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"Educator Calls for Warning Stickers on 'Harry Potter' Books "("Sydney Morning Herald," March 27, 2001) |
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Not everyone is under the spell of that phenomenon, "Harry Potter." The Rev. Robert Frisken, the head of Christian Community Schools Ltd. and heading a coalition of nearly 100 Christian schools in Australia, is about to write parents, cautioning them about the books.
He does not want the stories about the trainee wizard banned, but suggests the books should carry warning stickers before they are placed in school libraries. "The ordinary person is typified as being bad because they have no (magic) powers, and heroes are the people who are using the occult. Good finds itself in the occult, which is an inversion of morality for many Christian people." Frisken will, this month, send letters to parents in each of the 90 independent member schools across Australia, 50 of which are in New South Wales, asking them to consider the issues raised in the stories and discuss them with their children. The four Harry Potter books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and remain near the top of international bestseller lists three years after the first one appeared. But the books have become a controversial addition to classrooms in America - figures show they were the most challenged books of 1999. Efforts to restrict their use, or remove them from classrooms and school libraries were reported in 19 states. |
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