Blubber by Judy Blume

in
Blubber
By Judy Blume

Bullies abound in Judy Blume's Blubber and on our top ten list of the best bullies in literature.

 

Banned

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

1980 - Maryland - Removed from Montgomery County elementary schools

1981 - Arizona - Banned temporarily from Sunizona

1983

Iowa - Challenged in Des Moines schools for "objectionable" subject matter

Ohio - Challenged at Xenia school libraries for undermining "authority since the word 'bitch' is used in connection with a teacher

Texas - Challenged at Smith Elementary School in Del Valle for the words "damn" and "bitch" and showed children cruelly teasing a classmate

1984

Illinois - Banned but later restricted to parental permission at Peoria School District libraries for sexual content. language, and lack of social and literary value

New Jersey - Restricted at Lindenwold elementary school libraries for language

Pennsylvania - Removed from Hanover School District elementary and secondary libraries but later placed on "restricted shelf" at middle school libraries for being "indecent and inappropriate"

Wyoming - Challenged at the Casper school libraries

1985 - Montana - Challenged as profane, immoral and offensive but retained at Bozeman school libraries

1986 - Wisconsin - Challenged at Muskego Elementary school for language and "taunting (of an overweight girl) is never punished for her cruelty"

1991 - Ohio - Challenged at the Perry Township elementry school libraries because "bad is never punished. Good never comes to the fore. Evil is triumphant"

1998 - Alabama - Banned in Clements High School in Athens for language, but was later reversed

1999 - Texas - Removed from an elementary school in Arlington because educators objected to "verbal, physical, and sexual abuse of student upon student"

Sources

Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. "Blume, Judy - Blubber." 2014

Ala Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009

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

Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

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Meet Margaret. She's a godless child about to embark on the mystery of puberty and boys and other sinful stuff that's really boring in retrospect.

OR

Margaret only wants three things: drugs, sex, and rock and roll. Kidding. She wants religion, boobs, and her period. What a long, strange trip.

Banned 

1980 - Arizona - removed from Gilbert elementary and jr high required parental consent

1982

Alabama - Challenged in the Tuscaloosa School System

Wisconsin - Challenged in Fon du Lac school systems because the book is "sexually offensive and amoral"

1983

Minnesota - Restricted in Zimmerman to students with parental permission. After the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union sued the Elk River, Minnesota school board (1983), the Board reversed its decision.

Ohio - Challenged at the Xenia school libraries; "is built around just two themes: sex and anti-Christian behavior"

1985 - Montana - Challenged as profane, immoral, and offensive but retained in Bozeman school libraries

Sources

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

"Dances and Dames"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume

in
Tiger Eyes
By Judy Blume

When Davey's father dies, she and her family move to New Mexico to deal with all their feelings. And so many feelings happen.

Davey's father dies in a violent shooting at their convenience store, so her, her mother and her brother move down to live with their aunt and uncle in New Mexico. When their mother checks out with grief, the aunt and uncle become very protective. Davey responds to this by making friends with Wolf, a hot dude she met hiking, and Jane, a teen with a drinking problem. After a year, Davey deals with her feelings about, well, everything, and they all go home changed.

The book was banned for teenage depression, mild sex attitudes, religious debates, and underage drinking. It has held a place on the ALA banned books list since the list was made, falling around the 80s out of 100. While there are few accounts reported online after a quick search, the placement on the list shows it is relevant and used forty years after publication.

The book is standard teen fare set up by Blume way back when, copied by many to the point of rather blandness. The overbearing parents and teen angst seem tired but are well executed. Well written and short, the book is good for a quick afternoon and won't frighten away most teengers if you tell them it is all about sex, violence, and drinking.

Banned

1984

Indiana - Challenged at Daleville Elementary due to sexual content

Pennsylvania - Removed from Hanover School District's elementary and secondary libraries, later placed on "restricted shelf," for being "indecent and inappropriate"

Wyoming - Challenged at Casper school libraries

1999 - Louisiana - Removed from the Many Junior High library shelves for sexual content, drinking at school, and language

Sources

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

"Dances and Dames"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Forever... by Judy Blume

in

Young love finds itself in a boring story banned so many times it should have its own shelf in the library.

Banned

1982

Orlando, Florida

Park Hill Jr. High School, Missouri for promoting "the stranglehold of humanism on life in America"

Scranton, PA - challenged for language, "masturbation, birth control, and disobedience to parents"

1983

Akron, Ohio - challenged in school libraries

Howard-Suamico High School, Wisconsin - "it demoralizes marital sex."

1984

Cedar Rapids, Iowa - "pornography and explores areas God didn't intend to explore outside of marriage"

Holdrege, Nebraska - challenged and moved to the adult section at the public library for being "pornographic and does not promote the sanctity of life, family life."

1986

Patrick County, Virginia - placed on restricted shelf

Campbell County, Wyoming - challenged in school libraries as pornography and that it would encourage children "to experiment with sexual encounters."

1987

Moreno Valley, California - challenged at school libraries for profanity, sex, and thems that encourage disrespectful behavior

Eliot, Minnesota - challenged at a classroom library for not casting "a responsible role of parents," that the teens of today are not as sex-minded as the characters, and being pornography, creating a bad role model.

1988 - West Hernando Middle School, Florida - school principal recommended it be removed from school library as inappropriate

1992 - Herrin Junior High School, Illinois - placed on reserve to be checked out with parental permission for being "sexually provocative reading."

1993

Schaumburg, Illinois - removed from Frost Junior High School library because "it's basically a sexual 'how-to-do' book for junior high students. It glamorizes [sex] and puts ideas in their heads."

Rib Lake, Wisconsin - Superintendent found the book "sexually explicit" and filed a "request for reconsideration." The book was confiscated by the principal after being placed on the "parental permission shelf." A guidance councilor spoke out against the principal's actions, his contract was not renewed in retaliation, and a federal jury awarded him $394,560.

1994 - Mediapolis School District, Wisconsin - Removed from school libraries for not promoting abstinence or monogamy, and "lacks any aesthetic, literary, or social value." Returned a month later accessible to high school students.

1995

Gainesville, Florida - removed after a science teacher objected to the sexual content and reference to marijuana

Muncie, Indiana - moved to restricted section of high school library requiring written parental permission.

1996 - Wilton School District, Iowa - challenged for sexual content

1997 - Elgin School District U46, Illinois - banned from middle school libraries for sex. Decision upheld in 1999 and returned to shelves in 2002.

2006 - Fayetteville, Arkansas - Challenged in the Fayetteville Middle and Junior High School libraries along with more than 50 other titles as being too sexually explicit and promoting homosexuality.

Sources

Doyle, Robert P. Banned Book: Challenging Our Freedom to Read.

"Dances and Dames"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/