Carroll County, MD.(Maryland)(Charles Ecker orders removal of 'The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things' from schools' library shelves)(Brief Article)

Carroll County, MD: School Superintendent Charles Ecker recently ordered the removal of Carolyn Mackler's The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things (Candlewick, 2003) from the library shelves of all 16 middle and high schools at the request of a group of parents and students. Ecker's decision overrode the recommendations of a materials review committee to keep the Printz award-winning title for excellence in young adult literature, even though the appeals process designates the school board as the final arbiter of book challenges. Protests immediately followed, including a petition drive started by school teens, to …