West Bend curriculum committee reviews two third‑books for eighth‑grade book club; no formal adoption recorded

The West Bend School District School Board Curriculum Committee reviewed two third‑books for inclusion on the eighth‑grade quarter‑3 book club list during its Dec. 10, 2024, meeting: The Death Cure, the third book in James Dashner’s Maze Runner series, and Mockingjay, the third book in Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games series. The Curriculum and Instruction (CNI) department told the committee it had re‑vetted dystopian titles using an updated definition and threshold for graphic violence.

Quinn Trueblood, director of curriculum instruction, framed the discussion by describing dystopian literature as a genre that “stretches the imagination” and that introduces abstract concepts — such as power, control and oppression — in ways students cannot directly experience. Trueblood said the CNI department reviewed the dystopian selections through the updated graphic‑violence thresholds and that the review produced two general outcomes: some previously approved titles continued to pass the revised filters and some did not. Trueblood also noted an FAQ document was provided to explain the value of dystopian literature for young readers.

Committee members responded positively to the two titles and to the review process. Melanie Ehrgot, school board member, said she appreciated the transparency of the process: “I love the whole process that we have here. How everything’s very transparent.” June Krueger, school board member, and Kelly Lehi, school board member, said they had no problem approving the books, with Lehi noting that series encourage continued reading and character development.

Trueblood described the two titles presented as third installments in their respective series and said the presentation included a brief note about where violence appears in The Death Cure and how the language portrays those plot points. Trueblood cautioned that graphicness and violence are distinct categories and that a title may be more graphic than violent or vice versa; the CNI review applied the updated thresholds when making recommendations.

The transcript records discussion and expressions of support but does not record a formal motion to adopt either title for the quarter‑3 book club list. The meeting concluded shortly after the discussion when a motion to adjourn was made and seconded.

The committee session began at 4:30 p.m. and focused on the single agenda item listed for the meeting: the quarter‑3 book club list for eighth grade.