The Adventures of Captain Underpants: An Epic Novel has been banished from the Maple Hill School in Naugatuck, Connecticut, by officials who claim that 4th-graders were beginning to act like the mischievous characters in the popular series.
“The book was beginning to take on a life of its own,” Superintendent Alice Carolan told the Associated Press. Principal Rebecca Sciacc, who removed the book from the elementary school’s library, would not comment other than saying she encourages good literature in the school. The AP reported February 9 that some parents want the book returned to the shelves because it attracts kids who otherwise are reluctant readers.
The book is the first in a series about two unruly students who hypnotize their principal into believing that he is the cape-and-underwear-clad superhero. Last November a Orfordville (Wis.) Elementary School committee voted to retain another volume in the series despite parents’ contention that it encouraged disrespect for authority and outrageous behavior and contained violence and inappropriate language.
Posted February 14, 2000.