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Reconsideration Review #4 The Pants Project
A young girl with anger issues contributes her distaste for dresses to being trans and fights the school uniform policy.
(Note: I will use pronouns that match biological gender. If this bothers you, don’t read. This substack isn’t for you. Here is a helpful statement from Rosaria Champagne about why she no longer uses preferred pronouns.)
My general review of this book done for our social media campaign can be found here:
The Book Looks review sheet can be found here:
The pants project.pdf (booklooks.org)
Download Reconsideration Form HERE
You can also pick up a reconsideration form at your local library. Ask any librarian and she/he can retrieve one from behind the desk.
This book was chosen for the next reconsideration for the following reasons:
Discussion of hiding internet history from parents.
Encouragement and direction to guide children down the rabbit hole of radical gender ideology.
Discussion of social transition, choosing new names and pronouns.
How to obtain a copy to read:
Place a hold for a hard copy at the library. The book will be delivered to your library of preference for you to pick up with your library card. It might even be on the shelf; if so, it will be at the following libraries:
Central Library - Conroe
South Regional Library - The Woodlands
Tullis Library - New Caney
Mitchell Library - West Woodlands
(sidenote: This book is also in both ConroeISD and MontgomeryISD student libraries.)
Check out a digital copy on Hoopla, a library app. The Pants Project is available in eBook form on this app. With Hoopla, unlimited patrons can check out a book at one time, but the library has a limited number of checkouts per day. If our library system has reached the limit, you will need to wait until midnight to check out the book. I usually just set a reminder to check it out in the morning, and checkout works as long as I don’t wait until too late in the day.
Check out the digital audiobook copy on Libby, another library app. Two eBook copies are available, and one audiobook copy is available. If all the copies are checked out, you can place a hold.
With all these options to obtain a copy to read, I strongly encourage everyone to read this book. Even if you don’t plan to turn in a reconsideration form, reading these books for yourself will help you understand what our kids may face culturally.
If you didn’t see our previous posts about Reconsideration Forms, here is a recap:
You can go to any public library in Montgomery County and ask for a reconsideration form from any help desk. Fill it out and turn it in to the librarian there. If you would prefer to fill it out at home, you can download and print the form here.
We are not asking for the books to be completely removed from the library because literature reminds us of where we’ve been and where we never want to go again. For instance, Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler is in our libraries. You can see all of our suggestions (moving the book to the adult section, labeling the book, etc.) on the reconsideration form example below.
Each book can only be reviewed by the reconsideration board once a year. Therefore, we are asking everyone to reconsider books as a group, we are making recommendations, and see what the response is before moving forward. Hopefully, if we win, the libraries will begin to make changes on other books on their own.
In the coming weeks look out for future reconsideration reviews. So far, three books promoting gender confusion have been moved out of the children’s department. For more information about this, see last week’s substack post:
(Since this post was written, God Made Boys and Girls was ordered for our libraries.)
The Reconsideration Form Example:
Author: Cat Clark Title: The Pants Project
Type of Material: Children’s Chapter Book (for ages 9+)
Specific objection(s) to Material including specific page(s) or instances:
Chapter 1: (pg. 6-7) The narrator (written in 1st person from the main character Liv’s (Olivia) point of view) discusses her displeasure with being forced to wear a uniform skirt in her new school. The issue wasn’t the skirt, it was being called a, “girl” because Olivia may look like a girl, but she’s really a boy on the inside. This is a confusing discussion for a young child who might be picking up this book.
Chapter 2: (pg. 9-10) Liv discusses her anger management problems. Her reason for struggling with anger is because people keep referring to her as a girl. “Most people would get angry if people insisted on calling them something they’re not.” The implication for the reader is, if you have anger issues, maybe it’s because you are a boy inside too.
Chapter 3: (pg. 17-18) Olivia’s discussion as the narrator about finding more transgender information on the internet, googling and specifically mentioning YouTube and “other sites and blogs” where you can find stories. She makes it a point for the reader to make sure you delete your internet search history so that your parents won’t find out. This discussion could easily lead young girls (or boys) to tumbler, where many detransitioners are reporting they were indoctrinated into the ideology. The community on this platform is described as a cult by detransitioners. Adults are seeking out lonely children on this platform, giving them attention and accolades when the children want to transition. More information about this can be found in the library book, Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier.
Chapter 23: (157-160) Olivia explains in detail the definition of transgender and comes out to her friend, Jacob, as transgender.
Chapter 24: (163) Body dysphoria, “Last week, Chelsea loudly told Jade that she’d seen a bulge in my underwear (I wish!).”
What was good about the material?
Liv makes a good friend named Jacob who suffers from hypermobility. He is secretive about this difference as many young people are about their differences in adolescence. Living with hypermobility has helped Jacob to become more empathetic to other’s struggles. However, the good in this book does not outweigh the danger.
Are you considering the material as a whole?
Yes, I have read the entire book. Unfortunately, this book contains information that is dangerous to minors.
Have you read any reviews on this material?
Yes, I have, and you can too…
THE PANTS PROJECT | Kirkus Reviews
You can read the School Library Journal’s glowing review on the card catalog under the “reviews” tab. Keep in mind that these are the journals that the librarians rely on to determine what books go into our libraries.
How did this material come to your attention?
Two Moms and Some Book’s Substack of course!
What would you like the library to do about this material?
1. Move it to the adult section (preferred) or young adult section at the very least. This material is not for kids and should not be picked up by kids. (Children as young as 7 are independently picking up books in this section!) Parents can pick it up from the adult section if they want it.
2. Move it to a high shelf out of reach of children with a “controversial material” label.
3. Move behind the librarian’s desk for request.
4. Label with a “controversial material” label so parents know what they are getting into.
Requester Represents: Individual: yes Organization: _____ Other: ______
Request initiated by (please print): Your name goes here.
Again, the rest is self-explanatory. If you don’t have a library card, get one the day you turn it in and write it on the form. You can turn the form into any library, and it covers every single copy of the book you are asking the committee to reconsider.
Providing Additional Information: It may be beneficial for you to provide additional evidence as to why encouraging minors to keep secrets and alienate from their parents could bring harm for a child. If you have a background in education or as a therapist, providing information about your educational background and how you have seen this kind of information harm a child could be helpful for the committee. Every unique viewpoint is beneficial as we each make our case.
Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart for helping us with this initiative. We have already made a lot of progress, but there is still so much more to be done.