Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

March 20, 2018 by Banned Library in YA Book

By Jay Asher

A problematic author with a story containing a very muddled message about suicide.

Banned

2012 - 3rd most challenged book, according to ALA; Challenged for drugs, alcohol, smoking, being sexually explicit, suicide, and being unsuited for age group

2017

Alberta, Canada - St. Vincent Elementary School in Edmonton banned all mention of the series on campus

Colorado - At Mesa County School District, the curriculum director ordered librarians to stop circulating the book. Librarians and counselors deliberated for three hours and determined the book was not as graphic as the TV series. Parents in the school distrcit recieved notices alerting them to the possible influence of the series.

Illinois - Challenged and under review in the sophomore-level Academic English II classes at Lemont Hishg School District 210 because a parent considered it "pornographic."

Sources

ALA. "Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009." Retrieved on 17 Aug 01 from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/top-100-bannedchallenged-books-2000-2009

Ahsan, Sadaf. "Netflix adds trigger warnings to 13 Reasons Why after Canadian school board bans series for 'glamorizing' suicide." National Post. May 2, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2017 from http://nationalpost.com/entertainment/television/netflix-adds-trigger-warnings-to-13-reasons-why-after-canadian-school-board-bans-series-for-glamorizing-suicide

Asher, Jay. Thirteen Reasons Why. Razorbill. New York, 2007.

Collins, Cathy. "Thirteen Reasons Why Controversy." Intellectual Freedom Blog. The Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association. June 7, 2017. Retrieved on March 9, 2018 from http://www.oif.ala.org/oif/?p=9793

Highfill, Samantha. "13 Reasons Why: Netflix says Jay Asher 'was not involved' in season 2." EW.com. Retrieved on March 9, 2018 from http://ew.com/tv/2018/02/13/13-reasons-why-season-2-jay-asher/

Titus, Ron. "Thirteen Reasons Why." Marshall University Libraries. June 28, 2017. Retrieved on March 9, 2018 from http://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/books/thirteenreasonswhy.asp

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"Dances and Dames." Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

March 13, 2018 by Banned Library in YA Book

Speak

By Laurie Halse Anderson

High school is crazy, right? Like that one time you called the cops because of a super tramatic event but all your friends thought you were being a killjoy. Memories.

Banned

#60 on ALA's Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009

2010 - Missouri - Parents of Republic School District were cautioned by assistant professor of management at Missouri State University that the book was "soft-pornography" and "glorifies drinking, cursing, and premarital sex," as well as teaching principles contrary to the Bible.

Sources

ALA. "Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009." Retrieved on Feburary 24, 2018 from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/top-100-bannedchallenged-books-2000-2009

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. Farrar Straus Giroux, 1999.

Doll, Jen. "The Voice of 'Speak' Is Loud as Ever." The Atlantic, 2012. Retrieved Feburary 24, 2018 from https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/10/voice-speak-loud-ever/322345/

Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. ALA. 2014.

Jensen, Kelly. "15 YEARS OF SPEAK: AN INTERVIEW WITH LAURIE HALSE ANDERSON." Book Riot, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2018 from https://bookriot.com/2014/04/08/15-years-speak-interview-laurie-halse-anderson/

Staino, Rocco. "Anderson’s Speak Under Attack, Again." School Library Journal, 2010. Retrieved on February 24, 2018 from https://www.slj.com/2010/10/industry-news/andersons-speak-under-attack-again/

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"Dances and Dames." Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

January 30, 2018 by Banned Library in Chapter Book, YA Book

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia)

By C. S. Lewis

Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy kinda saunter into the magical world of Narnia and tear stuff up. It's good to be the Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve.

Banned

1990 - Maryland - Challenged in Howard County schools for "graphic violence, mysticism, and gore."

Sources

ALA. "Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009." Retrieved on 17 Aug 01 from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/top-100-bannedchallenged-books-2000-2009

Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. ALA. 2014.

Lanzendorfer, Joy. "16 Facts About The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Mental Floss, 2014. Retrieved on January 10, 2018 from http://mentalfloss.com/article/58698/16-facts-about-lion-witch-and-wardrobe

Lewis, C. S. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. HarperEntertainment. New York, 1994.

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"Dances and Dames." Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

January 16, 2018 by Banned Library in YA Book, Chapter Book

The Great Gilly Hopkins

By Katherine Paterson

A brat becomes an average kid with a strange family with this week's book.

Banned

#52 on Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009

1983 - Kansas - Challenged at Lowell Elementary School in Salina for the language "God," "damn," and "hell"

1985 - Minnesota - Challenged at Orchard Lake Elementary School in Burnsville because "the book took the Lord's name in vain" and had "over forty instances of profanity

1988 - Colorado - Challenged at the Jefferson County schools because "Gilly's friends lie and steal, and there are no repercussions. Christians are portrayed as being dumb and stupid."

1991 - Connecticut - Pulled but later restored at four Cheshire elementary school for being "filled with profanity, blasphemy and obscenities, and gutter language."

1992 - Texas - Challenged at Alamo Heights School District for language such as "hell" and "damn"

1993 - Kansas - Challenged at the Walnut Elementary School in Emporia by parents for graphic violence and language

1997 - Nevada - Challenged yet retained for explicit language in the Lander County School District

Sources

ALA. "Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009." Retrieved January 9, 2018 from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/top-100-bannedchallenged-books-2000-2009

Doyle, Robert P. "Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read." American Library Association, 2014.

"Katherine's Biography." Katherine Paterson's Website. AuthorsOnTheWeb; 2016. Retrieved on December 23, 2017 from http://katherinepaterson.com/biography/

Paterson, Katherine. "The Great Gilly Hopkins." Avon Books, 1978.

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson

January 02, 2018 by Banned Library in YA Book

Jacob Have I Loved

By Katherine Paterson

Banned for language and moral/religious reasons, we get into the story of a little girl with family problems and the old man she thinks is taking her friend.

Banned

1989 - New Jersey - Challenged at Bernardsville schools for being offensive to several parents on moral and religious grounds.

1993 - Pennsylvania - Challenged in the Gettysburg public schools for offensive language

Sources

Doyle, Robert P. "Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read." American Library Association, 2014.

"Katherine's Biography." Katherine Paterson's Website. AuthorsOnTheWeb; 2016. Retrieved on December 23, 2017 from http://katherinepaterson.com/biography/

Paterson, Katherine. Jacob Have I Loved. HarperTrophy, 1980.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

December 12, 2017 by Banned Library in YA Book

From the deep Depression-era south is a story of hope and hatred and one family's story.

Banned

1993 - Louisiana - Arcadia High School removed from ninth-grade reading list for racial bias.

1998 - California - Challenged at O'Hara Park Middle School in Oakley for "racial epithets."

2000 - Alabama - Challenged at Chapman Elementary School libraries in Huntsville for "racial slurs in dialogue to make points about racism."

2004 - Florida - Challenged but retained at Seminole County school curriculum after an African American family raised concerns about the book, finding it inappropriate for their thirteen-year-old son.

Sources

Crowe, Chris. "Mildred D.Taylor." The Mississippi writer's Page. University of Mississippi, 2015. Retrieved 8 Dec 2017 from http://mwp.olemiss.edu//dir/taylor_mildred/

Doyle, Robert P. "Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry." Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. ALA, 2014.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

By Mildred D. Taylor

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause

October 08, 2017 by Banned Library in YA Book

Sex and violence abound as we meet Vivian, a young werewolf trying to make her way in the world and get some hot man meat. Possibly by eating him.

Banned

2001 - Texas - Temporarily pulled from LaPorte Independent School District library shelves for review and possibly amend its selection policies

#57 Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009

South Carolina

teacher called it 'low-level filth that corrupts'

Greenville schools removed the book but eventually returned it to the shelves

Texas

woman called author at her work to say she was asking for the book to be removed from her daughter's high school library because, in author's words, "I had allowed a teenaged girl to accept and even revel in her own sexuality."

"Cullen Middle School... stated that the book contained profanity, sexual content or nudity, and violence or horror."

Contains (according to Common Sense Media) violence, sex, language, consumerism, drinking, drugs, and smoking

Sources

ALA. "Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009." Retrieved on 17 Aug 01 from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/top-100-bannedchallenged-books-2000-2009

Ehrlich, Brenna. "WHAT DID THIS YA AUTHOR DO TO GET BANNED FROM SCHOOL LIBRARIES?" MTV News, 2014. Retrieved 2017 September 29 from http://www.mtv.com/news/1944296/banned-books-week-annette-curtis-klause/

Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. ALA. 2014.

Klause, Annette Curtis. Blood and Chocolate. Delacorte Press, 1997.

Wheadon, Carrie R. "Blood and Chocolate book review." Common Sense Media. Retrieved 2017 September 29 from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/blood-and-chocolate#

YALSA 1998 Best Books. Retrieved Sept 29, 2017 from https://web.archive.org/web/20061204100859/http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/1998bestbooks.htm

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"Dances and Dames." Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Blood and Chocolate

By Annette Curtis Klause

Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene

August 06, 2017 by Banned Library in YA Book

Summer of My German Soldier (Young Puffin)

By Bette Greene

We begin with the book that taught us that Germans are people, too! Young Patty learns about the world in her small town.

If you or anyone you know is a victim of domestic abuse, please do not be afraid to reach out. You are not alone and please know that someone loves you and wants you to be okay. Reach out at https://www.childhelp.org/hotline/ or call The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) or at your local school, shelter, or safe place.

Banned

1990 - Connecticut - Challeged in curriculum at Burlington and Hawinton schools for profanity and "subject matter that set bad examples and gives students negative views of life."

1996 - New Jersey - Temporarily removed from 8th grade supplemental reading list in Cinnaminson for "offiensive racial stereotypes."

2002 - Challenged for racism, offensive language, and being sexually explicit.

#55 Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009

Sources

ALA. "Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009." Retrieved on 17 Aug 01 from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/top-100-bannedchallenged-books-2000-2009

Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. ALA. 2014.

Greene, Bette. Summer of My German Soldier. Bantam Starfire. 1983.

Marshall University Libraries. "SUMMER OF MY GERMAN SOLDIER." Retrieved on 17 Aug 01 from http://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/books/summergerman.asp

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

June 03, 2017 by Banned Library in YA Book

Two Boys Kissing

By David Levithan

Two boys try to set a world record for kissing after their friend is beaten in this YA novel. One lady tried to get it thrown out of libraries for sexual content.

National Book Award longlist

Stonewall Honor Book

Inspired by true events

Banned

Cover image of two boys kissing - author states that the cover shows what happens in the book and does not lie. When asked if this would discourage LGBT teens from openly reading or checking out the book from libraries, the author conceded this was possible but says that having the book in the library, representing the community, and normalizing the subject is more important.

#5 on the ALA's Top 10 Banned and Challenged of 2016

2014 - Virginia - A parent filed a complaint with Fauqier County Schools to remove the book after reviewing 46 sample pages on Amazon.com and disagreeing with the sexual content (claiming not the homosexual content). The school refused to remove the material from the libraries. On appeal to the school board committee, a unanimous vote allowed the book to stay in the school libraries.

2016 - "condones public displays of affection"

2019 - Iowa - Religious activist Robert Dorr checked out the book and two other from Orange City Public Library and posted a video of himself burning the books. Dorr was convicted of criminal mischief and forced to pay a fine.