Another book removed from SC Midlands school district’s shelves. It’s a graphic novel
Another children’s book is being challenged in Lexington-Richland 5, weeks after the district school board voted to remove several other books from school libraries.
The challenge requires the graphic novel “The Curse of King Tut’s Tomb” be removed from all district libraries pending review of a specially-created committee, drawn from teachers, parents, librarians and administrators, according to an email sent out to district librarians on Tuesday.
“(P)lease ensure the book... is withdrawn during the review period (January 16 - approximately Feb. 28),” said an email from district chief of academics Tina McCaskill. “Principals and Librarians should work together to ensure that any books currently loaned to students/teachers are returned/checked-in as soon as possible.”
“The Curse of King Tut’s Tomb” by Michael Burgan is part of a graphic history series for young readers from Capstone Publishing, telling the story of Howard Carter’s discovery of the tomb of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun in 1922. The 32-page book is intended for readers between the ages of 8 and 14, according to the book’s Amazon page.
No reason is given in the district email for the removal of the book. A spokesperson for the district confirmed Wednesday the district had received a new formal challenge from a parent or district resident, but as in past cases declined to release any information about the challenge ahead of the review process.
A review in the School Library Journal said the book offers “high-interest subject matter in a graphic-novel format,” although it notes the story and much of the dialogue is fictionalized and “is as much about a superstition as it is about Howard Carter’s discoveries.”
“Likely to be snatched up by young and reluctant readers, these titles work as hooks to lead to more in-depth information or as fun and interesting reads,” the School Library Journal says.
The latest challenge was filed after the Lexington-Richland 5 school board voted in December to overrule a previous review committee’s recommendation that the fantasy novel “A Court of Mist and Fury” remain available in schools. The board voted 5-2 to remove “Mist and Fury” and four other books in the series by Sarah J. Maas, a decision that earned pushback from the district’s English teachers.
Last year, another review committee in Lexington-Richland 5 decided to keep the children’s book “Black is a Rainbow Color” on its shelves over objections to racial themes in the book. In the neighboring Lexington 2 district, at least 17 books have been removed from schools so far this year.
This story was originally published January 17, 2024 at 1:06 PM.
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