Favorite Banned YA Titles

[E. Kristin Anderson (Emily)]

Since Miss Palin has us all shaking in our boots with her book banning ways, let's celebrate the books she doesn't want us to read!

Personally, I just read Weetzie Bat last week for the first time and found it so beautiful and charming! I can see why maybe it's not the most appropriate book in the world for, say, 5th graders, but let's let our teens think for themselves!

I'm also a big Judy Blume fan - Are You There God, It's Me Margaret was HUGE for me when I read it at ten or twelve. Even though so much of it is dated (belts!), Margaret speaks to adolescent girls like no other literary character ever could.

Some of my favorite recent YA books are Louise Rennison's Georgia Nicolson series, and I'm infinitely entertained that the second book, On The Bright Side I'm Now The Girlfriend of a Sex God, was challenged because of the title, not the content. According to info I got at the ALA when I was setting up displays at my store (I'd quote directly if it weren't weeks ago and I could remember the exact page), parents were worried that an older man might see a girl reading the book and think her promiscuous and then stalk her. There was also concern that girls would think from the title that it was cool to date older men which could lead to statutory rape. Not that any of this happens in the book. Sheesh.

[Arya]

The whole title thing is ridiculous. I strongly doubt that there are very many girls out there who would date an older guy JUST because of the title of a book. Anyway, A Wrinkle in Time is definitely one of my favorites. I don't know how I would have gotten through fifth grade without it. Bridge to Terabithia is also a great one, though it makes my cry. EVERYBODY loves the Harry Potter books. I also love love LOVE The Witches by Roald Dahl. I mean, who doesn't truthfully love a good Roald Dahl book? I know those aren't technically YA books, but I still love them even though I'm maybe a bit older than the intended audience.

[Sophie]

I really think The Witches is one of the best books i have read. Ever. Who ccares if it is ment for ten-year-olds?

[E. Kristin Anderson (Emily)]

Who cares indeed! I'm 25 and mostly read YA. Okay, so partially because it's my job, but I can't deny that I love it.

The Witches is awesome. I remember being pretty freaked out by that when I first read it. Roald Dahl is amazing though!

[Katie]

All of them. No, really. I have read many, many banned books, and they were all really, really good. The few banned books I haven't read sound very, very good. If a book gets banned, that is pretty much a gurantee that it is great.

[Nicole]

I'm actually reading To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time now and although I'm not too far along, I like it. They're not YA, but I also love Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451. I'm a huge Judy Blume and Louise Rennison fan, too. I also enjoyed: The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things; Animal Farm; Harry Potter; Slaughterhouse-Five. Two of my favorite books of all time are The Bell Jar and Handmaid's Tale.

[Fred]

But the title is what gets you interested in the book. I mean, its hilarious.

[Katie]

It is also a hilarious book that contains nothing that would offend or confuse your average ten-year-old.

[Fred]

Exactly.

[L.K. Madigan]

Gosh, there are so many great banned books to choose from.

I'm especially fond of the Harry Potter series, because I consider them comfort reads, while to the people who want them banned, they are scary instruction manuals on witchcraft!

[zoealea]

I fully agree. I haven't read many banned books, but my favorite would be Harry Potter.

[SupernovakGirl]

Harry Potter!

*le sigh* Why would someone even want to ban Harry Potter?

One of Maureen Johnson's books, The Bermudez Triangle, was challenged a while back. It wasn't actually banned (it's on a special shelf and it requires parental permission to check out), but it's still one of my favorites.

[E. Kristin Anderson (Emily)]

Yeah, it's pretty rare to have a book actually banned these days, thankfully! But a lot of crazy stuff gets challenged.

Harry Potter is frequently challenged because of the M word - magic. A lot of religious groups feel that it's dangerous for children to read about the occult and anything with magic in it is equated with the occult in their eyes.

I think it's fine if they want to believe that, even if I disagree. I just think it's wrong for them to try and dictate what everyone else should have access to at a school or public library.