Be a Rebel - Read a Challenged Book!

This week's Teen Advisory Board group had a very productive discussion about Banned Books Week (September 26 to October 3, 2009). Every year, the American Library Association compiles a top-ten list of the 10 most challenged books of the previous year. Books face challenges every day by individuals or groups who feel the contents are objectionable in some way. These individuals often request that the materials be removed from library collections, making them unavailable to everyone. Most of the books featured during Banned Books Week were not successfully banned from library shelves due to the efforts of librarians and library boards to maintain them in their collections.

Here is the list of the Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2007 - 2008:

1. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell - Reasons: anti-ethnic, anti-family, homosexuality, religious viewpoint, and unsuited to age group
2. His Dark Materials trilogy, by Philip Pullman - Reasons: political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, and violence
3. TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series), by Lauren Myracle - Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
4. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz - Reasons: occult/satanism, religious viewpoint, and violence
5. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya - Reasons: occult/satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, and violence
6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky - Reasons: drugs, homosexuality, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, suicide, and unsuited to age group
7. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar - Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
8. Uncle Bobby's Wedding, by Sarah S. Brannen - Reasons: homosexuality and unsuited to age group
9. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini - Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
10. Flashcards of My Life, by Charise Mericle Harper - Reasons: sexually explicit and unsuited to age group
    

During Banned Books Week, stop by the public library, and celebrate your freedom to read by picking out a challenged book.