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Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Bumps in the Night

by Harry Allard
While the rest of the readers in the blogosphere are reading thoughtful and challenging books, this blogger steps away from the pack to read a banned booked intended for children ages 5 to 8.

I can see why Bumps has been challenged and banned. It is not a book I would choose to read to my grandson who is 5 yrs old. It's about Dudley the Stroke who moves into a haunted house. His best friend, tells him there are mediums who can talk to ghosts. So they hold a seance where the famous Mrs. Kreepy and her assistant, Lazlo Frog preside.

"Madam Kreepy began to make gurgling sounds in the back of her throat. 'Madam Kreepy is now in a trance,' said Lazlo.' 'Did you say Mrs. Creeper lost her pants?' Grandpa Python asked in a loud whisper." (there are some cute moments)

Anyway a horse's head appears behind Mrs. Kreepy. From then on whenever Dudley couldn't sleep he would visit with the horse who used to live in his house.

I'm all for imagination and books that help to put childish fears to rest, but I think the thoughts of sitting around a table holding hands and conjuring up the dead would be frightening to someone so young. As a parent/grandparent this is NOT a book I would bring home, but I'm not going to try to take away someone else's right to read it. I wondered if in some cases the book may have been challenged by the psychic community who objected to naming the medium Mrs Kreepy!

3 comments:

Framed said...

I guess Mrs. Kreepy is not very politically correct but I chuckled. Otherwise, it doesn't sound like a great book for kids.

Cassie said...

I don't know. I probably would have loved it.

Lover of Books said...

It sounds like an interesting book! :) I just finished my first banned book. :)