Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

in
The Lovely Bones
By Alice Sebold

A little girl dies, her family falls apart, and the death of a great comedian.

Banned

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

2007 - Connecticut - Challenged at the Coleytown Middle School library in Westport. Superintendent noted the book was for mature readers but said that some middle school students may be mature enough

2008 - Massachusetts - moved to the faculty section of John W. McDevitt Middle School library because the content was too frightening for students

2016 - Illinois - Parents and residents wished it be removed from Lemont High School due to sexual content. 

"Dances and Dames"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

in
Howl's Moving Castle
By Diana Wynne Jones

A fairy tale where things all work out in the end unless you count the weird ass body mutilation, witchcraft, and random murder by a demon.

"Dances and Dames"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz and Stephen Gammell

in ,

Turn the lights down low, light a campfire, and get ready to hear about Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.

Banned

1990 - Michigan - Challenged at Livonia schools because the poems frightened children

1992

Arizona - Challenged at Neely Elementary School in Gilbert for the occult, devil, and satanism

Connecticut - Challenged at West Hartford elementary and middle school libraries for violence and subject matter

Indiana - challenged in Union County

Washington - Challenged at Lake Washington School District in Kirkland as unacceptably violent for children

1993

Arizona - Complaints about violence and cannibalism lead to restricted access at the Marana Unified School District

Kentucky - Challenged by a parent at Happy Valley Elementary School in Glasgow for being too scary

1994 - Washington - Removed from Vancouver School District elementary school libraries after previous challenges - Evergreen School District libraries also challenged as being "far beyond other scary books"

2001 - Banned for violence, being unsuited to age group, and occult themes

2007 - Banned for insensitivity, violence, being unsuited to age group, and occult/Satanism.

2009 - Banned or challenged for occult/Satanism, religious viewpoint and violence.

2013 - Banned or challenged for being unsuited for age group and violence.

Sources

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

Marshall University

"Dances and Dames"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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

It's Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley

in ,

Learn about your body and sexy times in this week's episode.

Banned

1996

Pennsylvania - Challenged at Chester County Library because the book it prompted kids to begin desiring sex and "a clear example of child pornography"

Utah - Challenged at Provo Library for discussions of sex, masturbation, and homosexuality

Washington - Removed from Clover Park School District because parents claimed it was too graphic and "could foster more questions than it answers"

1997

Missouri - Challenged but retained at Mexico-Audrain County Library by a Baptist minister who complained about the title and it's discussion of sex, death, and birth.

North Dakota - Challenged but retained at the Fargo Public Library as "explicit, pornographic, and too easily accessible to children"

1999 - California - Challenged but retained at the Auburn-Placer County Public Library for being sexually explicit

2000 - Massachusettes - Challenged at Holland Public Library due to sexually explicit content and moved from children's to adults section

2001

Alaska - Restricted to elementary school kids with parental permission in Anchorage due to values and because "marriage is mentioned once in the whole book, while homosexual relationships are allocated an entire section"

Florida - Challenged at Marion County Public Library for being pornographic

2002 - Texas - Challenged, but retained, in Montgomery County library system after the Republican Leadership Council characterized the book as "vulgar" and trying to "minimize or even negate that homosexuality is a problem".

2003 - Texas - Moved from the young adult to the adult section of the Fort Bend County Libraries in Richmond. Also moved to the restricted section of the Fort Bend School Districts media centers after a resident complained via email about the book's content.

2005 - Arkansas - Challenged, but retained at the Holt Middle School library in Fayetteville despite a parent's complaint that it was sexually explicit.

2008 - Maine - A Lewiston patron refused to return the book to the Lewiston and Auburn public libraries because she was "sufficiently horrified by the illustrations and sexually graphic, amoral, abnormal contents." A police investigation found the library did not violate the town ordinance against obscenity and the patron will stand trial for theft.

2011 - Florida - Challenged, but retained at the Lee County libraries despite the book's explicit illustrations.

2015 - Missouri - Challenged as an e-book at the Francis Howell middle school libraries in St. Charles because of cartoon nudity.

2016 - Oregon - Rainer parents complained after books used by 6th grade class were left out in view of 4th graders. ""Inappropriate human development and sexuality books were disseminated to students who had library. Procedures have been put into place to make sure this doesn't happen again. All questionable books have been pulled from library shelves." - school's principal

"Dances and Dames"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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

King & King by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland

in
King and King
By Linda de Haan, Stern Nijland

Can a prince find love in a hellish wasteland where Texas has a monarchy?

Banned

2004

Indiana - Moved from children's to adults section in Shelvyville-Shelby County library because a parent considered the homosexual story inappropriate

North Carolina - Restricted to adults in a school's library in Wilmington because the children's book is about a prince who's true love turns out to be another prince.

2005 - Oklahoma -  Challenged by seventy state legislators calling for the book to be removed from the children's section and placed in the adult section of the Metropolitan Library System in Oklahoma City.

2006- Massachusetts - Parents of a Lexington second-grader protested that their son's teacher read the fairy tale about gay marriage to the class without warning the parents first. The book was used as part of a lesson about different types of weddings. Lead to a long fight in U.S. District Court and Court of Appeals against the book being allowed in schools with parents still attempting to go to U.S. Supreme Court after other courts ruled there was no agenda for indoctrination and that public schools could not protect individual students from ideas that could be offensive, particularly if there is "no requirement for the student to agree with or affirm those ideas, or even participate in discussions about them."

2007 - Pennsylvania - Retained at the Lower Macungie library after the donated book was challenged because "let them be kids...and not worry about homosexuality, race and religion. Just let them live freely as kids."

2008 - England - Withdrawn from two Bristol, England primary schools after parents complained the book was unsuitable and that the parents had not been consulted.

Sources

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

Marshall University

"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/