Banned Books Week-Most challenged authors

2008:

Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Philip Pullman,

Lauren Myracle,

Jim Pipe,

Alvin Schwartz,

Chris Crutcher,

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor,

Rudolfo Anaya,

Stephen Chbosky,

Cecily Von Ziegesar

2007:

Robert Cormier,

Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson,

Mark Twain,

Toni Morrison,

Philip Pullman,

Kevin Henkes,

Lois Lowry,

Chris Crutcher,

Lauren Myracle,

Joann Sfar

2006:

Chris Crutcher,

Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell,

Toni Morrison,

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor,

Cecily von Ziegesar,

Carolyn Mackler,

Alvin Schwartz,

Stephen Chbosky,

Alex Sanchez,

Judy Blume

2005:

Judy Blume,

Robert Cormier,

Chris Crutcher,

Robie Harris,

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor,

Toni Morrison,

J. D. Salinger,

Lois Lowry,

Marilyn Reynolds

Sonya Sones.

2004:

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor,

Robert Cormier,

Judy Blume,

Toni Morrison,

Chris Lynch,

Barbara Park,

Gary Paulsen,

Dav Pilkey,

Maurice Sendak

Sonya Sones.

2003:

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor,

J. K. Rowling,

Robert Cormier,

Judy Blume,

Katherine Paterson,

John Steinbeck,

Walter Dean Myers,

Robie Harris,

Stephen King

Louise Rennison.

2002:

J.K. Rowling,

Judy Blume,

Robert Cormier,

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor,

Stephen King,

Lois Duncan,

S.E. Hinton,

Alvin Schwartz,

Maya Angelou,

Ronald Dahl,

Toni Morrison.

2001:

J. K. Rowling,

Robert Cormier,

John Steinbeck,

Judy Blume,

Maya Angelou,

Robie Harris,

Gary Paulsen,

Walter Dean Myers,

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor,

Bette Greene

Banned Books Week-Three most common reasons for a challenge

the material was considered to be "sexually explicit"

the material contained "offensive language"

the materials was "unsuited to any age group"

Information from the ALA

Banned Books Week-Challenged books from 2007-2008

Adler, C. S. The Shell Lady's Daughter.

Allan, Nicholas. Where Willy Went.

Alvarez, Julia. How the Garcia Girls Lost TheirAccents.

Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Anonymous. Go Ask Alice.

Atkins, Catherine. Alt Ed.

Barnes, Derrick. The Making of Dr. Truelove.

Baron, T. A. Child of the Dark Prophecy.

Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic.

Beiderwell, Bruce, and Jeffrey M. Wheeler, eds.The Literary Experience. Thomson/Wadsworth.

Bradford, Richard. Red Sky at Morning.

Burroughs, Augusten. Running with Scissors.

Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Colfer, Eoin. The Supernaturalist.

Comfort, Alex. The New Joy of Sex..

Conroy, Pat. Beach Music.

_______. The Prince of Tides.

Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War.

Crutcher, Chris. Whale Talk

de Haan, Linda, and Stern Nijland. King & King.

Dessen, Sarah. Just Listen.

Doig, Ivan. Dancing at the Rascal Fair.

Frank, E. R. America.

Nixon, Joan Lowery. Whispers from the Dead.

Norton, Jim. Happy Endings: The Tales of a Meaty-Breasted Zilch.

Oates, Joyce Carol. Sexy

Opie, Iona Archibald, and Peter Opie, eds. I Saw Esau: The Schoolchild’s Pocket Book.

Patterson, James. Cradle and All: A Novel

Picoult, Jodi. The Tenth Circle

Pullman, Philip. The Golden Compass

Richardson, Justin, and Peter Parnell. And Tango Makes Three.

Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

_______. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

_______. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

_______. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

_______. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Sanchez, Alex. Rainbow Boys.

Schniedewind, Nancy. Open Minds to Equality: A Sourcebook of Learning Activities to Affirm Diversity and Promote Equity.

Schreier, Alta. Vamos a Cuba (A Visit to Cuba).

Sebold, Alice. The Lovely Bones.

Silverstein, Charles, and Edmund White.

The Joy of Gay Sex.

Sittenfeld, Curtis. Prep: A Novel.

Freedom Writers. The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World around Them.

Giles, Gail. Shattering Glass.

Going, K. L. Fat Kid Rules the World.

Gordon, Sharon. Cuba.

Green, John. Looking for Alaska.

Grove, Vicki. The Starplace..

Guterson, David. Snow Falling on Cedars.

Harris, Robie H. It's Perfectly Normal: A Book

about Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health.;.

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner.

Howe, James. Totally Joe..

Kingsolver, Barbara. Animal Dreams.

Koertge, Ronald. The Brimstone Journals.

Korman, Gordon. Jake Reinvented.

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird.

Lowry, Lois. The Giver.

Mackler, Carolyn. Vegan Virgin Valentine.

Mathabane, Mark. Kaffir Boy.

McCarthy, Cormac. Child of God..

McNally, John, ed. When I Was a Loser: True Stories of (Barely) Surviving High School by Today's Top Writers.

Mercado, Nancy E., ed. Tripping over the Lunch

Lady and Other Short Stories.

Morrison, Toni. Beloved.

_______. The Bluest Eye..

Myers, Walter Dean. Fallen Angels.

Myracle, Lauren. TTYL.

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Alice on Her Way..

Newman, Felice. The Whole Lesbian

Sones, Sonya. What My Mother Doesn't Know.

Steer, Dugald. Wizardology: The Book of the Secrets of Merlin.

Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men.

Strasser, Todd. Give a Boy a Gun.

Stroud, Jonathan. The Golem's Eye.

_______. Ptolemy's Gate.

_______. The Amulet of Samarkand.

Taylor, Mildred D. The Land.

Thompson, Craig. Blankets.

Twain, Mark [Samuel L. Clemens].

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five.

Welch, James. Fools Crow.

West, Stanley Gordon. Finding Laura Buggs.

_______. Until They Bring the Streetcars Back.

Wittlinger, Ellen. Sandpiper

Wright, Richard. Black Boy

Information from the ALA

Banned Books Week-the map of censorship

Here's a map showing challenges to book.

As you see, it affects libraries across the nation.

Mechele

Banned Books Week-what is it and why should I care?

Each year I like to do posts on Banned Books week, which this year is today through the 2nd of October.

Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read freely by highlighting books that have been challenged in public and school libraries across the nation.

I'm a big believer in the freedom to read. I think that everyone might find a book in any library that they find objectionable. But what I find objectionable may not be what you find distressing, and what you find disturbing, I might like. We all have different tastes and no one person should be deciding what books are available at a library by challenging books they find objectionable.

What would be left in libraries if everyone pulled out things they found objectionable? Nothing. No books would be left.




Not to mention, if the objection is over kids reading a certain book, well for my kids, I should be the determiner, not someone else. And just because I don't want my kid reading a certain book, that doesn't mean I have to pull the book away from everyone else.

That's why it's important to be aware that book banning is still going on throughout the United States.

When I was in high school, a person pulled Salem's Lot by Stephen King out of the school library. I had already read that book and had done a book report on it for a class. But all of a sudden, it was deemed unsuitable for the high school library. I've never forgotten that incident. It taught me that the freedom of books is an important thing.

Mechele