Celebrate Your Freedom to Read September 20–27, 2003

I was going thru the 100 most challenged books of '90-'00 and I can say I have read quite of few of them. Also, I'm curious why some of these would be 'challenged'
Example(s)
Brave New World
James and the Giant Peach
How to Eat Fried Worms
Of Mice and Men
A Wrinkle in Time - My favorite book ever. I'm glad my school didn't try to ban this one. I might re-read it this week just for fun.

I've read Brave New World - good book, don't see anything wrong with it.


I think I might have read How to eat fried worms, don't remember

1. Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
2. Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
7. Forever by Judy Blume
8. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
9. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
10. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
11. The Giver by Lois Lowry
12. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
13. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
14. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
15. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
16. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
17. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
18. Sex by Madonna
19. Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
20. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
21. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
22. The Witches by Roald Dahl
23. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
24. The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
25. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
26. The Goats by Brock Cole
27. The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
28. Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
29. Final Exit by Derek Humphry
30. Blubber by Judy Blume
31. Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
32. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
33. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
34. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
35. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras
36. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
37. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
38. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
39. The Pigman by Paul Zindel
40. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
41. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
42. Deenie by Judy Blume
43. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
44. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
45. Beloved by Toni Morrison
46. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
47. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
48. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
49. Cujo by Stephen King
50. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
51. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
52. Ordinary People by Judith Guest
53. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
54. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
55. Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
56. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
57. Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
58. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
59. The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
60. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
61. Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
62. Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
63. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
64. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
65. Fade by Robert Cormier
66. Guess What? by Mem Fox
67. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
68. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
69. Native Son by Richard Wright
70. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday
71. Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
72. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
73. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
74. Jack by A.M. Homes
75. Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
76. Family Secrets by Norma Klein
77. Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
78. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
79. Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
80. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
81. Carrie by Stephen King
82. The Dead Zone by Stephen King
83. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
84. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
85. Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
86. Private Parts by Howard Stern
87. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
88. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
89. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
90. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
91. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
92. Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
93. Sex Education by Jenny Davis
94. Jumper by Steven Gould
95. Christine by Stephen King
96. The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
97. That Was Then, This is Now by S.E. Hinton
98. Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
99. The Wish Giver by Bill Brittain
100. Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier



ok some of these are obviously not suitable for a children's library like the madonna book and the joys of gay sex book, but a lot of these I read and turned out just fine. I know for sure I read these:

3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
22. The Witches by Roald Dahl
23. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
30. Blubber by Judy Blume
40. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
50. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
51. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
60. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
68. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
83. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain


Some of those were even required reading.

I've read
1. Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
10. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
30. Blubber by Judy Blume
38. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
40. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
48. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
49. Cujo by Stephen King
50. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
54. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
60. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
67. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
68. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
81. Carrie by Stephen King
82. The Dead Zone by Stephen King
83. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
86. Private Parts by Howard Stern I'm actually ashamed to admit to this one
87. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
95. Christine by Stephen King
97. That Was Then, This is Now by S.E. Hinton

I'm shocked at all the kids books on the list. Judy Blume was banned in certain places? Unfreaking believable.

5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
10. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
23. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
37. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
40. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
43. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
50. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
54. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
67. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
68. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
81. Carrie by Stephen King
83. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

That's my lot.

I'm trying to find why (and where) these books were banned, so far no dice on this page.

I agree, there are a lot of childrens books on this page, I just don't understand it.

These are the ones that I've read:

5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
7. Forever by Judy Blume
8. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson --> My absolute favorite children's book ever. Why would anyone want to ban this?
10. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
11. The Giver by Lois Lowry
14. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
15. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
22. The Witches by Roald Dahl
23. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
28. Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
30. Blubber by Judy Blume
37. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
40. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
42. Deenie by Judy Blume
43. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
50. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
57. Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
60. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
68. Lord of the Flies by William Golding --> This is one of the most genuinely frightening books I have ever read. That said, it is also one of the most brilliant.
80. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
83. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
87. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford --> WTF?? What could possibly be offensive about Waldo?
89. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume

The ones that are most confusing are the ones by Judy Blume and Lois Lowery - those are just simple YA books.

From what I read, in one of the Where's Waldo? books, there is a scene on a beach (European I suppose) where there is a woman with no bikini top on.

I'm not surprised to see a couple of Judy Blume's books. She often delt with puberty and sexual awakening in her characters.

I'm assuming James and the Giant Peach is there because it's a children's book that is a little dark, and also includes the term 'ass'. I remember my grade three teacher reading our class this book. When he got to the part where the grasshopper says, "Ofcourse I'm talking to you, you ass!" the whole class gasped in shock. He folded the book and looked at us a little annoyed and said,"That's another name for a donkey. He's saying that to say 'You're acting like a dumb animal.'" But then he also told us not to go around calling each other 'asses'.

I read most of them. There really are some great books on there.

-pedagogue

5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
10. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
21. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
23. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
27. The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
38. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
40. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
43. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
48. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
50. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
51. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
54. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
67. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
83. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
87. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
88. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
90. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
97. That Was Then, This is Now by S.E. Hinton

I own but haven't read:
37. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

There seems to be a change in tone this year. Usually, the list includes classics like Ulysses, Mein Kampf, and Lady Chatterley's Lover. There are a lot more juvenile titles like Where's Waldo and The Stupids.

I've read:

3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

I think I read some excerpts and was mostly bored to death, maybe that's why?

5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
37. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Absolute must read if you think the Moral Majority taking over the world would be a good thing


40. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Banned??? This should be genetically imprinted into everyone's brain at birth


43. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Umm, why?

48. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
People, get a grip.


60. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

I think I did, I know I've read some Blume and I guess they just don't like how life-like her stories are


68. Lord of the Flies by William Golding


82. The Dead Zone by Stephen King
This goes for all King, it's scary stories, not the Little Happy Bunnies go on a picnic, get a grip



83. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
87. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford Puh-frikiin-leaze


I agree, the sex ed books should be kept out of kids, un-supervised, hands, but the rest just seems to be knee-jerk reactions to something not all flowers and kittens.

What about the Marquis de Sade? I'm sure his "The 120 Days of Sodom" is one of the most famous widely banned works of literature.

Belief in sorcery leaves no room for Jesus!

As for Judy Blume, that is so ridiculous. As a lad, I learned more about life from Blume's books than anything else I ever read. All pre-teens should read Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret and Then Again Maybe I Won't.

I'm a school teacher and so I've read a lot of these (although some were when I was a kid so I don't remember them too well) but a lot of these have to do with the time period. Some of the books have to do with language or sex but a lot of them have to do with politics (both with issues and with the threat against the current government). I have a dozen of these books in my classroom library and a few are ones that I haven't read yet so I guess I'll put them on my summer reading list.

3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
8. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
10. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
11. The Giver by Lois Lowry
15. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
16. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
21. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
22. The Witches by Roald Dahl
23. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
30. Blubber by Judy Blume
40. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
45. Beloved by Toni Morrison
46. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
48. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
50. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
51. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
54. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
67. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
68. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
69. Native Son by Richard Wright
83. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
99. The Wish Giver by Bill Brittain