OCT 2024 – Rebellion Publishing is celebrating the launch of The Monster Fun Collection with special “tear-away” posters across the UK.
Four “tear-away” posters can be found across London, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Manchester. These offer kids and parents the chance to tear off and keep a giant A3 comic page from The Monster Fun Collection’s Steel Commando: No Time To Lose and The Leopard From Lime Street: Birthright stories. The posters are on display now until 20th October, and can be found at:
London – opposite Lewisham Station, in archways
Birmingham – Highgate Road, by Woodfield Road
Glasgow – Skypark, Pointhouse Road
Manchester – Trinity Way
“We wanted to do something exciting to celebrate our new line of Children’s graphic novels, and it’s not often you can go on a hunt for a giant comic page with your kids,” said Rebellion CEO, Jason Kinglsey CBE, “It’s so important to find new, fun ways to get children excited about reading, and we’re proud of what we have already achieved with our Monster Fun series. Now, our latest comic The Monster Fun Collection offers children a fun reading experience, focused on some of their favourite characters.”
The Monster Fun Collection gathers two adventure stories from the monthly Monster Fun children’s comic, which launched in April 2022 with a changing roster of characters inside.
“With The Monster Fun Collection we want to show children that reading can be fun and exciting, and these installations do exactly that!” said PR and Marketing Manager, Jamie Elby, “I’m thrilled we could showcase The Monster Fun Collection with giant comic page to take home, and parents and young readers can know The Monster Fun Collection is here and ready to add some epic thrills to reading time!”
Steel Commando: No Time To Lose sees World War II robot hero Steel Commando travel across past, present, and future to defeat the forces of evil on an epic time-travel adventure. Meanwhile, The Leopard From Lime Street: Birthright sees young Billy Farmer unlock his powers after being bitten by a radioactive leopard (these things happen, right?), uncover family secrets, and just maybe save his home town from destruction from dastardly super villains.
Both Steel Commando: No Time To Lose and The Leopard From Lime Street: Birthright can be purchased now on Amazon or in the Monster Fun webstore, with an RRP of £9.99. More entries in The Monster Fun Collection will be coming in 2025
There’s a ghost in Richard’s wardrobe. Every day he carries out a series of rituals that he believes will keep the ghost trapped inside. He tries to tell his friends and family, but they dismiss his worries and concerns as being part of his OCD. But then one day, the wardrobe door is opened… And that’s when the hauntings begin.
Cover illustrator, Melissa Chaib and designer Sarah Baldwyn
I loved everything about this book: the main character, his friends, and the supportive adults. Adored the book recommendations, bad jokes, and actually-quite-scary bits…so I was very pleased to be able to ask the author, Ian Eagleton, some questions!
What can you tell us about your new book, The Boy Who Cried Ghost? The Boy Who Cried Ghost is a spooky, thrilling, heartwarming and funny story, full of twists and turns. It was inspired by my love of horror movies, Hocus Pocus, the Goonies, Buffy, Casper, and a friend who used to tell the most terrifying ghost stories when we went away camping. Richard is just starting Year 6 when he has to move with his mum into his grandma’s old house. He is angry and resentful and filled with worry about making new friends at a new school. He is also consumed by obsessive behaviours, low self-esteem and grief. I always think the best ghost stories are nothing to do with the ghost, but instead explore what it’s like to be haunted by trauma. Over the course of his journey, Richard has to learn to accept himself and understand how to start dealing with his OCD.
You’ve said that you have OCD and hope that it means you’ve portrayed it well, but did that personal connection also mean that it was difficult to write? So difficult! I really wanted the story to feel authentic, raw and challenging, as well as being fun and gripping too. I had to dig deep and go back in time to explore my own experiences of living with OCD. Throughout the story, we get to read Richard’s flashbacks and memories as he comes to terms with how his brain works. These were all based on my own memories, so it was often very emotional and draining to write. I remember being absolutely terrified as a child and teenager by these strange, intrusive thoughts and all-encompassing rituals I carried out. However, I do really feel that books for children and young adults are the MOST important of all books and that my readers therefore deserve the absolute best of me. this means putting everything I have into my writing, no matter how painful it might be at the time. By the end of the process, I often feel a sense of relief and acceptance. Writing can definitely be cathartic!
There is a growing selection of titles for children that feature mental health issues and disability in a positive way, but are there any other books you’ve read that you think represent OCD well? There are three books which stand out for me. They are: The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson When I See Blue by Lily Bailey A Flash of Fireflies by Aisha Bushy
Have you any suggestions for how those that work with a child/teen with OCD might best support them? As an adult, I read Because We Are Bad by Lily Bailey, which was life-changing and really helped me understand what I had experienced myself as a child and teenager with OCD. I would also recommend the following books to people who work with children and teenagers with OCD: The Man Who Couldn’t Stop by David Adam Pure by Rose Bretécher Brain Lock by Jeffrey M. Schwartz I think these books portray the terror and uncertainty of OCD particularly well and would really help people understand the complexity of this mental health disorder.
I would also remind people that saying things like ‘Oh, I’m SO OCD’ just because you like things to be neat or tidy can be quite harmful and offensive to people who suffer with OCD.
I love the diversity of your characters, in all your books. Are they ever based on friends or colleagues? Hmmmm. Sometimes they are. A good friend of mine told me a story once about how she’d whacked a nasty boy at school around the face with a bouquet of stinging nettles. I was so shocked and amused by this story – don’t try it at home – that I asked her if I could include it in my first middle-grade book, which was Glitter Boy. She kindly agreed! In The Boy Who Cried Ghost, one of the adults in Richard’s life is called Mr Levick, who is based on someone I know. He often wears gender-defying clothes and is openly gay and I felt like this sort of positive role model should be celebrated in the story. Sometimes, however, my characters are based on what I like to call ‘wish-fulfilment’. In Glitter Boy, James has an amazing teacher called Mr. Hamilton who is marrying his boyfriend, Sam, and spends a lot of time talking to the class about LGBTQ+ history and rights. This would have been transformative for me as a queer teenager, but it wasn’t something that ever actually happened. I just wish I’d had a teacher like Mr. Hamilton who could’ve supported and guided me.
I know a lot of the jokes were suggested by your dad while you were writing the book, but do you have a favourite? There’s a scene in the story where Richard’s stepdad, Tony, and his new school friend, Quinn, are trading jokes and quips and I LOVE it! Here’s an extract from it, which you might enjoy!
But Tony and Quinn were already walking off, chatting happily and loudly. “I’ve been telling everyone at school about the benefits of eating dried grapes today,” Quinn was saying animatedly. “I’ve been raisin awareness…” Tony burst out laughing and slapped Quinn good-naturedly on their back. “That’s nothing!” Tony began. “I asked someone at work today to bring me a newspaper. They told me that newspapers are ‘old school’ and handed me their iPad instead. Well, that fly didn’t stand a chance!” “Oh … my…!” Quinn guffawed. “That was HILARIOUS! Tell me more!”
I think Tony’s joke about evolution and Darwin has to be my favourite though – I hope you enjoy it too!
What are you reading at the moment and who would you recommend it to? I’m currently reading A Ship in the Dark by Yarrow Townsend. It’s about a young girl called Anna, whose father is arrested for smuggling. She sets out to prove his innocence and soon discovers that the truth may lie on a mysterious, missing ship called the Albatross. Yarrow Townsend’s A Map of Leaves was one of my standout books of 2022 and I am thoroughly enjoying their new story. The writing is fresh. gripping and immediate, whilst also being beautiful and lyrical, and the story is a rip-roaring adventure full of twists and turns. I would recommend A Ship in the Dark to readers who have enjoyed The Girl of Ink & Stars and The Lost Whale.
Like a shadow in the night Yoto’s name and logo has been removed from the branding of the Carnegie Medals.
From:
To:
Back in 2022 news broke that Yoto had become the primary sponsor for the Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Medals and they would henceforth be known as the Yoto Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Medals. Then in September the UK library community was blindsided by the news that Kate Greenaway’s name was being dropped from the Medal that had borne her name since 1955 and henceforth the awards would be known collectively as The Yoto Carnegie Medals.
What had been billed as a long-term partnership (but in reality only three years) between The Carnegie Medals and Yoto Play is now over.
I had heard through a couple of contacts that there had been some unhappiness on Yoto’s side about the sponsorship deal, but nothing ever officially came to light so I shrugged it off as possible teething issues in the partnership.
In this era of shortfalls in funding on a national and international level, sponsorship is often a necessity, but as I have previously written, I (and many others) feel that dropping Kate Greenaway was a grave misstep. Furthermore, turning the medals into basically an advertisement for a for-profit organization cheapened them somewhat and pushed the library workers, who, since the beginning had judged and championed the awards further into the shadows.
I do not know what the future holds for the Carnegie Medals, or which organization (if any) shall assume the mantle of Headline Sponsor, or if indeed there will be a headline sponsor going forward, but I will continue watching with interest.
Decades after the discovery that a small percentage of the population has stopped ageing, the Avalonia Zone is in crisis. From overpopulation to food shortages, the ‘Undying’ have been blamed for the state’s problems, banished to the fringes of society, and punished for every minor infraction.
When sixteen-year-old Sadie takes the fall for an attack by a rebel group, The Alchemists, she suddenly finds herself wrenched away from her quiet life and from her ailing father. Armed with little help and even less knowledge, Sadie is thrust into a cold and cryptic ‘correctional facility’ – The Tower. Here she’ll have to rethink everything she’s been told about the Undying population in an attempt to save the life she knows, protect a group of unlikely friends, and give voice to the voiceless in a society on the brink of catastrophic upheaval.
After a long silence from me on the blog (sorry), please accept a guest post as an offering, from UKYA author Melissa Welliver all about the journey of her debut title, recently re-released by UCLan Publishing (she has also, in between, had 2 dystopian YA novels published by Chicken House, both of which are great fun):
From Self Publishing to Traditional
In 2019, I signed with my second agent and went out on submission with the book that would become The Undying Tower. We edited over the summer and then in late 2019, we hit the submission trenches… around 4 months before the pandemic hit. Obviously this meant we were submitting to editors that had been sent on Furlough. And this early in the pandemic, the work-from-home strategies hadn’t really been put into action, so we entered a traffic jam of manuscripts all seeking an editor. This went on for 11 months and I quietly lost hope for TUT and started a new project.
In November 2020, almost a year after we went on sub, we had interest from a digital first publisher called Agora Books. They were small but mighty, and really loved the book. They wanted to schedule a 2021 release and, while there was no advance attached, the royalties looked good. It wasn’t quite a traditional publishing deal in all the ways I thought it would be, but it was an offer. I bit their metaphorical hands off and we got going.
The book came out in October 2021 to a small but enthusiastic fan base. Over the next 6 months we sold maybe 500ish copies and I worked steadily on the sequel. In March 2022, the Agora team emailed to ask for a meeting. Assuming it was about book 2, I logged on, eager to chat about future plotlines. But sadly, the future of any plotlines had to go on hold, because the pandemic hadn’t been kind to small publishers. Agora told me they were folding, and the trilogy – plus distribution of book 1 – were going with it.
My editor was great and despite my initial concerns, she gave me all the publication files to allow me to self-publish, in the hopes of earning enough to self-fund book 2. I had signed up to a lot of festivals over the summer of 2022 that I needed to sell the book at, so this was a good short-term solution. However, the sheer workload of self-publishing soon took its toll. By the time I did my last summer gig, a panel at UCLan in late September, I was exhausted.
After the event, the UCLan editorial team pulled me for a chat to say they were pleased with my work and to ask about the book, so I explained it was self-published and in a moment of madness, I pitched the idea to them. They seemed enthusiastic, so I went home and asked my agent to submit The Undying Tower to them directly. And six months later in spring 2023, the mighty UCLan offered – an advance! Bookseller distribution! – for summer 2024.
So I always tell this little book’s story as this: once upon a time, there was a book that wouldn’t die. And The Undying Tower certainly lives up to its name to this day.
Neil Gaiman has a storyteller’s voice, rich and deep it draws the listener in and lulls us into a sense of relaxation that still leaves us alert and hooked on every word he speaks – honestly I could listen to him reading a shopping list his voice is that good!
I have been a fan of his writing since I borrowed Good Omens from my library – I was a Terry Pratchett fan when I started that fantastic work but by the time it was finished I had become a fan of Neil as well.
Following on from Good Omens I found the first trade paperbacks for The Sandman, that series became one of my all-time comic favourites and is probably the series that I have read and reread most over the years. It was A Game of You that introduced me to a major transgender character, growing up in South Africa limited my (and many other people’s) exposure to the fact that trans people exist. After Sandman there was The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr Punch, Neverwhere (on videocassette – still the best way to watch that series), the two Death miniseries, his Death Talks About Life comic insert about safe sex practices formed part of my graphic novels in libraries thesis in library school.
When I moved to the UK in the early 2000s, I had opportunities to hear him speak in person (and get books and comics signed and personalized), fans would wait in life for hours to get something signed. As a member of the London branch of the Youth Libraries Group I championed The Graveyard Book as one of YLG London’s official nominations for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. I have purchased and still own many of his novels all of which have has signed.
Listening to his reading of Click Clack the Rattle Bag became one of my go-tos for Halloween library activities when I was a school librarian and All Hallows Read is a Halloween celebration that I have regularly participated in.
In 2017 as part of the CILIP Carnegie Medal celebrations I was selected to interview Neil live on Twitter, which was one of the most exhilarating times as a library worker and fan of his writing.
His outspoken support of libraries and library workers gained him many more fans in the library world, when he spoke people sat up and took notice.
All this is to say that as a fan and aficionado of his work all I can say now is Fucking Neil Gaiman!
While commentators can and have been quibbling over the he said she said nature of the accusations, one thing is perfectly clear to me – what Neil is accused of, and has admitted to doing (even though he claims it was consensual and the text messages appear to bear this up) is wrong (if not illegal).
As a fairly vanilla person even I know that BDSM comes with strict rules to prevent abuse – the knowledge of safe words is in the mainstream. Plus you don’t try to (at best) seduce or (at worst) abuse people employed by you or your spouse (actually it is a fairly standard written rule that you do not sleep with employees) plus the 20-40 year age gap and massive power differential is just gross. Taking advantage of vulnerable young adults is something that happens all too frequently – and as someone who has worked with at risk young people I have seen the aftermath of this many times over the years.
Speaking personally as a library worker and human when the news broke I was gutted, Neil’s work had been part of my life for decades, I looked up to him as a phenomenal writer and staunch defender of human rights. However we cannot remain silent in the face of abuse no matter how much we may love or look up to the person accused! I unequivocally condemn his actions and stand firmly with his accusers. His behaviour has not only hurt those who he predated upon but also those who looked up to him and believed that he was an ally.
A third women has come forward with allegations against Neil Gaiman:
When a dam starts leaking it is often not long before there are more cracks appearing and more leaks appear. Such is the curious case of Neil Gaiman with more accusations surfacing and a fifth part of the podcast from Tortoise. More links below:
A few days ago in a fit of gallows humour after reading too much of the Project 2025 policy document I made a social media post referencing the Guantánamo Bay Library Association as one of the many threats contained within P2025 is the criminalization of library workers.
My joke (& fear) is that we will be rounded up in one of the purges following the expulsion of undocumented immigrants and, at best, locked up in Gitmo. The thought that there will eventually be a Guantánamo Bay Library Association (because library folk love organizing) came from that musing as did a belief that we can do something to sway people to avoid this path that looms before us. SO I have created this post where people can find resources to help push back against this possibility and (possibly) gain inspiration to educate our library patrons about this very real threat.
EveryLibrary helps public, school, and college libraries win funding at the ballot box, ensuring stable funding and access to libraries for generations to come. We also support grassroots groups across the country defend and support their local library against book banning, illicit political interference, and threats of closure. https://www.everylibrary.org
Illinois’ new anti-book ban legislation is an initiative of Secretary of State and State Librarian Alexi Giannoulias, who was sworn into office as the state’s 38th Secretary of State in January 2023. https://www.banbookbans.com
A while ago I put together a basic intro to Project 2025 booklist providing a visual representation of some of the changes that will be enacted if the aims of Project 2025 are put into practice, as well as links to the relevant chapter of The Mandate for Leadership that details how this will happen: https://jocolibrary.bibliocommons.com/list/share/1412410137_jclmatti/2561987729_project_2025
Columnist Molly Jong-Fast and historian Thomas Zimmer about Project 2025—a controversial roadmap unveiled by the conservative Heritage Foundation outlining a radical vision for a second Trump administration. They discussthe projects plans to reshape the U.S. government, ranging from increased presidential control to dismantling protections for minorities and marginalized groups. Zimmer provides insights into the four pillars of Project 2025, the implications for American democracy, and the potential broader impacts on society:
JULY 2024 – “Everyone’s gearing up for big superhero moments in the cinema, but Deadpool and Wolverine isn’t for all comic book fans – but our graphic novels are! With super cool heroes that can rival those big screen characters.” says Monster Fun Editor Keith Richardson, as Monster Fun launches it’s first two graphic novels in The Monster Fun Collection this summer. This new range of graphic novels for children aged 7-12 collects up exciting stories from the epic Monster Fun comic, giving children a whole new range of books to love!
In fact, our new graphic novels will keep kids entertained throughout the summer holidays. Keith continues, The movie’s age rating prevents so many young comic book fans from experiencing it. But The Monster Fun Collection won’t be doing that. We have brilliant books with stories suitable for all ages, and definitely a great alternative for those who won’t be allowed in to see the movie!
The Monster Fun Collection aims to undoubtedly be the highlight of this year’s school summer holidays. After all, it’s not every day that a brand new line of children’s graphic novels launches!
The Children’s Book market shows children are devouring graphic novels like never before, with 425% volume growth in the category since 2019 (Source: The Bookseller), providing a more fun reading experience over traditional novels. The heroes of our graphic novels may have graced just the pages of the Monster Fun comic rather than the silver screen, but will provide the same amount of joy and entertainment to those who read them – as well as the main hero of each book having been around years longer than Marvel’s big screen characters!
The Leopard From Lime Street is the UK’s answer to Spider-man, and was published for over a decade before Marvel’s merc with the mouth even graced a comic book page. Meanwhile, whilst Wolverine made his first appearance in 1974, our very own metal-plated soldier Steel Commando has been kicking around since 1970! Whilst the versions found in The Monster Fun Collection are rebooted for a new generation of readers, the admirable qualities and fun stories that made these characters endure the test of time are present in the new graphic novels.
So what are the new books all about? Steel Commando: No Time To Lose sees World War II robot hero Steel Commando travel across past, present, and future to defeat the forces of evil on an epic time-travel adventure, whilst The Leopard From Lime Street: Birthright sees young Billy Farmer unlock his powers after being bitten by a radioactive leopard (these things happen, right?), uncover family secrets, and just maybe save his home town from destruction from dastardly super villains.
The brand new Monster Fun Collection graphic novels, Steel Commando: No Time To Lose and The Leopard From Lime Street: Birthright can be purchased now on Amazon or in the Monster Fun webstore; where individual issues, international orders, and subscriptions to the monthly Monster Fun comic can also be purchased.
First published in 1978, Misty was the brainchild of legendary writer and editor Pat Mills, offering thrills and chills for a generation of young women in the UK and featuring stories from creators including Shirley Bellwood, Jesus Redondo, Jordi Badía Romero, and Mills. Running for over 100 issues in total, each issue was hosted by Misty, who acted as a guiding voice for her young readers – and in this new anthology we’ll be telling stories featuring Misty herself for the first time!
This anthology features three brand-new chilling stories written by Simone, with art by Carola Borelli (The Deadliest Bouquet, Spider-Woman), Aly Fell (A Trick of the Light) and Marianna Ignazzi (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), alongside a fourth story written and drawn by rising star Letty Wilson (Owl People). Completing this spectacularly spooky package is a cover from Eisner-winning artist Tula Lotay (Barnstormers)!
I first encountered Misty after it had ceased publication, this was back in the early 1980’s and my family was visiting some family friends (a friend of my mother’s from her school days). I ended up perusing their bookshelf and discovered a pile of comics belonging to their daughters. It was largely back issues of Bunty, but nestled amongst them, like a spider just waiting to pounce were a couple of back issues of Misty.
This comic was special, even though I had only read a few of the issues memories of how I felt when reading them settled into the back of my brain and made a dark, cobwebby nest where they live to this day. I have tracked my love of mystery and the macabre to several formative experiences of my youth, one of the major ones being discovering that amazing comic.
My love for Misty was resurrected back in 2019 when I picked up a copy of Gothic for Girls: Misty and British Comics by Julia Round. Published by the University Press of Mississippi it delved into the history of girls comics in general and specifically the dark gem that was Misty. This review is not about that scholarly tome although if you can get your hands on a copy it is well worth a read.
I have said it in another review and will reiterate it here, 2000AD has hitting it out of the park lately when it comes to getting top flight talent writing for them. This trend continues with Gail Simone writing three of the stories for the Misty special. I have loved Gail’s work for years – from her Red Sonja stories to Batgirl, Secret Six and Deadpool, her horror comic Clean Room and a ton of other titles I cannot recall off the top of my head. There is also her god-tier trolling on social media – microwaving tea being something that got me before I realized who it was.
Gail is at the top of her game, and has been for a long time now, her work on this special is is no exception. Three gripping tales narrated by Misty, our guide into this land of horror. From her encounter with a true crime podcaster, through a stint in a grimy pub to a secluded nursing home where the death rate is just a tad too high… Each story is gripping and unnerving and completely different to the others. For my money it was the fourth tale, The Cracked Glass by Letty Wilson that left me with the greatest sense of disquiet. It may be because I have two young daughters but I had a sense of unease that I can still feel as I am writing this sentence.
If you need something to cool off during the long hot days of summer then pick up the Misty 2024 Special – it will send an ice-cold chill down your spine!
Misty is published by 2000AD and will be available from July 17 in the UK and August 21 in the US.
This screenshot is taken from page five of the forward to the Heritage Foundations Mandate for Leadership.
The text reads:
Pornography should be outlawed. The people who produce and distribute it should be imprisoned. Educators and public librarians who purvey it should be classed as registered sex offenders. And telecommunications and technology firms that facilitate its spread should be shuttered.
The definition of pornography is deliberately vague and appears to label anything not heteronormative as porn. Basically anything that appears to vaguely condone LGBTQ+ lives or exploring gender and sexuality.
The attacks on libraries with the addition of Project 2025 take on a more sinister, coordinated appearance. Any organization or individual that threatens the “innocence” and “purity” of children gets labeled as groomers.
Of course it is predominantly white children that are deserving of protection, but it is ever thus.
One of the things I do to keep track of what is happening in right-wing ecosystems with regard to libraries and books is peek at the Facebook pages of some of the right-wing reactionary folk that live in the same general geographic location as me from time to time.
During one of my check-ins I noticed that the person who runs the fb page had shared a post by a county commissioner for a large and populous county in Kansas. The post was a web cartoon by a local conservative cartoonist attacking the library for having a book called You Know, Sex by Cory Silverberg & Fiona Smith in its collection.
Truth Toons cartoon copyright Tim McCabe
I visited the commissioner’s fb page and noted that prior to posting the cartoon she attempted to do an end run around official library procedure by making a post encouraging followers to contact the county librarian as well as the board of county commissioners to complain about the book.
This particular library is incredibly well-resourced and has a comprehensive, publicly available collection development policy as well as a request for reconsideration procedure that is also available for any patrons that wish to have materials moved or withdrawn.
Like some other attempts to fan the flames of indignation online, these posts are light on factual information, using trigger words to cause a negative response in whoever reads them.
Does this book contain information about porn, rape, anal and all of it? Yes it does but it is not gratuitous, it is a guide to being safe and aware. Pornography this book is most definitely not!
Break for a quick book review:
Being an inquisitive sort, I put a request in for a copy of You Know, Sex and what I found may astound you. Yes it is a graphic (as in graphic novel) non-fiction guide to sex, sexuality and gender. It is thoughtfully written and illustrated, with nothing that can be considered prurient, titillating or pornographic. The illustrations of human bodies are presented in all their unique, imperfect glory.
In short this book is about as far from porn as you can get, it introduces concepts and ideas in a way that does not talk down to the reader – whatever their age may be. It is frank, open and honest and contains a LOT of information that can be digested at whatever speed the reader is happiest with. The author addresses the reader in the opening Letter to the Reader acknowledging that sex is a complex subject to learn about, and suggests ways in which to cope with using this book.
It also contains a glossary which is important for fostering better understanding of the subject and an index and resources and organizations that can further understanding of the subject. Another thing I found particularly useful are the tips on searching for information online and URLs for trusted web resources.
If you are a parent, or educator looking for a book about sex for readers of all ages then I highly recommend You Know, Sex for your family or/and library collection.
I will say that you as an adult should also read it – you will definitely learn something and will also be able to discuss it with the young people in your life, if they trust you enough (or, are not too embarrassed) to broach the subject.
Although the change from the Heartlander piece saying “Williams doesn’t accuse the Gardner library, or even the Johnson County library system, of propagating leftist propaganda, but adds, “I do believe 100% that it’s pushed intentionally from a larger agenda, maybe even outside of our state.”
to: “I would like to know what staff created this list, and I would like those people arrested for distributing murder-fetish porn to my child. This should be a criminal offense, punishable by jail time.
In Luke 17:1-2 the Bible states, “Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.”
I’ll take millstones for 1,000, Alex. These people need to be punished to the full extent of the law for warping and destroying the minds of our youth with their selfish, morbid agendas.” in the Free State news piece is quite a change in tone.
We are in an election year and it remains to be seen if culture war topics, particularly an attack on a large and popular library over books will be a vote-getter in a county that has been consistently trending purple over the past few years.
