Book Evaluation: a sample case

RESPONSE TO THE TEACHER’S VIEWS ON THE BOOK ENTITLED “LETTERS FROM INSIDE”

WRITTEN BY JOHN MARSDEN

As a school librarian, I have a genuine respect for members of the teaching staff who pay more attention to our collection. This means the teaching staff feel the responsibility to concern themselves with the collection development policy of a school library as a media resources. They may even – through an issue of censorship – suggest that a specific item shall or shall not be in the library for reasons of unsuitable content among others.

One of them has complained about a book entitled “Letters from the inside” , written by John Marsden. A teacher asked that this book should be withdrawn from the library. He believes the book contains : foul language, vulgar and even violent allusions to sex, suggestion of drug use, an unnecessarily negative and cynical view of penal institutions, and the generally unpleasant and undesirable teenage culture. Original paper: eval_book