Banned and challenged books for teens
Annotation:The Supernaturalist was banned in the Lackawanna School District (New York) in 2008. The book, along with six other challenged titles with “occult themes” were restored by the school board
Place a Hold
Annotation:This prequel to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry explores the lives of the children of a white plantation owner and his white and mixed-race children. To those who protest her use of the "n-word" and who say such situations never happened, Taylor replies, "My stories may not be 'politically correct,' so there will be those who will be offended, but as we all know, racism is offensive. It is not polite, and it is full of pain."
Annotation:Challenged for being "too frightening for middle school students"; retained at Coleytown Middle School library in Westport (CT) but moved to the faculty section of the John W. McDevitt Middle School library in Waltham (MA).
Annotation:Most frequently banned book in schools between 1966 and 1975. Challenged repeatedly because of complaints that the book contained sex, violence, and profanity.
Annotation:Removed from Lackawanna, NY, middle school library because of concerns about the occult. Later reinstated.
Annotation:Restricted to high school students with parental permission at the Beardstown (IL) High School library because the novel "describes sex, uses foul language, and contains other 'R-rated' content."
Annotation:Removed from, but later reinstated in the middle school libraries of the Capistrano (CA) Unified School District. The books were initially ordered removed by the district's instructional materials specialist who ordered that the books be moved from middle school to high school collections. That order was rescinded and the books remain in the middle school libraries. Challenged at the Brockbank Junior High in Magna (UT) by a parent over sexual contednt in the author's fourth novel, Breaking Dawn. Also banned in Australia for being "too racy and against religious beliefs".
Annotation:Removed, but later returned to the library shelves at dozens of schools in the Halton (Ontario) Catholic School District despite that the books were challenged as being "written by an atheist where the characters and text are anti-God, anti-Catholic, and anti-religion." The book and two other Pullman titles from the Dark Matters trilogy were pulled from public display for review, but available to students upon request. The Calgary Catholic School District returned the book to its library shelves two months after ordering its removal. Detractors accused the book of having anti-religious content. Retained by the Dufferin-Peel Catholic School District in Mississauga with a sticker on the inside cover telling readers "representations of the church in this novel are purely fictional" and are not reflective of the real Roman Catholic Church or the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Annotation:2009: Challenged in the Round Rock (TX) Independent School District middle school library due to the book's descriptions of sex, porn, alcohol, and inappropriate teacher-student relationships. The school offers parents the ability to tell the school if they do not want their children to check out particular books at the library. 2008:Challenged at the William Floyd Middle School library in Mastic (NY) because the book includes "curse words, crude references to the male and female anatomy, sex acts and adult situations like drinking alcohol and flirtation with a teacher that almost goes too far." A spokesperson for the William Floyd School District said the book will remain in the library and that the book is very popular with students across the country. The spokesperson also said unlike many books that young people read, the book deals with controversial subjects without glorifying negative behaviors.
Annotation:2009: Banned from the Orestimba High School's English classes in Newman (CA) by the superintendent after complaints that is book is profane and anti-Catholic. 2005: Pulled by the Norwood (CO) Schools Superintendent after 2 parents complained about profanity in the book. The superintendent confiscated all the copies of the book and gave them to the parents, who "tossed them in the trash." The superintendent later apologized.
Annotation:Challenged in South Carolina (2008) "because of blatant, explicit language using street terms for sex, talk of worms eating body parts, and blasphemy." Has been frequently challenged because of drugs and sexual themes.
Annotation:Removed from a high school in Oregon after a parent complained about the book's references to masturbation.
Annotation:Challenged at the Edmonton Public Library in 2004 because it describes a pedophile seducing a young boy. Boy O'Boy won the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children in 2004, and was praised for how it dealt with difficult subjects including sexual abuse. It was retained in EPL's collection.
Annotation:Has been challenged many times for violent content, profanity, and sexual content. In 2006 it was challenged at the Cherry Hill (NJ) Public Library's Young Adult section by a parent claiming its "deplorable" content was unfit for young minds. The book was retained in the collection.
Annotation:Withdrawn from the Curtis Junior High and Curtis Senior High Schools libraries after a University Place (WA) couple with children in both schools filed a written complaint stating that the book could result in "a casual and loose approach to sex", encourage use of Internet porn and the physical meeting of people through chat rooms. In 2009, a group of parents wanted the West Bend (WI) Community Memorial Library to ban it, put a warning label on it, demand parental permission to sign it out, or buy anti-gay books to "balance" it.
Annotation:Challenged and banned for racism, offensive language and violence. 2008: Challenged on the accelerated reading list at Chinquapin Elementary School in Duplin County (NC) because the book is littered with hundreds of expletives, including racial epithets, and slang terms for homosexuals. Challenged in the Coeur d'Alene (ID) School District. Some parents say the book, along with five others, should require parental permission for students to read.
Annotation:2005: Banned at Winters Mill High School (MD), along with four other books, two of which were later reinstated. No reason was given.
Annotation:Removed from reading lists at several US schools because of sexual content and gay-positive themes.
Annotation:The Alice series has been banned or restricted in several libraries for sexual content and offensive language.
Annotation:Challenged at the Edmonton Public Library because of a scene in which a girl is tied to the back of a car and dragged. The complainant had only read that one page, and did not know that the series is about bullying. It was retained in the collection.
Annotation:2006: Banned by the Carrol County Superintendent in Westminister (MD), but after protests from students, librarians, national organizations and the publisher, the book was returned to high school libraries, but not middle schools. The superintendent objected to the book's use of profanity and its sexual references.
Annotation:Challenged for sexual content. Banned in several school libraries but retained at others.
Annotation:Blue Valley School District in Kansas reviewed this futuristic novel about a young man’s growing disillusionment with an outwardly utopian society, following parent complaints that it was “lewd” and “twisted.” Parents also claimed it is “unfit for analysis by students because it is violent, sexually explicit and portrays infanticide and euthanasia.” One parent said, “This book is negative. I read it. I don't see the academic value in it. Everything presented to the kids should be positive or historical, not negative.” The novel, which has been compared to Brave New World, won the Newbery Medal in 1994. Proponents of the ban are asking that the book be removed from the entire district’s eighth grade reading list (1/6/05).
Annotation:2009: The New Rochelle (NY) Board of Education announced that it would replace all fifty copies of Susanna kaysen's memoir after school officials tore pages from the book deemed "inappropriate" due to sexual content and strong language.
Annotation:This book explains the birds & bees in the style of a car manual. It was challenged for sexual content at Lockwood (MT) High School but retained in 2006.
Annotation:One of 55 books that a group of parents in Fayetteville, AR is petitioning to have removed from school libraries. They object to the language and depictions of sexuality in many of the books and have accused the librarians and other opponents of their efforts of promoting a "homosexual agenda".
Annotation:One of 55 books that a group of parents in Fayetteville, AR is petitioning to have removed from school libraries. The group objects to this book because it discusses transgender teens and provides online resources about being gay for teens.
Annotation:Removed from library shelves and a district-wide school reading list in Athens, AL, despite the Superintendent of Schools’ recommendation that it remain. Opponents of the book claimed it contained offensive language.
Annotation:A group of parents from Fayetteville, AR objects to this novel because of its depictions teenage sex, as well as the fact that many teenagers praise the book for its frank discussion of sex. One of 55 books they are petitioning to have removed from school libraries.
Annotation:A group of parents from Fayetteville, AR, objects to this novel because of its depictions of casual sex. One of 55 books they are petitioning to have removed from school libraries.
Annotation:Challenged for homosexual content.
Annotation:Parents of the Blue Valley School District (KS) are currently petitioning for this and thirteen other books to be removed from all high school classrooms in the district due to "vulgar language, sexual explicitness, or violent imagery that is gratuitously employed."
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