Literacy Matters Vol. 25 Winter 2025

VOLUME 25 WINTER 2025 Literacy Matters The Journal of the Palmetto State Literacy Association

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Volume 25, Winter 2025 Literacy

Matters THE JOURNAL OF THE PALMETTO STATE LITERACY ASSOCIATION

Letter from the President by Krystal Turner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VI

Letter from the Editors by Kirsten Abel and Koti Hubbard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VI

Literature Matters “We Followed the Model Policy:” Beaufort County as a Case Study of the Book Challenge Policy Implementation Process in South Carolina by Susan Cridland-Hughes, Katie McGee, and Jennifer Gallman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Using Remixed Young Adult Literature as Mentor Texts: An Approach toWriting Fanfiction in the Classroom by Kelsea Helfgot and Katie McGee . . . . . . . . . . 14 Uniquely You: A Children’s Literature Review Column for Teachers by Jill Shelnut with Kaelin Anthony, Suzanne Barakat, Amelia Bromham, Virginia Lee, Mya Molina, Hannah Pennington, Riley Still, Coker Streett, and Gabrielle Trowbridge. . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Insider Insights: Wisdom from the Field My Talker Matters: Providing Bi/Multilingual Students Communication Support to Enhance Their Literacy Skills by Alexis Lawton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Motivating K-4 Students toWrite with Children’s Literature by Elke Schneider. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Editors Kirsten D. Abel, Ed.D. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Koti L. Hubbard, Ph.D. Clemson Universit y

PSLA Board of Directors 2024-2025

President Krystal Turner

President-Elect Michelle Richardson Vice President Virginia Scates Treasurer Eddie Marshall Secretary Ashley Pack Membership Director Melissa Nicholson State Coordinator Missy Lark Conference Coordinator Jean Brewington Past-President Kaye Jamison

Editorial Review Board Michelle J. Cook, Ph.D. Penn State Erie, The Behrend College

Emily Howell, Ph.D. Clemson University Sarah Hunt-Barron, Ph.D. Lander University Victoria Oglan, Ph.D. University of South Carolina Tory Pennington, M.Ed. Clemson University Leslie Roberts-Chala, Ph.D. Georgia Southern University Elke Schneider, Ph.D. Winthrop University Kelly N. Tracy, Ph.D. Western Carolina University

CALL FOR MANUSCRIPTS PSLA s Literacy Matters Classroom teachers, teacher educators, administrators, and researchers are invited to submit manuscripts to PSLA’s professional journal, Literacy Matters . Authors are requested to submit unpublished work not under consideration by any other publication. Types of Submissions: Literacy Matters welcomes practical, theoretical, and research articles, generally at most 15 pages (excluding tables, figures, and references), related to all areas of literacy. Articles should be clearly written and purposeful, and discuss the topic in some depth where treatment of the topic is interesting, insightful, and based on the writers’ experience. Brief commentary pieces on teaching literacy are welcomed, as well as short teaching tips, teacher or student poetry, vignettes of classroom experiences, and student writing and/or artwork (with parental permission). Manuscript Form: Manuscripts should follow APA 7 style guidelines. Please be sure to include an abstract. As manuscripts are subject to blind review, content should not reveal author identities or affiliations. Full references for all citations should be included, following APA guidelines. Submitting a Manuscript: Manuscripts should be typed in Microsoft Word and sent as an email attachment to kotih@clemson.edu. Manuscripts should not include author names or affiliations. When naming your file, please use simple, clear file names. Include a cover page giving the author(s)’ names, affiliations, complete mailing address, email address, and home and work telephone numbers. The editors will peer-review and edit manuscripts for style, content, and space limitations. . The Review Process: Manuscripts undergo a blind review process, with at least two reviewers from the Editorial Review Board. Acceptance decisions are based on interest and relevance to PSLA membership, usefulness, clarity, timeliness, and cohesiveness. The overall balance of the journal’s content also influences editors’ selections. Manuscript Deadline: July 1, 2025

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Letter from the Editors Koti L. Hubbard, Ph.D. and Kirsten Abel, Ed.D

Dear Readers,

We hope this letter finds you well and enjoying the school year. The latest issue of Literacy Matters has arrived, featuring a collection of articles highlighting the importance of literature in both instruction and the lives of children and young adults. This issue also introduces a new section, Insider Insights: Wisdom from the Field, where educators share tips,

Koti L. Hubbard

Kirsten Abel

commentary, and curricular recommendations for readers. Literature-focused articles include an overview and case study on book challenges within Beaufort County (Cridland-Hughes, McGee, & Gallman); recommendations for using remixed young adult literature and fanfiction as diverse mentor texts for secondary students (Helfgot & McGee); text sets of picturebooks designed to motivate elementary students to engage in various types of writing (Schneider); and a review of picturebooks for young children focused on finding confidence in yourself (Shelnut et al.). Lastly, Lawton provides valuable insider insights on strengthening interprofessional partnerships to support Augmentative and Alternative Communication literacy strategies for bi/multilingual learners. We are honored to support you—dedicated teachers and teacher educators—who work tirelessly to improve literacy for all students. Interested in contributing to the next issue of Literacy Matters? Email us for more information! We are especially seeking insights from educators actively working in the field. . Be inspired and inspiring, Koti and Kirsten

Literarcy Matters Make it Matter

Letter from the President

Krystal Turner, Ed.S.

for Education and Innovation. As our organization prepares for the 49th Annual Conference, Ignite the Light and Lead, in Hilton Head (February 20-22, 2025), I am excited for another opportunity where we will continue our momentum and foster collaboration. While celebrating our accomplishments, we must recognize that we still have work to do. Our daily interactions remind us that literacy is not just about reading and writing; literacy is about instilling empowerment, creating opportunities, fostering critical thinking, and building stronger communities. It bridges gaps, inspires change, and helps individuals reach their fullest potential. This year, we remain committed to expanding our membership, strengthening our partnerships with local colleges and universities, and supporting new teachers with the literacy tools they need to succeed in all content areas. Together, we can ensure that everyone has access to the transformative power of literacy. Thank you for your commitment, advocacy, and belief in this vital work. I am excited about what we will achieve together in 2025. With gratitude, Krystal Turner, Ed.S. 2024-2025 President of Palmetto State Literacy Association

Dear Members and Supporters of the Palmetto State Literacy Association,

Krystal Turner

I hope this letter finds you well and hopeful for the new year. As we continue this journey together, I am proud to reflect on our incredible work promoting literacy across South Carolina. The members and supporters of the Palmetto State Literacy Association (PSLA) have been busy bringing experts to the table to expand our knowledge and network to ensure we continue to serve as a forum for stakeholders committed to improving literacy in our state. We are thrilled to share that the International Literacy Association (ILA) has recognized PSLA for the 39th year with the ILA Award of Excellence—a true testament to your dedication and passion for this cause. Our recent conference, The Many Facets of Literacy: Mining the Hidden Gems, was a resounding success, bringing educators and community leaders together to share strategies and inspire action. While we continued to increase our memberships, we expanded our partnerships with local colleges and universities. Voorhees University has recognized PSLA as an organization that supports its Center of Excellence

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“We Followed the Model Policy:” Beaufort County as a Case Study of the Book Challenge Policy Implementation Process in South Carolina

by Susan Cridland-Hughes, Katie McGee, and Jennifer Gallman

Judy Blume notes, “censorship grows out of fear, and because fear is contagious, some parents are easily swayed. Book banning satisfies their need to feel in control of their children’s lives” (Blume, 2024). This article explores South Carolina’s battle for control over schools and the materials used to not only educate but also support youth. Materials targeted for challenges exist in three primary spaces: books available in libraries, textbooks adopted in classes (commonly referred to as instructional materials), and books available in teachers’ classroom libraries. Schools facing materials challenges have responded in a range of ways. Some schools and districts have immediately pulled texts and/or assignments, while others focused on clarifying reviewmaterials policies and/or increasing transparency about what is being taught in schools. The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, we record the current state of book bans and challenges in South Carolina; second, we explore three micro-cases of individual books in one of the most well known challenges in Beaufort, SC; third, we offer some suggestions about how teachers can work to rebuild the relationships with the community and strengthen their local systems. Critical Media Literacy, Book Bans, and Censorship Movements We center our discussion of book bans and censorship movements within the theory of Critical Media Literacy (CML). CML offers a means of analyzing the relationship between media representation and text, in this case school-based texts (Alvermann and Hagood, 2000). CML also helps us explore how power undergirds both the policies and the rhetoric used in attempts to challenge books (Lacković, 2020). Specifically, book bans, as Blume noted, are contagious, and understanding the media used to advance them nationwide requires that we expand our definition of mass communication and how it operates. As book bans and censorship become mainstream laws in conservative states, writers such as Hixenbaugh (2024) and Knox (2015) highlight the power struggles undergirding book-banning policies. of both to fit current forms of mass communication such as social media, popular culture, and social networks. The modern explanations of literacy and media stem from Kellner and Share (2005) who included analysis and production skills in online and print literacies and broadened media to include a variety of mediums of mass communication combined with popular culture to allow a critical analysis of the connections between media and literacy regarding the audience’s conception of information Definitions of literary and media evolved with the advancement of technology; therefore, there is a need to expand the definitions

ABSTRACT — Schools in the United States are facing a multi year book challenge crisis (McCormick, 2023). In South Carolina, one of the first signs of this was a challenge of 96 books in the Beaufort County School District (McCombs & Sofaly, 2022). This initial large-scale challenge has resulted in multiple years of book challenge committees and policy changes. In our investigation of book challenges in South Carolina, we explore how policy and parental advocacy intersect in the battle over literacy materials such as books in local schools. This paper seeks to do three things: first, we want to highlight how the experiences in South Carolina weave into the national landscape of book challenges, curricular control, and the stratification of schools and communities; second, we explore the experiences of the book challenge process through three micro-studies of texts in Beaufort County; third, we focus on how teachers, parents, and students can pull schools and communities back together so that the goals of public education are at the heart of the work we do together. Introduction In his recent book about the battles over schools in Southlake, Texas, journalist Mike Hixenbaugh does not start by discussing schools or book challenges. Instead, he talks about the changing relationships in communities after Covid-19. One of his key insights was that “the COVID-19 pandemic had been driving [people] apart, forcing people inside and online, deeper into their own echo chambers… and planting seeds of suspicion and resentment” (2024, p.2). Hixenbaugh goes on to discuss how this expanding resentment moved from the neighborhoods to the schools. Schools and communities were out of step regarding how best to create welcoming spaces for all students and media personalities and politicians exploited that fissure. Although Hixenbaugh highlights the effects of COVID-19, there has been an ongoing war on education and COVID-19 was the moment where earlier fracturing of the relationship between parents and schools splintered. The “in loco parentis” trust necessary for school-based caretakers to effectively support youth has given way to a culture of avoiding criticism rather than serving all youth. Even more concerning, rhetoric about teachers and librarians as threats was weaponized for political advantage, leaving teachers and public schools unsure how best to support the growing diversity in schools. There is fear on both sides, and fear-based interactions lead to conflict. In South Carolina, as well as across the nation, much of this conflict focuses on curricular materials available in schools. Many of these texts are books that ask youth to explore the world from a perspective different from their own. The conflict we are experiencing as a nation is a manifestation of a culture of fear, and, as

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to create an in-house rating system for books in discussion. However, board member Ms. Boatright suggested that they were giving the superintendent an impossible task, explaining that “We’re telling him to fix something that’s moderately unfixable and I do think that the legislature will have some guidelines coming forward over the next year about how schools approach issues like this’’ (Beaufort County School Board, January 17, 2023). This particular exchange acknowledges that the state would likely be stepping in to exert more control over what had historically been local school board issues. The invocation of the role of the state by board members is noteworthy since one of South Carolina’s State Superintendent of Education’s first official acts was cutting ties with the South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) on August 5, 2023, citing “politicized rhetoric” (Weaver, 2023). More recently, regulation 43-170, a regulation that allows for state-level appeal of local school board book review decisions for which Weaver authorized $25000 in taxpayer dollars for lobbying support (Jensen 2024), automatically went into effect without legislative review (South Carolina Department of Education, 2024; O’Toole, 2024), superseding not only local control over education but also the established legislative process. Although PEN America (2024) and more than 400 publishers, authors, and free speech groups sent an open letter to the South Carolina legislature asking them to stop regulation 43-170, it is now part of the State Department of Education policies and procedures. What Really Happens in the Book Challenge Process Beaufort County provides a specific example of what happens when book-banning efforts by a few community members lead to large-scale efforts to create book review processes that include diverse community members. In this section, we attempt to look at what really happens within those book committees, rather than focusing solely on the final outcome. We gained most of our insight from local and national media coverage of the mass book challenge; however, we also listened to streamed Beaufort County school board meetings and reviewed publicly available book review documents. The combination of sources of media (The Island Packet, PEN America, etc.) along with the conversations happening with Beaufort residents reveals the tension between how book challenges are presented in the media and how real members of the community try to do their best within the process that exists. The initial ninety-six books were chosen due to their ratings of 3 or higher on BookLooks.org, meaning they contained some amount of sexual content (Dimitrov, 2023b). Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi was separately challenged by a group of community members who claimed that it promoted Critical Race Theory, but the text was included in the large-scale removal and review process (Beaufort County School District, n.d.). While the removal of the 97 books circumvented the county’s standing book review process in late 2022 (Dimitrov, 2023b), the subsequent creation of a new book review policy and book review process was consistently applied across the challenged materials (Beaufort County School District, n.d.).

and power. Recognizing media and communication as social processes, analyzing language semiotically, exploring audience roles in meaning-making, engaging in ideological issues of power and pleasure, and examining institutions that profit, Kellner and Share (2007) aimed to combat the fear of media manipulation. How Book Challenges Came to South Carolina PEN America defines a book ban in the following way and we use this to guide the following analysis (Friedman & Johnson, 2022): ...any action taken against a book based on its content and as a result of parent or community challenges, administrative decisions, or in response to direct or threatened action by lawmakers or other governmental officials, that leads to a previously accessible book being either completely removed from availability to students, or where access to a book is restricted or diminished. Diminished access is a form of censorship and has educational implications that extend beyond a title’s removal. From Fall 2021 to Spring 2023, 128 book bans occurred across South Carolina, seventh in the nation (McCormick, 2023). One of the most publicized instances of book removals in South Carolina occurred in Beaufort County in 2022. Two individuals issued a challenge list of 97 books compiled based on ratings from Booklooks, an unvetted book rating system loosely affiliated with Moms for Liberty (PEN America, 2022). As a response, the school board immediately pulled all 97 books for review, ignoring their policy regarding challenged books (Markham, 2024). During a board meeting on October 18, 2022, parents read excerpts they deemed as sexually explicit. Additionally, a police report was sent alleging the distribution of obscene materials to children, and conservative politician Mike Covert emailed the book list to school district Superintendent Rodriguez (Dimitrov, 2023b). By October 21, 2022, all 97 books were removed without the registration of a formal complaint by any parents within the district. By November 1, 2022, the Beaufort County Schools Superintendent formed a seven-member committee to review each book, beginning with those used in the curriculum (McCombs, 2022). At a two-hour board meeting in 2022, the Beaufort County school board heard public comment from, among others, May River High School Student Body President Madison Hahn, and the ACLU’s Josh Malkin, all of whom disagreed with the removal of 97 texts for an undesignated amount of time (McCombs, 2022). This started a review process that lasted until late 2023, costing an estimated $7,275 (The Island Packet, 2023). Beaufort followed the process and supported the decisions of the book review committees. However, according to the board meeting transcript, multiple elected officials expressed concern about the results by claiming committees did not reflect the community (Beaufort County School Board, January 17, 2023). Our research noted broad participation by community members across review committees, though the numbers dwindled as reviews progressed (Beaufort County School District, n.d.).

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In the January 17, 2023 meeting, member of the board Dr. Wisnefski made a motion that the board direct the superintendent

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“appeals to standards of analyzing characters, settings, events, and ideas as well as craft and structure in finding meaning in text and author’s use of events” (Beaufort County School District, 2022a, p. 22). The committee was given a list of ELA standards and highlighted the standards that the book met, all indicating that there were many standards that the text lent itself to teaching. In regards to quality, all of the committee members indicated that The Handmaid’s Tale was high quality and of educational value. To justify their rating of the book as appropriate for grades 9-12, one member wrote “when referencing sex, not specific” and “some use of vulgarity but the theme of the text refers to why it is put to the text” (Beaufort County School District, 2022a, p. 17). Another committee member wrote “as a whole, the book is TOTALLY appropriate for a high school student. Middle school students would not understand the nuances of the writing and may be too literal. It is also a mature subject matter. This book is terrifying in many ways and shows the slippery slope of mixing religion and government. It is obviously science fiction but the lessons are valuable” (Beaufort County School District, 2022a, p. 20). Overall, the committee agreed that the book met the district’s standards for “appropriate” content, particularly for high school students. Ultimately, four committee members voted to return the book to circulation with no restrictions and two committee members voted to return the book to 9-12 schools only, leading the book to be returned to circulation with no restrictions (Beaufort County School District, 2022a). The decision was appealed by two community members and the school board voted to uphold the book committee’s decision (Beaufort County School District, n.d.), ending the book review process for The Handmaid’s Tale . With no restrictions on the use of the book across grade levels, teachers and librarians have the ability to use their professional judgment to determine whether to include the book in their contexts. ReturnedWith Restrictions Book review committees could also decide to return books to circulation with grade-level restrictions. For the most part, these restrictions aligned with the locations of the books prior to the challenges. For example, the book Sold by Patricia McCormick was available in middle and high schools in the county before the book review, and the review committee’s decision was to return the book only to grades 6-12 (Bruder-Brasseur, 2023), aligning with decisions previously made by school librarians and other faculty. This was not the case for all of the book decisions, as some were given grade-level restrictions that removed them from younger grade levels where they were already present. An example was Looking for Alaska by John Green, which was available in some middle schools before the challenge and then restricted to grades 9-12 by the committee (Bruder-Brasseur, 2023). A specific example of a book that was returned with restrictions was The Perks of Being aWallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Perks was available in some 6-8 schools and 9-12 schools in Beaufort County before it was challenged due to concerns about sexual material (Bruder-Brasseur, 2023). The Perks of Being aWallflower , marketed as Young Adult and taught in some high schools, is an epistolary coming-of-age novel

The new review process ratified by the Beaufort County school board in April 2023 established official channels for submitting concerns about instructional materials and a subsequent review process consisting of seven-member committees representing diverse stakeholders who read the materials and provided comments about the merits based on the county’s mission (Beaufort County Board of Education, 2023). The committees include:

1. At least one teacher with expertise in the content area and grade level; 2. At least one school librarian; 3. At least one school administrator; 4. At least one parent representing a school family other than the complainant; 5. At least one community member; 6. At least one district-level director or coordinator with expertise in the content area; and

7. At least one member of a School Improvement Council within the district/school (Beaufort County Board of Education, 2023).

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All committee members were volunteers and chosen randomly for specific book reviews. Committee members were tasked with picking up review packets and book copies, reading the book and completing the review packet, then reporting for a committee meeting to register final votes. Review committee members filled out a packet with a rubric for each book and submitted one of three decisions: (1) return the material with no grade-level restrictions, (2) return the material only to specific grade levels, or (3) remove the material entirely. Over the course of one and a half years, all 97 books were reviewed by committees through the full review process, including appeals to the school board. As time passed, fewer review committee volunteers reported when they were chosen to participate and rather than attempt to fill every position, the review process went forward with as few as three review committee members voting (Dimitrov, 2023b). In the following sections, we share one example of each possible book decision made by review committees to illustrate the book review process and reasoning provided by committee members about their decisions. ReturnedWith No Restrictions An example of a book that was voted to be returned to circulation with no restrictions was The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Originally, The Handmaid’s Tale was available at 9-12 schools in the county (Bruder-Brasseur, 2023) and was challenged for containing sexual material. The Handmaid’s Tale, marketed as adult fiction but taught in some high schools, is a dystopian feminist novel set in a fictitious totalitarian America ruled by the patriarchy. Fueled by religious conservatism, oppressed women forced to become handmaids to rich men and their infertile wives find their independence through subversive collaboration. The Handmaid’s Tale is an example of a text that is often housed in school libraries, classroom libraries, and used as curricular materials. When explaining their ratings of the quality of the book, one committee member wrote “I found the book readable, but challenging in parts. Some lines so profound, I had to reread them…I was totally engaged. My thoughts questioned, prodded” (Beaufort County School District, 2022a, p. 19). Another wrote

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committee determine it was not appropriate for any students in the district. Originally, The Haters was available in some Beaufort County schools for grades 6-12. The book is about best friends Wes and Corey, who decide to ditch jazz camp and go on the road as a band when they meet Ash, a charismatic girl with unusual musical skills. The Haters is a recent Young Adult book that may appeal to the reading interests of diverse groups of students and would typically be included in school or classroom libraries. When commenting on the educational significance and quality of the book, committee members were divided. One member wrote, “recreational reading more than educational” (Beaufort County School District, 2022c, p. 1), a common focus of the reviews. One member explicitly stated their unwillingness to move beyond the recreational nature of the text, saying, “My personal opinion of the quality, content, and manner of representation of this text is secondary to my responsibility to make a professional adult decision about materials [that] would edify students” (Beaufort County School District, 2022c, p. 8). In regards to the representation that the book provides, one committee member wrote that the book “supports/represents many religious, ethnic[sic], racial groups”while also checking that the novel does not “reflect the needs/interests of the school and the culture of the school community” (Beaufort County School District, 2022c, p. 4), indicating a perceived mismatch between representation in the book and the school community. supplying the material due to the excessive use of profanity (over 375 profane words)” (Beaufort County School District, 2022c, p. 7). Several reviewmembers echoed similar sentiments about the text’s appropriateness. Another wrote “the amount of profanity, dick references, and careless handling of sexual conduct are evidence of the immaturity of the story’s protagonists” (Beaufort County School District, 2022c, p. 9). On the other side, one committee member voted for the text to be available for grades 9-12, writing that “many kids could relate to characters and storyline” (Beaufort County School District, 2022c, p. 12). Two committee members voted to restrict The Haters to grades 9-12 and three members voted to remove the book completely. The committee’s decision was not appealed to the school board so the decision remains and the books are not allowed in circulation at any schools. The committee’s decisions and justifications for The Haters , along with The Perks of Being aWallflower and The Handmaid’s Tale , offer insight into decision-making during book review processes that include diverse community members. Student Response A notable student response to the book challenges in Beaufort County was the advocacy efforts of high school students in the Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization (DAYLO). DAYLO was started as a student-led book club and literacy service organization by Beaufort High School student Holland Perryman in 2021 to address the literacy needs of her community and promote diversity (The Island News, 2024). After the challenge and removal of books in Beaufort County in 2022, DAYLO members added advocacy, attending school board meetings and speaking Commenting on the appropriateness of the text, one member wrote, “student interest in the book should not warrant the District

that follows Charlie as he navigates the intricacies of being a teenager in the 1990s while facing the challenges of friendship, social anxiety, and mental health. Typically, the book is offered as a choice in libraries for adolescents but is increasingly utilized as an optional or assigned book in English classrooms. Writing about the educational significance of Perks , one committee member wrote, “The book serves as a vehicle for discussing trauma (sexual abuse, isolation, mental illness) many students experience and would not share otherwise” (Beaufort County School District, 2022b, p. 38). Another wrote, “all novels are problem-solving texts. No trouble = no story. And the overarching message of the novel is a call to action to participate in life” (Beaufort County School District, 2022b, p. 43). Committee members all checked off on a list that the novel had educational significance, including that it “promotes the integration of higher level thinking skills” and“directly supports the acquisition of related standards” (Beaufort County School District, 2022b). When indicating what grades the book was appropriate for, reviewers noted specific occurrences that supported their recommendation for grades 9-12, including“sex throughout (not descriptive),”“smoking, weed, LSD, drinking throughout,” and “adolescent age = forming identity” (Beaufort County School District, 2022b, p. 36). One committee member suggested that the book be made “available, not required (in whole) - only for Juniors/Seniors to check out?” (Beaufort County School District, 2022b, p. 36). One member wrote, “the recommended reading age as identified by readers and reflected in the book’s metadata is ‘13+.’The publisher-provided grade-level recommendation in the metadata is grades 7-12. That the novel has been deemed appropriate for high school readers by multiple sources is well established” (Beaufort County School District, 2022b, p. 44). All six committee members voted to return the book to grades 9-12 only (Beaufort County School District, 2022b), which was appealed to the school board and upheld, ending the process for Perks . While this was a unanimous vote by committee members, decisions that restrict books to high school are complicated by the presence of high school credit courses like English I for eighth grade students where the books may be included in course syllabi. Young Adult books are marketed as being appropriate for students in grades 7-12 or ages 13 and up, so removing these books from libraries removes them from part of their intended audiences. Removed Completely Over the year-and-a-half-long review of the 97 challenged texts, five books were removed entirely from circulation in Beaufort County schools by book review committees. Of the five removed books, three are Young Adult ( The Haters by Jesse Andrews, Forever for a Year by B.T. Gottfried, and Beautiful by Amy Reed) and two adult fiction ( It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover and Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult). Beautiful , Forever For a Year. and Nineteen Minutes were removed by committees with three members due to low volunteer turnout, while the other two completely removed books had five-member committees (Dimitrov, 2023a). The Haters by Jesse Andrews, then, is an example of a completely removed title that was intended for adolescent readers and had a

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out against the removal of books. In a news interview in March 2024, former DAYLO leader and Beaufort County student Millie Bennett reflected on the review process, saying“I think it’s a really good model but I’m not sure how well it will be followed outside of Beaufort County” (WHHI News, 2024). Bennett noted that she believed the community in Beaufort is particularly interested in supporting literacy, and she was proud of the community for coming together to read and review each book. Additional DAYLO chapters have since been started across South Carolina by students who are similarly interested in literacy-related community service and advocacy (The Island News, 2024). Teacher Responses The teacher response is often one focused on mitigating harm and preserving the ability to do their jobs within the framework of the new normal. As book challenges and bans have increased in South Carolina over the past several years, teachers find themselves with limited capacity to push back against these challenges, bans, and regulations without fear of retaliation (Bowers, 2023). Teachers often state time and fear of losing one’s position as two reasons they remain silent. Most teachers simply do not have the resources to resist, at least on a large scale. Teachers have always operated in a system that dismisses their concerns. Asking questions can be dangerous, and teachers can become targets. MaryWood, Chapin High School English teacher, was targeted in 2023 after assigning Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World andMe to her AP class. Citing a budget stipulation connected to teaching race and history, Wood was told to stop teaching the text (Marchant, 2023). Wood vocalized her concerns against the mandate by interviewing on The Mehdi Hasan Show and attending school board meetings; however, she noted in an interview with the ACLU that teachers are afraid to speak up, and her story making national news allowed her to publicly fight back (Bowers, 2023). Conclusion Material reviews are ubiquitous in education, but recent movements to restrict access to texts and the ensuing codification of book review processes were interesting for all of us as authors. Additionally, while our examples are all frommiddle and secondary texts, elementary and early childhood education are not immune to the movement to restrict access to texts. As one example, Greenville County Schools recently paused elementary and middle school book fairs entirely because of the lack of clarity around how texts can be shared with young people (Moss, 2024). Our hope with this paper is to move beyond the fear-based rhetoric around curricular challenges and discover what educators can learn fromwhat happens when schools and communities respond. One important lesson from the example of Beaufort County is the power of consistent follow-through by community members when asked to be a part of review committees. We know these processes take a lot of time and energy, but one of the strengths of the Beaufort County book review process was the active involvement of diverse committee members, particularly at the beginning of the process. Educators especially are in a position to begin to close the perceived gap between schools and their

communities with consistent involvement and advocacy, given they are community members themselves and can speak to the needs of students and the communities in which they live and work. Another lesson we learned from the book challenge process in Beaufort County was the importance of staying knowledgeable about what is happening in your school and community. Listening to and/or attending district board meetings is one way to follow policy decisions, including the intricacies of decision-making in your district. Teachers can also follow groups that are a part of advocacy in South Carolina and other states, which give insight into how other communities are handling challenges and the effects of different policies. Groups like PEN America, Book Riot, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the American Library Association have social media and newsletters you can follow for book challenge news as well as providing resources like book rationales to fight challenges. This is a difficult time for education as a whole and teachers and librarians individually. We bring our best efforts into the classroom when we choose curriculum, when we decide what books might be most meaningful to our students and our communities across pre-K- 12 contexts. However, we face not only individual parents operating from contagious fear but also organized lobbying machines interested in the consolidation of power. We only get through this as a community. Reach out to the parents at your school and find advocates, find the people who can fight in ways you cannot fight as a professional educator, and tell your stories.

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Literature References Andrews, J. (2012). Me and Earl and the dying girl . FBAPowersetup.

Andrews, J. (2017). The haters . Amulet Paperbacks.

Atwood, M. (1985). The handmaid’s tale . Vintage.

Chbosky, S. (2012). The perks of being a wallflower . MTV Books.

Gottfred, B. T. (2016). Forever for a year . Square Fish.

Green, J. (2006). Looking for Alaska . Penguin Books.

Hoover, C. (2016). It ends with us . Atria Books.

McCormick, P. (2006). Sold . Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Picoult, J. (2008). Nineteen minutes . Atria/Emily Bestler Books.

Reed, A. (2010). Beautiful . Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Reynolds, J., & Kendi, I. X. (2020). Stamped: Racism, antiracism, and you . Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

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References Alvermann, D. E., & Hagood, M. C. (2000). Critical media literacy: Research, theory, and practice in “New Times”. The Journal of Educational Research , 93 (3), 193-205. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220670009598707 Beaufort County Board of Education. (2023, April). Procedures for handling questioned or challenged school library materials [Beaufort County Schools Regulation]. Beaufort County School District. https://boardpolicyonline. com/?b=beaufort&s=1303535 Beaufort County Board of Education. (2023, January 17). Beaufort County Board of Education board meeting [Video]. BCTV. https://beaufortcountysc.new.swagit. com/videos/205894 Beaufort County School District. (n.d.). School library materials reconsideration information . Retrieved June 24, 2024, from https://www.beaufortschools.net/ academics/instructional-programs-support/library-media-services/school-library materials-reconsideration-information Beaufort County School District. (2022a, December). The handmaid’s tale book review scanned . Retrieved June 24, 2024, from https://resources. finalsite.net/images/v1674000242/beaufortk12scus/ker8w4ys2uuulrwij18b/ TheHandmaidsTaleBookReviewrescanned.pdf Beaufort County School District. (2022b, December). The perks of being a wallflower book review scanned . Retrieved June 24, 2024, from https://resources. finalsite.net/images/v1674000311/beaufortk12scus/n8kyrmw4dgzvsrmrw2jm/ ThePerksofBeingaWallflowerBookReviewrescanned.pdf Beaufort County School District. (2022c, December). The haters book review scanned . Retrieved June 24, 2024, from https://resources.finalsite.net/images/ v1691535209/beaufortk12scus/x1l6rn3gp57k12s Bowers, P. (2023, December 5). Meet Mary Wood, a teacher resisting censorship . ACLU of South Carolina. https://www.aclusc.org/en/news/meet-mary-wood teacher-resisting-censorship Bowers, P. (2024, January 29). In honor of banned books week: A map of South Carolina book bans and challenges. ACLU of South Carolina. https://www.aclusc. org/en/news/honor-banned-books-week-map-south-carolina-book-bans-and challenges Bruder-Brasseur, C. (2023, May). Result of committee deliberation/vote . Beaufort County School District. Retrieved June 24, 2024, from https://resources.finalsite. net/images/v1686147359/beaufortk12scus/waizvmaseyi9684dmfur/WSAV_ FOIAResponse.pdf Dimitrov, M. (2023a, September 25). What does it take to ban a book in Beaufort County? In some cases, just 3 people . Hilton Head Island Packet. Retrieved June 25, 2024, from https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/education/ article279566574.html Blume, J. (n.d.) Judy Blume talks about censorship. https://judyblume.com/judy blume-on-censorship/

Dimitrov, M. (2023b, December 4). Books Beaufort County schools banned from shelves . Hilton Head Island Packet. Retrieved June 8, 2024, from https://www. islandpacket.com/news/local/education/article282506028.html Friedman, J. & Johnson, N. (2022). Banned in the USA: The growing movement to censor books in schools. PEN America. https://pen.org/report/banned-usa growing-movement-to-censor-books-in-schools/

Hixenbaugh, M. (2024). They came for the schools: One town’s fight over race and identity, and the new war for America’s classrooms . HarperCollins Publishers

Jensen, K. (2024, June 18). Two vague and dangerous book ban bills in South Carolina Target Public and School Libraries. BOOK RIOT. https://bookriot.com/ two-vague-and-dangerous-book-ban-bills-in-south-carolina-target-public-and school-libraries/ Kellner, D., & Share, J. (2005). Toward Critical Media Literacy: Core concepts, debates, organizations, and policy. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education , 26 (3), 369–386. https://doi.org/10.1080/01596300500200169 Kellner, D., & Share, J. (2007). Critical Media Literacy: Crucial Policy Choices for a Twenty-First-Century Democracy. Policy Futures in Education , 5 (1), 59-69. https:// doi.org/10.2304/pfie.2007.5.1.59 Lacković, N. (2020). Thinking with digital images in the post-truth era: A method in critical media literacy. Postdigital Science and Educatio n, 2 (2), 442-462. https:// link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42438-019-00099-y Marchant, B. (2023, July 19). Author Ta-Nehisi Coates shows up at SC School Board meeting debating his book. The State. https://www.thestate.com/news/local/ education/article277389678.html Markham, M. (2024, May 10). The State of Book Bans: South Carolina Is Poised to Get Worse . PEN America. Retrieved June 8, 2024, from https://pen.org/the-state of-book-bans-south-carolina-is-poised-to-get-worse/ McCombs, M., & Sofaly, B. (2022, November 2). Bring back the books – The Island News – Beaufort, SC . The Island News. Retrieved June 8, 2024, from https:// yourislandnews.com/bring-back-the-books/ Moss, S. (2024, August 22). Greenville County Schools to pause book fairs after new rules mandated in South Carolina . Greenville News. https://www.greenvilleonline. com/story/news/2024/08/22/book-fairs-paused-in-greenville-county-schools heres-why/74906705007/ O’Toole, J. (2024, June 7). BIG STORY: State book regulation poses threat to freedom, advocates say . Statehouse Report. Retrieved June 8, 2024, from https://www. statehousereport.com/2024/06/07/big-story-state-book-regulation-poses-threat to-freedom-advocates-say/ Knox, E. (2015). Book banning in 21st-century America . Rowman & Littlefield. McCormick, P. (2023, December 13). Spineless Shelves: Two Years of Book Banning . PEN America. Retrieved June 8, 2024, from https://pen.org/spineless-shelves/

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PEN America. (2022). What Is a Book Ban? And More Frequently Asked Questions . PEN America. Retrieved June 25, 2024, from https://pen.org/book-bans frequently-asked-questions/ PEN America. (2024, June 5). OPEN LETTER TO SOUTH CAROLINA LEGISLATORS . Wikipedia. Retrieved June 8, 2024, from https://pen.org/south-carolina lawmakers-to-reject-new-restrictions-to-evaluate-books-in-public-schools/ South Carolina Department of Education. (2024). Regulations Under Review by the State Board of Education (SBE) (Revised 10/5/17) . South Carolina Department of Education. Retrieved June 8, 2024, from https://ed.sc.gov/state-board/ state-board-of-education/about-state-board/state-board-regulations process/regulations-under-review-by-the-state-board-of-education-sbe revised-8-26-161/

The Island News. (2024, March 13). DAYLO honored with national commendation. Retrieved June 26, 2024, from https://yourislandnews.com/daylo-honored-with national-commendation/ Weaver, E. (2023, August 28). DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION . South Carolina Department of Education. Retrieved June 8, 2024, from https://ed.sc.gov/ newsroom/scasl-letter/

WHHI News. (2024, March). Millie Bennett: Book ban in Beaufort County, SC [News clip]. WHHI-TV. https://www.whhitv.com/clips/AHmk23NcDiw/

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S Susan Cridland-Hughes is an associate professor of English Education at Clemson University. Her research focuses on literacy advocacy and critical literacy and their recent intersections with censorship. In a past life, she taught high school English in Baltimore City, where she learned how cool high school students really are. Katie McGee is a Ph.D. candidate in the Language, Literacy, and Culture program at Clemson University. Her research interests include young adult literature, preservice teacher education, and racial literacy development. Prior to her doctoral studies, she was a middle school English teacher in Oklahoma and Texas, a literacy coach, and a secondary literacy curriculum specialist. Jennifer Gallman (she/her/hers) is a high school English teacher in South Carolina and a doctoral Candidate at Clemson University. Her research focuses on censorship in public education. Other research interests include fighting for intellectual freedom and social justice pedagogy.

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Using Remixed Young Adult Literature as Mentor Texts: An Approach toWriting Fanfiction in the Classroom

by Kelsea Helfgot and Katie McGee

fanfiction published in magazines in the 1980s (De Kosnik, 2019). Merging the concept of remixed Young Adult Literature (YAL) and fanfiction can provide mentors for students to rewrite stories and see themselves reflected in texts (Garcia et al., 2016). Additionally, teachers can use remixed literature paired with standard texts in schools to disrupt the traditional canon of overwhelmingly white, male, heterosexual authors and main characters. Using remixed YAL with traditionally assigned texts can provide additional windows and mirrors for students (Sims-Bishop, 1990). The concept of windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors developed by Sims-Bishop (1990) focuses on representation and how texts can serve as mirrors of readers’ identities, windows into the experiences of others, and sliding glass doors that allow readers to step into the worlds of those with different lived experiences. Sims-Bishop argues that readers deserve texts that act as mirrors, windows, and sliding doors, reinforcing the need for diverse representations of identities in YAL. Remixed texts are examples of purposefully rewritten traditional texts that provide additional mirrors for readers with diverse identities. Remixed texts can be mentor texts that students use as models to write fanfiction that contains representations of their unique identities. This paper provides a brief overview of research related to mentor texts, remixed texts and fanfiction, and representation in literature, followed by a list of suggested remixed YAL and a sample unit plan to get teachers and students started. Literature Review This paper includes suggestions for incorporating remixed literature as mentor texts for student-written fanfiction in the classroom. To support this classroom approach, the following literature review includes a discussion of research on the representation of identities in literature, mentor texts, remixing, and fan fiction. Representation of Identities in Literature Glazier and Seo (2005) and Sims-Bishop (1990) describe identity by comparing it to a mirror. Students want to see themselves reflected through the text and are more open to sharing their experiences when they feel represented. When determining text selection, it is important to create mentor text sets that reflect student identity (Sims-Bishop, 1990). Students need to see themselves within texts. Students connect with characters and see themselves within stories, increasing the need for representation. People can identify with characters they feel would have similar experiences and unconsciously connect with aspects they recognize (Kokesh & Sternadori, 2015). In a study on

ABSTRACT — Remixed young adult novels have become increasingly popular, offering opportunities for diverse representation with familiar stories. Remixed literature and fanfiction can allow students to rewrite stories and see themselves reflected in texts (Garcia et al., 2016). This paper explores the intersections between diverse remixed literature, fanfiction, and mentor texts. We will then provide suggestions of specific remixed Young Adult Literature (YAL) that educators can use as mentor texts for student fanfiction. Introduction Recently, remixing has become popular in Young Adult and adult book releases. Remixing literature is “taking cultural artifacts and combining and manipulating them into new kinds of creative blends and products” (Lankshear & Knobel, 2011, p. 95). Thomas and Stornaiuolo (2016) use the term restorying to describe remixed literature, stating that it is a way for young readers to place themselves within the stories and worlds they are reading. Restorying time and place, perspective, and identity are key concepts behind restorying (Thomas & Stornaiuolo, 2016). Often, these remixes add a more diverse cast, representing people who were not present within the original texts. Examples of remixing are the reworked classics Pride by Ibi Zoboi and Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix by Gabe Cole Novoa. Both stories are remixes of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, adding new settings and identity reflections for readers. Specifically, Pride by Ibi Zoboi is set in modern-day Brooklyn rather than 18th-century England, and the Bennett family is rewritten as the Afro-Latino Benitez family, whose lives are upended when the wealthy Darcy’s move in across the street. Pride maintains core plot points from Pride and Prejudice , like the enemies-to-lovers storyline between the prideful Elizabeth and arrogant Mr. Darcy (Zuri and Darius in Pride ), but also includes themes and issues important to modern Afro-Latino communities in Brooklyn, such as the impact of gentrification and interpersonal clashes based on cultural identity and class. Another example of a remix is Most Ardently , which takes place within the same setting as the original Pride and Prejudice but changes the gender identity of the main character. Still viewed as “Elizabeth” by his family and society, Oliver deals with many of the original struggles of the independent Elizabeth and encounters a Darcy who treats him differently when presenting as a man versus a woman. The core struggles of preconceived notions and pride getting in the way of communication stand, but additional struggles are added that allow for new identities to be represented.

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The concept of remixing to provide representation began with

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