Banned Books Week, Sept. 25 - Oct. 2

Celebrate the Right to Read!

Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.


Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2009

TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series) by Lauren Myracle - Chronicles, in "instant message" format, the day-to-day experiences, feelings, and plans of three friends, Zoe, Maddie, and Angela, as they begin tenth grade. (Reasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs)

And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson - At New York City's Central Park Zoo, two male penguins fall in love and start a family by taking turns sitting on an abandoned egg until it hatches. (Reasons: Homosexuality)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - Charlie, a freshman in high school, explores the dilemmas of growing up through a collection of letters he sends to an unknown receiver. (Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Anti-Family, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide)

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee - The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence, and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina and quiet heroism of one man's struggle for justice, in this Pulitzer Prize-winning classic that has been translated into more than 40 languages.
(Reasons: Racism, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group)

Twilight (series) by Stephenie Meyer - When seventeen-year-old Bella leaves Phoenix to live with her father in Forks, Washington, she meets an exquisitely handsome boy at school for whom she feels an overwhelming attraction and who she comes to realize is not wholly human.
(Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group)

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - In an effort to escape the hypocrisies of life at his boarding school, 16-year-old Holden Caulfield seeks refuge in New York City. (Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group)

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult - Conceived to provide a bone marrow match for her leukemia-stricken sister, teenage Kate begins to question her moral obligations in light of countless medical procedures and decides to fight for the right to make decisions about her own body. (Reasons: Sexism, Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide, Violence)

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things by Carolyn Mackler - Feeling like she does not fit in with the other members of her family, who are all thin, brilliant, and good-looking, fifteen-year-old Virginia tries to deal with her self-image, her first physical relationship, and her disillusionment with some of the people closest to her. (Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group)

The Color Purple by Alice Walker - The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that tells the story of two sisters through their correspondence. (Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group)

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier - A high school freshman discovers the devastating consequences of refusing to join in the school's annual fund raising drive and arousing the wrath of the school bullies. (Reasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group)