“I never knew a girl who was ruined by a book.” — Nadine Gordimer |
10 Most Challenged Books of 2007
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1. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell At New York City's Central Park Zoo, two male penguins fall in love and start a family by taking turns sitting on an abandoned egg until it hatches. Reasons: Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group. |
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2. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier A high school freshman discovers the devastating consequences of refusing to join in the school's annual fund raising drive and arousing the wrath of the school bullies. Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Violence. |
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3. Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes On a summer visit to her grandmother's cottage by the ocean, twelve-year-old Martha gains perspective on the death of a classmate, on her relationship with her grandmother, on her feelings for an older boy, and on her plans to be a writer. Reasons: Sexually Explicit and Offensive Language. |
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4. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman Accompanied by her daemon, Lyra Belacqua sets out to prevent her best friend and other kidnapped children from becoming the subject of gruesome experiments in the Far North. Reasons: Religious Viewpoint. |
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5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain The adventures of a boy growing up in half-settled Missouri in the 1840's, who with a runaway slave floated down the Mississippi on a raft. Reasons: Racism. |
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6. The Color Purple by Alice Walker Set in the period between the world wars, this novel tells of two sisters, their trials, and their survival. Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language. |
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7. TTYL by Lauren Myracle This funny, smart novel follows the friendship of three tenth-grade girls as they experience some of the typical pitfalls of adolescence: boys, queen-bee types, a flirty teacher, beer, crazy parents, and more. Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group. |
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8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou This memoir traces Maya Angelou's childhood in a small, rural community during the 1930s. Filled with images and recollections that point to the dignity and courage of black men and women, Angelou paints a sometimes disquieting, but always affecting picture of the people–and the times–that touched her life. Reasons: Sexually Explicit. |
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9. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris When children ask questions about sex, where do they go for answers? Presenting accurate, clear answers to children's questions about sexuality, It's Perfectly Normal is an ideal guidebook for kids and for parents to share with kids. Topics include puberty, birth control, AIDS and more. Reasons: Sex Education, Sexually Explicit. |
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10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie is navigating through the strange worlds of love, drugs, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and dealing with the loss of a good friend and his favorite aunt. Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group. |
Source: American Library Association
Updated: October 07, 2008