BREAKING NEWS: Girl, Interrupted is "a far cry from Sweet Valley High".

From Fox News:

A local mother says a reading assignment given to her 10th grade student is inappropriate. LaDawn Leek says the book her daughter was told to read –Girl, Interrupted – features graphic descriptions of sex acts, violence, suicide and more.

According to the assigment posted at the school's website, students are allowed to pick one book from a list that's two-and-a-half pages long. 

Girl, Interrupted is NOT required reading.

It is ONE OPTION OF MANY.

(Of course, based on the complaint, there are plenty of other books on the list that are likely to raise Ms. Leek's eyebrows, so this story could have just as easily been about The Kite Runner or Perks of Being a Wallflower or The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time or The Fault in Our Stars or Watchmen or Speak. I'm not sure how Speak ended up in the SF/F section, but that's another conversation.)

Anyway, despite the fact that this was NOT required reading, despite the fact that there are plenty of other books to choose from, despite the fact that her family's worldview and beliefs might not be exactly the same as every other family in the district, and despite the fact that the following note is RIGHT THERE ON THE LIST:

*Parents, although all of the books on the list below have literary merit, some may be suitable for more mature students. We urge you, therefore, to carefully review the list and to help your son or daughter make a selection that is appropriate for his or her interests, age, reading level, and maturity.

Ms. Leek plans to formally challenge the book and have it removed not just from the list, but from the school.

So, you know: WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!