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Harry Potter and the Evil Art of Witchcraft

Laura Mallory, heading a campaign to ban Harry Potter books from her local elementary school at Loganville, Georgia, has filed an application with the County Board of education, arguing that the books by British author J.K. Rowling, are to instructing children to act as Wiccans, or to practice religious witchcraft. She referred to the recent rash of deadly assaults at schools and is saying that the books promote evil.

The story may create a buzz for seeming "a bit too much" to throw in Mr. Potter`s face, but readers should keep in mind that Mallory, a religious woman, is not asking for a full fledged censorship of the books, she is trying to create a case in which taxpayers should not subsidize their promotion to children by putting them in school libraries.

Earlier in June, the county`s library board temporarily eliminated the $3,000 funding set aside to buy Spanish-language fiction in the coming fiscal year. One board member said the move came after some residents objected to using taxpayer dollars to entertain readers who might be illegal immigrants.