‘Demonic’ or satire? Wake rejects mom’s request to ban book from elementary school.

The Wake County school board will decide whether a book is too “demonic” to remain in an elementary school library or is just a piece of satire that’s acceptable for students to read.

This week, Wake’s Central Instructional Materials Review Committee rejected a request to remove the book “ Dark Lord: The Early Years ” by Jamie Thomson from the library at Brassfield Elementary School in Raleigh. The fantasy novel’s main character is the “Dark Lord,” an evil creature who is banished to Earth in the form of teenage boy with no powers.

“Most texts come from a ‘hero’ or ‘good’ point of view, and this book presents an alternative, satirically ‘evil’ point of view,” according to the district’s notes of Wednesday’s committee meeting.

Parent will appeal to school board over book

Rita Fontaine, the Wake Forest parent who filed the book challenge, told The News & Observer on Friday she will appeal the committee’s decision to the school board. Fontaine said books that talk about school violence aren’t a good choice given the current climate of school shootings.

“Even if it’s satirical, planning a school overthrow and showing pictures of violence and general disdain for authority is not going to be safe in the minds of children,” Fontaine told The N&O.

The fight at Brassfield is part of the national trend in which some parents are trying to remove books that they feel have inappropriate content for students .

Earlier this month, a pastor was escorted from the Wake school board meeting in handcuffs after he refused to leave the podium, The News & Observer previously reported .

The pastor was objecting to how students at Athens Drive High School read the short story, “ Tomorrow Is Too Far ” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, w hich talks about two cousins having sex .

‘Incarnation of all evil’

“Dark Lord” opens with the main character waking up in the middle of a small town in England. People call him Dirk Lloyd. He’s taken to a foster home and attends the local school.

Over the course of the multi-novel series, the Dark Lord/Dirk Lloyd befriends humans as he schemes to reclaim his powers and return home.

“Dark Lord would be an excellent read for fantasy-loving preteens, especially boys,” according to a review on Compass Book Ratings . “It’s worth noting, however, that because the protagonist of the book is the ‘Dark Lord’ —essentially the incarnation of all evil — the humor in the book does make light with a lot of ‘evil’ things, with numerous references to murder/mayhem/torture, as well as things like witchcraft and sacrifices.”

Compass Book Ratings describes the violent references as being “handled in a fairly humorous and not at all serious manner, and none of them are very graphic or detailed.”

Earlier this school year, Fontaine’s third-grade daughter borrowed the book from Brassfield’s library. But Fontaine says she stopped her daughter from reading it before it could affect her.

“No one under 18 should read this trash,” Fontaine wrote in her Aug. 5 letter asking Brassfield to remove the book from the library.

‘Likable anti-hero’

On Aug. 27, Brassfied’s instructional materials review committee unanimously rejected Fontaine’s request. The committee was made up of the principal, library media coordinator, a counselor, teachers and parents.

Committee members said Dirk Lloyd was a “likable anti-hero.”

The novel is relatable to students who feel that they’re in an unfamiliar environment with unfamiliar people and things don’t make sense, according to the minutes of the committee meeting.

‘Worship of evil and the demonic’

On Sept. 8, Fontaine appealed the school’s decision to the district’s Instructional Materials Review Committee, which consists of administrators, teachers and parents.

Fontaine cited some passages and illustrations from the novel. She called it an “unhealthy and dangerous book” with violent pictures, “sadistic themes, and foul language, that even kindergarteners can access.”

One of the illustrations shows a person holding a sword approaching a person strapped to a table. Another illustration shows the Dark Lord’s plan for a military coup of the school using creatures from his home realm called the Darklands.

“While I am all for expanding horizons and exploratory literature, this book has themes of defying authority figures, mistrust of caregivers, plans for school overthrow (with pictures of attack plan), and violence to other children using weapons,” Fontaine wrote in her Sept. 8 letter. “Not to mention inappropriate language and worship of evil and the demonic in general.”

‘Threats to be read as ridiculous’

The minutes from Wednesday’s committee meeting show members highlighted the positive aspects of the novel. This includes how there are positive adult role models like the main character’s foster mother and how his friends show loyal behavior..

The committee said the book “might be motivating and attractive to reluctant readers.”

Fontaine’s concerns about the violent passages and illustrations were noted. But the committee said the book has an overarching element of humor and satire with the “threats to be read as ridiculous versus serious.”

It was also pointed out that the book isn’t used for instruction. Instead, it’s a choice whether students check the book out of the library.

The committee voted 9-1 to uphold Brassfield’s decision to keep the book.

“I am disheartened but not surprised by the outcome,” Fontaine told The N&O Friday. “What shocks me is the majority vote lacks common sense in parenting let alone teaching and shaping young minds in a positive and safe way.”