comments on a website, when most of those comments are from people who haven't read the book or seen the movie.  By all means, carefully consider what your children watch or read, but make an informed choice, based on your own family's values, not those of strangers.

I'll let you know what I think when I've read the book.

posted by Carla October 31, 2007

A sentence that moved me enough to write down a thought or two about it is: "Reading for pleasure is dead."  I found this in a recent issue of Publishers Weekly in an article about how few people have read a book in the past year.  Now I know that people read different types of material.  Women tend to read more fiction, and men generally enjoy history or biographies.  But 57% of us, according to an NEA survey reported in this article, have not read a single book this past year. 

Many years ago I taught first and second grade, and a great deal of our time was dedicated to learning to read.  Did I waste my time and efforts?

The nonreader suffers some consequences and may not realize it.  Through reading, information and explanations are gathered, knowledge and wisdom gained, and entertainment is not forfeited.  The enjoyment that comes with words is immense and increases as one continues to read a variety of books.  Have only 43% of us found pleasure in the humor, delicious wording, intriguing plots, staunch beliefs, skillful character building, shared heart-warming feelings, appreciation of the past or awe of an outcome of a book?  How sad that is that so may of us do not find the relaxation, excitement, encouragement or enjoyment that are found when reading a good book.

posted by Cheryl September 20, 2007

We have a new magazine for sale at Chapters, published by and for kids ages 12-19.  It's called Happening Now! Everywhere, and is a "multimedia, interactive magazine of art, current events, and popular culture."  It's published in Boston, but the editors are seeking readers and contributions from across America.  I'd love to see some Seward-area youth contribute articles for the magazine.  It includes poetry, essays, fiction, articles on sports and popular music and movies, and, it looks like, just about anything else of interest to teens.  Come in and see the latest issue, and encourage your kids to participate!  Or, visit their website at www.happeningnoweverywhere.com to see what's happening now.

\Marisa and Naomi Rafal of Somerville, Massachusetts, are on the editorial board of Happening Now! Everywhere and happen to be the talented daughters of a friend of mine--who is also very talented and has contributed much to literacy education for young children.  Be sure to visit her blog, http://www.runspotrun.com/, for "learning resources for thinking children and their parents."  She's also Senior Advisor to the Guide to Creativity at the PBS Parents website, which you can find at http://www.pbs.org/parents/creativit

Our Local Authors Event August 18 turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for the authors to interact and share thoughts on research, writing and publishing.  Thanks to all of the authors for participating.  I hope those of you who attended were inspired to read the works of our local authors--and maybe even to write something of your own!

posted by Carla August 20, 2007

Thanks to all who attended and helped with our Harry Potter release party at Chapters.  Be sure to check out the photos on the "Past Events" page of our website.  To avoid being a spoiler, I won't give away the book's ending, but the series concludes in a satisfying way.  I had to race to finish it before Joel did, so he wouldn't tell me what happened.  Though Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows gets a bit long, with too much background presented in the form of old newspaper articles and flashback-type scenarios, the book is still exciting and satisfying.  It ends the way it had to end. Now I want to go back and read the series again from the beginning of book one and savor the whole story. 

posted by Carla July 25, 2007