Children’s novel.
Trouble on Tarragon Island
Author: Nikki Tate
Publication date:
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Publication date:
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About the Work
Challenges in Canada
2007—A librarian at the Elizabeth School in Kindersley (SK) withdrew this children’s novel from the library’s shelves. The novel depicts a dispute over clear-cut logging in B.C.
Objection—In the novel, a girl’s grandmother joins an anti-logging group and poses semi-nude for a calendar. In the first chapter, several boys taunt the girl about her grandmother’s breasts, calling them “bazoongas.” The librarian objected to the bullying scene—the Elizabeth School has a zero-tolerance policy for bullying—and to the word “bazoongas.”
Update—In July 2007, the outgoing principal defended the librarian’s decision. In the autumn of 2007, a new principal reversed the decision to withdraw the book.