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Newbery Medal Winner Scolded for Book's Language

Some school librarians have banned <em>The Higher Power of Lucky</em>.
Some school librarians have banned The Higher Power of Lucky.

This year's Newbery Medal winner Susan Patron is under fire because of language in her book The Higher Power of Lucky.

Some school librarians around the country have banned the book because it includes the word "scrotum" to describe where a dog gets a snake bite.

On the first page of the book, the heroine, a 10-year-old girl named Lucky, hears the word through a hole in a wall.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.