1. A Dozen Banned Books

2. Every year, the American Library Association compiles a list of the most frequently challenged books in order to inform the public about censorship. A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. CAUTION: Some people believe the following books are dangerous to young minds

3. Each of the following novels has been challenged repeatedly. Why do you think certain groups may object to the book? Which elements continue to be controversial today? Do you think there will be a time when this book will not be challenged? Why is it important for teenagers to read and study banned books?

4. The Hunger Games Katniss Everdeen lives in a post-apocalyptic nation where an annual televised competition forces one boy and one girl from each of the twelve districts to battle to the death. violence anti-ethnic anti-family offensive language sexually explicit occult/satanic BANNED

5. To Kill a Mockingbird Six-year-old Scout watches as her lawyer father defends a black man accused of raping a white woman in a Southern town during the Great Depression. racism offensive language BANNED

6. Twilight Bella Swan finds her life in danger when she falls in love with a vampire named Edward Cullen. violence religious viewpoint supernatural sexually explicit BANNED

7. Perks of Being a Wallflower Charlie’s letters to an anonymous person about his freshman year in high school and his adventures as an unpopular, unconventional thinker. anti-family drugs offensive language sexually explicit suicide nudity homosexuality religious viewpoint BANNED

8. Catcher in the Rye Holden Caulfield is a seventeen-year-old, prep school rebel recounting the events that led to his breakdown. offensive language sexually explicit BANNED

9. My Sister’s Keeper Anna sues her parents for medical emancipation when she is thirteen years old and is expected to donate a kidney to her sister who is dying from leukemia. homosexuality offensive language religious viewpoint sexism sexually explicit violence BANNED

10. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Huck’s adventures traveling down the Mississippi River with an escaped slave named Jim, meeting interesting people and overcoming challenges with his friend Tom Sawyer along the way. racism offensive language BANNED

11. Captain Underpants A comic book superhero who accidentally comes to life when fourth graders George and Harold hypnotize their grouchy prinipal. anti-family offensive language sexually explicit violence BANNED

12. Gossip Girl The lives and romances of the privileged teenagers at an elite private school in New York City’s Upper East Side, chronicled by an anonymous gossip blogger. drugs offensive language sexually explicit BANNED

13. Harry Potter Adventures of a wizard and his friends at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as he tries to overcome the dark Lord Voldemort. occult/satanic violence anti-family religious viewpoint supernatural BANNED

14. Of Mice and Men George and Lennie are two displaced migrant ranch workers who move from place to place in search of new job opportunities during the Great Depression in the USA. racism offensive language violence BANNED

15. Bridge to Terabithia Two lonely children create a magical forest kingdom to escape from the pains of everyday life. offensive language occult/satanic BANNED

16. All of these books are currently available in the Nottawasaga Pines library