A parent finds that their kid is reading Dragon Ball and that there is nudity and sex jokes in it. Parent sflips their lid, school library pulls manga etc, etc.
Now, I would let a 9-year-old read Dragon Ball, because I am cool like that. But I can see why parents (probably the same parents who freak out about In the Night Kitchen) might freak out about it. In this case, I would say the school library might need to take some remedial reading classes. Because the Dragon Ball manga is quite clearly rated T for Teen.
I’m glad parents are paying attention to what their kids are reading, but that sort of knee-jerk reaction really doesn’t help anything. Maybe try discussing the content with your kid? Maybe just tell them no, they can’t read any more volumes? I guess that’s too much trouble. It’s much easier to run screaming to the school board.
You know, if you're a teenager and you're really looking for stuff to giggle over, you don't have to look far in your local library. The stuff I've seen on the "restricted" shelf of libraries has been… well, silly to say the least.
"Our Bodies, Ourselves," a rather technical book on human reproduction, to give an example from my hometown library. My high school library pulled the "Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English." When I worked in India, Ahn Sang Suu Kyi was behind the librarian's desk… never did figure that one out. (shrug) I'm sure there's a few verses from Judges that I can point out and get the Bible banned.
I agree with ya, Ana – Parents, use your loaf. Stop whining to the School Board.