Somerset Education Association Claims That Harry Potter, Diary of Anne Frank, and To Kill A Mockingbird Are "Young Adult" Books Being Banned
- Fellow Editors
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 1 minute ago
J.K. Rowling wrote the seven novels as children’s literature, starting with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997) aimed at readers around Harry’s age (11 and up).
The series is classified as middle-grade fiction for the children ages 8-12 for her early books and teenagers 12-18 in her later work.
Early books suit younger kids (with read-aloud options around age 8+). Later books get more intense and complex, suiting teens. Common Sense Media and similar guides recommend starting around 8–10, with full series better for 12+.
Somehow, the Somerset County Education Association posted this on their Facebook page:
Every normal citizen in Somerset County knows that Harry Potter is a children's fantasy.
Adults who wish to read it can read it.
However, the intent of the Somerset Education Association is to do just the opposite: smear the board elected by the people whose main job is to ensure that the children DO READ age tested classics, develop their vocabulary, travel through time, and experience the fantasy and wonder of childhood.
Over the years, the Teachers' union has attempted to force books on students, which has nothing to do with Harry Potter, To Kill A Mockingbird, or The Diary of Anne Frank.
To the contrary, Chairman Lankford's own child was forced to read the book "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely (2015/2016) and "Stamped from the Beginning" by Ibram X. Kendi (2016) in English class.
These books were mandatory reading in Somerset schools, which included strong profanity/cuss words, and divisive racial bias.
It’s told in alternating first-person perspectives by two high school boys—Rashad (black) and Quinn (white). The story focuses on profanities (like the word "FUCK" is mentioned more than a dozen times), focusing on racism, police brutality, community division and political protests in the community.
Although the book "Stamped" says that it isn’t a history book in the introduction, Kendi talks a lot about history—a revisionist history through a biased racial lens according to the author's perspective. Kendi's "anti-racist" initiatives establish stereotypes based on assumptions, and his opinions are spun into allegations. In the end, these initiatives use racism to counter assumed racism, resulting in discrimination.
If teachers in Somerset County wanted to explore themes of racism, they could have easily suggested "To Kill A Mockingbird," but then the students would not be focused on learning cuss words in broken English or be told that they're either inherently oppressed or an oppressor based on the color of their skin.
The Somerset Education Association is using and old playbook of the left: To create controversy that doesn't exist in order to provoke an audience to anger. Harry Potter, To Kill A Mockingbird, or The Diary of Anne Frank are not categorized as "Young Adult," and they are not being banned.
The Somerset Education Association is so hyper-focused on its own politics, that they've lost sight of what's actually happening in education in the county. Before crafting this scheme, they didn't even realize that the Somerset County Board of Education recently approved the HMH curriculum containing the very books the association claims to be banned:
The Somerset Education Association proves that their own associated members cannot read and comprehend basic English.
Teachers' unions and left-leaning hate groups are walking the thin line when their social media posts may become sufficient for legal action against them by the Somerset County Board of Education. Unlike these liberal activist groups that make claims based on lies, the Delmarva Parent Teacher Coalition actually provides evidence in every single article. Political activism by the teachers' union is not a new thing, but willful smear campaigns based on pure lies against the school board may be.
Fellows & Editors
July 12, 2026
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