James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

in

Once upon a time, a little boy went on a magical adventure. Except I'm betting it was all in his head because this is some crazy crap featuring bugs, giant produce, and murder in the clouds.

Banned

#50 ALA list, 1990–1999

1991

Florida - Challenged at Deep Creek Elementary in Charlotte Harbor for "not appropriate reading material for young children."

Wisconsin - Challenged at Pederson Elemntary School in Altoona for use of the word "ass" and the parts with wine, tobacco, and snuff.

1992 - Florida

Challenged at the Morton Elementary School library in Brooksville because it promotes drugs and whiskey and has a foul word

Hernando County, Florida - a woman in Hernando County, Florida, took issue with Grasshopper's statement, "I'd rather be fried alive and eaten by a Mexican!", as well as references to snuff, tobacco and whiskey. Her complaints to her 10-year-old daughter's school principal led to review by the regional school board.

1995 - Virginia - Challenged at Stafford County Schools for crude language and encourages children to disobey authority. The book was removed from classrooms and placed in the library where it is restricted

1999 - Texas - Banned from an elementary school in Lufkin for containing the word "ass."

Indian River County, FL - mystical element

Wisconsin - spider licking her lips could be sexual

Toledo, Ohio - book store owner claimed it was advocating communism

Sources

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

100 most frequently challenged books: 1990–1999

Favorite Banned Books

Book Slut

Smart Bitches Trashy Books

DeleteCensorship.org

"Dances and Dames"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

in
Bridge to Terabithia
By Katherine Paterson

A young boy makes a new friend and is drawn deeper into an evil world of Satanism and the occult, learning sometimes sacrifices must be made.

Banned

1986 - Nebraska - Challenged in Lincoln schools as 6th grade recommended reading because of inclusion of “profanity,” including the phrases “Oh Lord” and “Lord” as expletive.

1990 - Burlington, Connecticut: Challenged as suitable curriculum material because it contains “language and subject matter that set bad examples and give students negative views of life.”

1992

Apple Valley, California: Challenged in Unified School District because of “vulgar language.”

Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Challenged in school district because of “profanity and references to witchcraft.”

Cleburne, Texas: Challenged because of “profane language.” School board voted to retain book in libraries, but not to include it as required reading.

1993

Oskaloosa, Kansas: Challenge led to new policy requiring teachers to examine all required material for profanities, list each profanity and note number of times it is used in book, and forward list to parents, who must then give written permission for children to read material.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: Challenged because of “offensive language.”

1995 - Medway, Maine: Challenged because book uses “swear words.”

1996 - Pulaski Township, Pennsylvania: Removed from 5th grade classrooms of New Brighton Area School District due to “profanity, disrespect for adults, and an elaborate fantasy world” that “might lead to confusion.”

2002 - Cromwell, Connecticut: Challenged in Cromwell middle schools (along with another Newbery Award-winning book, The Witch of Blackbird Pond and the Harry Potter books in general) because they are “satanic [and] a danger to our children.” Argues that the “witchcraft” supposedly displayed in the books equates with the religion of Wicca, and because Wicca is an organized religion, it violates the First Amendment concept against the establishment of religion by the government.

Sources:

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

University of Minnesota, Dr. Roggenkamp;

ALA Newbery Winners;

ALA Banned Books 1990-1999;

Banned Books Awareness “Bridge to Terabithia”;

American Bookseller’s Association “Connecticut Residents Seek to Ban Two Newbery Medal Winners from School”

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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/

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/