Ortega Middle School removes The Golden Compass, restores it after controversy
December 2007:
After the Ortega Middle School librarian encountered a quote from an interview with atheist author Philip Pullman, who stated that his books were about killing God, she pulled The Golden Compass from the library's shelves. When Alamosa High school librarian Mark Skinner learned of the book's removal, he notified the district superintendent, leading to a meeting with the superintendent, school principals, and school librarians. In this meeting Skinner, the only person present who'd actually read the book, stressed both the importance of following district procedure and also his concerns about censorship.
Following this meeting, the book was returned to the library.
At some point afterward, the book was again removed from the library--perhaps due to wear--and not replaced: as of January 2012, searches in the library's catalog show volumes 2 and 3 of the series but not The Golden Compass.
Sources:
"Book banning aired in public forum," Valley Courier, December 11th, 2007.
"AHS's Mark Skinner wins intellectual freedom honor," Valley Courier, November 27th, 2008.
Books involved:
Author(s) of the book(s) involved:
Reason(s) for challenge:
Action(s) taken:
Location: