Banned Books: @ your library

A thirteen-year-old Dutch-Jewish girl records her impressions of the two years she and seven others spent hiding from the Nazis before they were discovered and taken to concentration camps. Includes entries previously omitted.

Challenged at the Culpeper County, Va. public school (2010) by a parent requesting that her daughter not be required to read the book aloud. Initially, it was reported that offi cials have decided to stop assigning a version of Anne Frank’s diary, one of the most enduring symbols of the atrocities of the Nazi regime, due to the complaint that the book includes sexual material and homosexual
themes. The director of instruction announced the edition, published on the fi ftieth anniversary of Frank’s death in a concentration camp, will not be used in the future despite the fact the school system did not follow its own policy for handling complaints. The remarks set off a hailstorm of
criticism online and brought international attention to the 7,600-student school system in rural Virginia. The superintendent said, however, that the book will remain a part of the English classes, although it may be taught at a different grade level. (From ALA's Books Challenged or Banned in 2009-2010)

Despite his overwhelming fear of interacting with people, Christopher, a mathematically-gifted, autistic fifteen-year-old boy, decides to investigate the murder of a neighbor's dog and uncovers secret information about his mother.

Removed from the Lake Fenton, Mich. summer reading program (2010) after parents complained about its “foul language.” The book is about an autistic child who investigates the death of a neighborhood dog. It was a joint winner of the 2004 Boeke Prize and won the 2003 Whitbread Book of the Year award. (From ALA's Books Challenged or Banned in 2010-2011)

In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, 16-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place.

Challenged and presented to the Goffstown, N.H.
school board (2010) by a parent claiming that it
gave her eleven-year-old nightmares and could
numb other students to the effects of violence. (From ALA's Books Challenged or Banned in 2010-2011)

Alex Rider crash lands off the coast of Australia where he is recruited by the Australian Secret Service to infiltrate one of the ruthless gangs operating across South East Asia, and in the midst of his dangerous mission, Alex discovers information about his parents' murder.

Challenged at the Westside Elementary School library in Brooksville, Fla. (2011) because “drug and weapons smuggling and gang violence is too much for any child to have access to at that age.” (From ALA's Books Banned or Challenged in 2010-2011)

Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.

Challenged as a suggested reading for eighth-grade students in Blue Springs, Mo. (2003). Parents called the book “lewd” and “twisted” and pleaded for it to be tossed out of the district. The book was reviewed by two committees and recommended for retention, but the controversy continues in 2005. (From ALA's Books Challenged and Banned 2004-2005)

A collection of stories about Big Johnson Bone and his adventures in the valley as he tries to save forest-dwelling animals from the threat of rat creatures.

Retained in the Rosemount, Minn. elementary school libraries (2010) despite a parent’s concern that the series includes smoking, drinking, and gambling in its graphics and storyline. The series is rated suitable for fourth grade and up, has won several awards, and received positive reviews from national publications, including Time, which
touted the series as the “best all-ages graphic novel ever published.” (From ALA's Books Challenged or Banned 2010-2011)