1. ALA Banned Books Week Sept. 24 – Sept. 30, 2017
The American Library Association ( celebrates Banned Book Week each September

2. What is Banned Books Week?
Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read.
By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.

3. Definitions
Censorship: The removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic, or educational materials on the grounds that they are morally or otherwise objectionable (Reichman, 1988).
Selection: The right to choose certain books and reject other for use with children on the basis of literary quality and knowledge of child development and psychology. Does not insist upon removing the rejected books from the shelves for everyone else (Jalongo & Creany, 1991).

4. What Does Banned/Challenged Mean?
A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others (
When a book is banned, it has been removed or censored.

5. How are books challenged?
Individuals, organizations, or institutions may challenge a book.
The organization to whom the challenge has been made then reports the challenge to the Office of Intellectual Freedom, where it is added to the database on reported challenges.
The OIF uses this database to create its “top” lists and to provide resources to libraries, schools, and institutions.

6. Where/why are books challenged?

7. Example of Challenged/Banned Books

8. Captain Underpants! Insensitivity Being unsuited to age group
Encouraging children to disobey authority

9. Walter the Farting Dog
Uses the word “fart” and “farting” 24 times

10. Harry Potter Series Wizardry and magic
Portrays authority figures as “stupid”

11. Private Parts are Off Limits in Either Fiction or Non-Fiction

12. Witchcraft/Wizardry

13. Scary/Violent Scenes/Themes

14. References to Gay and Lesbian Families

15. Anti-Authority

16. Offensive Language

17. Careful how you choose characters

18. Censorship is not just for fiction!
Too depressing!

19. Julie of the Wolves Sexual content Offensive language Violence
Socialist, evolutionist, and “anti-family” themes
Unsuited for age group

20. The Chocolate War The Most Challenged Book of 1998 Offensive Language
Unsuited to age group

21. A Light in the Attic
Too dreary
Too negative

22. The Giving Tree: Sexist

23. The Lorax
Being an “allegorical political commentary”

24. Top Ten Challenged Authors 1990-2004
Alvin Schwartz
2. Judy Blume
3. Robert Cormier
4. J.K. Rowling
5. Michael Willhoite
6. Katherine Paterson
7. Stephen King
8. Maya Angelou
9. R.L. Stine
10. John Steinbeck

25. Top Challenged Authors 2012, 2013
Dave Pilkey
Sherman Alexie
Ellen Hopkins
Patricia Polacco
John Green
Alvin Schwartz
Lauren Myracle
Chris Crutcher
Carolyn Mackler
Sonya Sones
Suzanne Collins
Aldous Huley
Harper Lee
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Don Hillstad Butler
Cecily Von Ziegesar

26. Top 25 Challenged Books, (14 were also on the top 100 list, but 7 were not yet published)
Harry Potter (series), J.K. Rowling
Alice series, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
The Chocolate War, Robert Cormier
And Tango Makes Three, Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
Scary Stories (series), Alvin Schwartz
His Dark Materials (series), Philip Pullman
ttyl; ttfn; l8r g8r (series), Myracle, Lauren
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
Fallen Angels, Walter Dean Myers
It’s Perfectly Normal, Robie Harris

27. Captain Underpants (series), Dav Pilkey
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
Forever, Judy Blume
The Color Purple, Alice Walker
Go Ask Alice, Anonymous
Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
King and King, Linda de Haan
To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Gossip Girl (series), Cecily von Ziegesar
The Giver, Lois Lowry
In the Night Kitchen, Maurice Sendak
Killing Mr. Griffen, Lois Duncan

29. Top Ten Challenged Books 2015

30. Are They Just Bad Books? Newbery Winners: “Classics”
The Higher Power of Lucky (2007)
Bud, Not Buddy (2000)
The Giver (1994)
Shiloh (1992)
Hatchet (1988 honor book)
The Great Gilly Hopkins (1979 honor book)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (1977)
Julie of the Wolves (1973)
A Wrinkle in Time (1963)
“Classics”
The Great Gatsby
The Catcher in the Rye
The Grapes of Wrath
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Color Purple
Ulysses
Beloved
The Lord of the Flies
1984
Lolita
Of Mice and Men
Catch-22
Brave New World
Animal Farm
The Sun Also Rises