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Schwartz's three bestselling collections of scary folklore, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and Scary Stories 3, are now available in a three-volume collector's boxed set. Features more than 80 spooky tales of spine tingles, strange creatures, and weird goings-on. Illustrated.
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A complaint from the school district in Campbell County, Wyo., said the books made kids believe "ghosts are actually possible." Another said, children shouldn't be "scared by materials they read in school."
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This picture book is an auspicious beginning to the Alyson Wonderland imprint, "which focuses on books for and about the children of lesbian and gay parents." That the venture is being undertaken is in itself commendable: consciousness-raising concerning gay issues can handily begin at an early age with the help of books such as Willhoite's. His text is suitably straightforward, and the format--single lines of copy beneath full-page illustrations--easily accessible to the intended audience. |
Challenged but retained at the Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio Public Library. Removed from the anti-bias curriculum of the Lane County Head Start program in Cottage Grove, Oregon. Challenged at the Chandler, Arizona Public Library. Removed from the children's section of the Fort Worth, Texas Public Library. Complaints: "Homosexual themes."
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A phenomenal #1 bestseller that has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for nearly three years, 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.
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Round Rock School District, Texas, attempted to remove from the curriculum, challenging the work as "pornographic." In Columbus, Mississippi, 30 copies were snatched by school officials and a temporary ban inititated at Caldonia Middle School on the grounds it is "too sexually explicit to be read by children."
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Does Jerry Renault dare to disturb the universe? You wouldn't think that his refusal to sell chocolates during his school's fundraiser would create such a stir, but it does; it's as if the whole school comes apart at the seams. To some, Jerry is a hero, but to others, he becomes a scapegoat -- a target for their pent-up hatred. And Jerry? He's just trying to stand up for what he believes, but perhaps there is no way for him to escape becoming a pawn in this game of control; students are pitted against other students, fighting for honor -- or are they fighting for their lives? In 1974, author Robert Cormier dared to disturb our universe when this book was first published. And now, with a new introduction by the celebrated author, The Chocolate War stands ready to shock a new group of teen readers. |
Challenged but retained on the 10th-grade reading list at Hephzibah High School, Augusta, Georgia. Challenged as required reading at the Hudson Falls, New York schools. According to the Banned Books Project, "This is a very important book, as it illustrates the power of thinking for yourself, and standing up for having your own mind. (which ironically is one of the reasons it was challenged)."
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The story of Huck and his companion Jim, a runaway slave, as they travel down the Mississippi to escape from slavery and "sivilization" has been delighting readers around the world since Twain first published it in 1885. Simply put, it is a masterpiece: revolutionary in its narrative method, surpassingly funny, and at the same time deeply perceptive about human nature. No other American novel of the nineteenth century still commands so vast an audience, and certainly no other retains the capacity to stir controversy with its sharp satire on American racism. |
Challenged but retained on high school reading list at the Lewisville, Texas schools. Challenged in English classes at Taylor County High School in Butler, Georgia.
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Novella by John Steinbeck, published in 1937. The tragic story, given poignancy by its objective narrative, is about the complex bond between two migrant laborers. The book, which was adapted by Steinbeck into a three-act play (produced 1937), earned him national renown. The plot centers on George Milton and Lennie Small, itinerant ranch hands who dream of one day owning a small farm. George acts as a father figure to Lennie, who is large and simpleminded, calming him and helping to rein in his immense physical strength. When Lennie accidentally kills the ranch owner's flirtatious daughter-in-law, George shoots his friend rather than allow him to be captured by a vengeful lynch mob. |
Challenged in the Mingus, Arizona Union High School. Removed from classrooms in Putnam County, Tennessee schools. Challenged in the Loganville, Georgia High School. Complaints: Offensive language, racism, violence, unsuited to age group. |
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Young wizard-in-training Harry Potter has had his hands full during his first four years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As if studying spells and pleasing professors isn't enough, Harry has heard evil voices in the walls, rescued petrified students, fended off convicts escaped from wizards' prison, and played elaborate and grueling games of Quidditch. Between school sessions, he summers with the horrendous Dursleys, who seem to want nothing more than to crush our hero's spirit. Only time will tell how Harry will manage the certain dangers and escapades in store for him over the next few years.
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Schools have banned Harry Potter books from their classrooms over concerns they may encourage children to experiment with the occult. |
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"Going all the way" is still a taboo subject in young adult literature. Judy Blume was the first author to write candidly about a sexually active teen, and she's been defending teenagers' rights to read about such subjects ever since. Here, Blume tells a convincing tale of first love--a love that seems strong and true enough to last forever. Katherine loves Michael so much, in fact, that she's willing to lose her virginity to him, and, as the months go by, it gets harder and harder for her to imagine living without him. However, something happens when they are separated for the summer: Katherine begins to have feelings for another guy. What does this mean about her love for Michael? What does this mean about love in general? What does "forever" mean, anyway? As always, Blume writes as if she's never forgotten a moment of what it's like to be a teenager. |
Confiscated by high school principal at Rib Lake, Wisconsin high school library. Removed from Mediapolis, Iowa school district libraries. Later returned but accessible only to high school students. Complaint: Sexual content. |
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Jess Aaron's greatest ambition is to be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. He's been practicing all summer and can't wait to see his classmates' faces when he beats them all. But on the first day of school, a new kid, a new girl, boldly crosses over to the boy's side of the playground and outruns everyone. That's not a very promising beginning for a friendship, but Jess and Leslie Burke become inseparable. It doesn't matter to Jess that leslie dresses funny, or that her family has a lot of money -- but no TV. Leslie has imagination. Together, she and Jess create Terabithia, a magical kingdom in the woods where the two of them reign as king and queen, and their imaginations set the only limits. Then one morning a terrible tragedy occurs. Only when Jess is able to come to grips with this tragedy does he finally understand the strength and courage Leslie has given him. |
Challenged in the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania public schools. Complaint: Occult/satanism. |
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Alice's many fans will be delighted to see the heroine back in action. Having survived her first year of high school, Alice and her friends are off to be counselors at a coed camp for disadvantaged children. Her father and his longtime love, Sylvia Summers, are finally preparing to walk down the aisle, and her brother, Lester, is planning to move out. Can one girl handle all this change? The summer challenges Alice's patience at every turn, but she sails through with her usual charm and good humor. Some of the camp scenes are racially charged as one camper calls another "the n-word" and Alice must deal with her emotionally needy young charges.
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School board member, Jeanne Newby, said the main character in the series, Alice McKinley, “is a friend they (students) have become too attached to.” Complaint: Homosexuality, sexual themes.
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Originally self-published in 1989, Heather Has Two Mommies became the first title in Alyson's newly formed Alyson Wonderland imprint in 1990. The simple and straightforward story of a little girl named Heather and her two lesbian mothers was created by Newman and illustrator Diana Souza because children's books that reflected a nontraditional family did not exist, but a firestorm of controversy soon ensued. Attacked by the religious right, lambasted by Jesse Helms from the floor of the U.S Senate, and stolen from library shelves, it was an uphill battle for Heather. Thanks to the overwhelming support of booksellers, librarians, parents, and children, however, Heather Has Two Mommies has sold over 35,000 copies, launched a minor industry in providing books for the children of gay and lesbian parents and, as attested to by a recent New Yorker cartoon, become part of the cultural lexicon. |
Challenged but retained at Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, Public Library. Challeged but retained in the Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts school library. Removed by the officials at the Cottage Grove, Oregon Lane County Head Start center. Challenged at the Chandler, Arizona, Public Library. Complaints: Homosexuality, sexual themes. |
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All his life, Tim Meeker has looked up to his brother Sam. Sam's smart and brave -- and is now a part of the American Revolution. Not everyone in town wants to be a part of the rebellion. Most are supporters of the British -- including Tim and Sam's father. With the war soon raging, Tim know he'll have to make a choice -- between the Revolutionaries and the Redcoats . . . and between his brother and his father. |
Removed from fifth-grade classes at Bryant Ranch Elementary School in the Placentia-Yorba Linda, California Unified School District. Challenged but retained at teh Palmyra, Pennsylvania area schools. Complaint: Offensive language. |
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Novel by J.D. Salinger, published in 1951. The influential and widely acclaimed story details the two days in the life of 16-year-old Holden Caulfield after he has been expelled from prep school. Confused and disillusioned, he searches for truth and rails against the "phoniness" of the adult world. He ends up exhausted and emotionally ill, in a psychiatrist's office. After he recovers from his breakdown, Holden relates his experiences to the reader. |
Challenged but retained at the New Richmond, Wisconsin High School for some English classes. Challenged but retained as required reading in the Corona-Norco, California Unified School District - if alternative readings were given to students who objected to the novel. Challenged as required reading in Goffstown, New Hampshire schools. Complaints: Offensive language, sexual content, occultism, violence. |
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In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community's Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy. With echoes of Brave New World, in this 1994 Newbery Medal winner, Lowry examines the idea that people might freely choose to give up their humanity in order to create a more stable society. Gradually Jonas learns just how costly this ordered and pain-free society can be, and boldly decides he cannot pay the price.
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Temporarily banned from classes in Bonita Unified School District in La Verne and San Dimas, California. Complaints: Occultism, violence, sexual themes. |
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In a starred review, PW said, "this intelligent, amiable and carefully researched book... frankly explains the physical, psychological, emotional and social changes that occur during puberty." Emberley's watercolor and pencil art "reinforces [the] message that bodies come in all sizes, shapes and colors-and that each variation is `perfectly normal.' " |
Challenged in the Holland, MA Public Library (2000) due to its sexually explicit content. The book was moved from the children's to the adult section of the library. Challenged at the Marion County, FL Public Library (2001). Critics called the book pornographic and demanded it be permanently removed from the library or placed in a special restricted-access area.
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An evil, living creature called The Sponge appears to be an ordinary kitchen sponge, but thrives on human bad luck, which it deliberately causes and then sucks up while refusing to do the dishes. |
Complaint: Scariness |
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To a thirteen-year-old Vermont farm boy whose father slaughters pigs for a living, maturity comes early as he learns "doing what's got to be done," especially regarding his pet pig who cannot produce a litter. |
Pulled from the Anderson S.C. middle school library (1995) because of the descriptions of two pigs mating, a pig being slaughtered, and a cow giving birth. Banned from the St. Lawrence School in Utica, Mich. (1997) because of a passage involving pig breeding. The teacher quit her job over the banning of the novel.
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Novel by Alice Walker, published in 1982. It won a Pulitzer Prize in 1983. A feminist novel about an abused and uneducated black woman's struggle for empowerment, the novel was praised for the depth of its female characters and for its eloquent use of black English vernacular. |
Considered inappropriate because of its "troubling ideas about race relations, man's relationship to God, African history and human sexuality." Challenged by Oakland, California, high school honors class, 1984; rejected for purchase by Hayward, California, school trustees. Banned from high schools in Pennsylvania and West Virginia in the 1990s as “X-rated smut.”
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Complaint: Sexual themes. |
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Jean Auel is at her very best in this superbly textured creation of a prehistoric society. The Shelters of Stone is a sweeping story of love and danger, with all the wonderful detail --based on meticulous research -- that makes her novels unique. It is a triumphant continuation of the Earth’s Children saga that began with The Clan of the Cave Bear. And it includes an amazing rhythmic poem that describes the birth of Earth’s Children and plays its own role in the narrative of The Shelters of Stone. |
Challenged at the Berrien Springs, Mich. High School for its use in classrooms and libraries (1988), Banned from the Cascade Middle School library in Eugene, Oreg. (1992), Challenged, but retained on the Moorpark High School recommended reading list in Simi Valley, Calif. (1993), despite objections that it contains "hardcore graphic sexual content." Incorporates themes of evolution, which makes it an obvious target for the religious right.
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