Thursday, July 23, 2009

Kindle and the Vanishing Children's Books

So you decided you wanted to read George Orwell's ANIMAL FARM and 1984 on your new Kindle. The titles were available for only ninety-nine cents a piece, so you placed your order, waited a few moments, and the books were transmitted to your reading device via a wireless network.

The next morning you woke up and the books were gone!

This event actually happened last week.

It turns out that the company which offered certain editions of the Orwell titles did not own the legal rights to these works. When Amazon got word of this, they refunded the cost of the books and then -- zap! -- deleted them from the Kindles of everyone who had purchased them.

Many customers were shocked to learn that Amazon had the ability -- much less the right -- to remove already-purchased items from their Kindles.

Here at Collecting Children's Books, we decided to launch an investigation to see if any children's books have vanished off Kindle screens. And, if so, where they have gone....

One Kindle user reported that FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER by E.L. Konigsburg had disappeared from her Kindle. It was later found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Meanwhile, a prominent Dr. Seuss title has gone missing, though someone recently reported that they think that they saw it on Mulberry Street.

Another reader complained that several Elizabeth Enright books disappear from his Kindle for hours at a time, before turning up again late in the day. Strangely, this only happens on Saturdays and only one Enright book is gone at a time.

Robert Cormier's FADE has disappeared from several Kindles, though some experts claim the book is really still there...you just can't see it.

Some readers claim that JOEY PIGZA LOSES CONTROL and JOEY PIGZA SWALLOWED THE KEY by Jack Gantos have suddenly vanished from their Kindle screens, but before you can report the problem to Amazon, the books get back to you.

Several books by Robert Sabuda have disappeared off Kindle and are now popping-up in the most unlikely places.

Some Kindle users are reporting that Roald Dahl's BFG has gone AWOL.

The Kindle version of Eric Knight's famous dog story is missing and no one knows where it's gone or how to get it back. Lassie, Come Home!!!

Rumor has it that Amazon tried to delete Natalie Babbitt's TUCK EVERLASTING from customers' Kindles but was unable to do so. The book seems to be permanently lodged in your electronic reading device and isn't going anywhere!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

ha-ha --another great one- thanks Peter!!

Bybee said...

Laugh. Out. Loud.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the lovely post.

I have one year old daughter who is very bright for her age and she insists that I read to her every night. At this rate I have run out of books to read to her. Can you tell me a good place to buy story books for children?

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Rebecca R.H. Spriggs said...

Cute play on words :).

You really can get children's books for Kindle at www.chocolatethebear.com

I'd love to have feedback from parents. Let me know what you think!
Becca (the author)

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