Save Harry Potter: Banned Books of Today
According to a news release on ALA.org, one of the most popular new children's series is back on the list of things to use to feed the book-fires. The World renowned Harry Potter series has been banned already in several schools in the U.S. and Canada because of 'violence' and a theme that is considered 'Satanic' and 'Occult oriented.' Although many books are written from a religious opint of view, school boards do not seem to think that "Witchcraft" or "Wicca" is an inappropriate subeject for childern to read about. Harry Potter is at the top of ALA's "10 most challenged books of 2000" along with:
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier: this book is called unsutable for the target age group, violent and offensive.
Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan, was called violent, offensive for having an 'inaproprate' theme (High school students who accidently kill their English Teacher)
The
Alice series by Reynolds Naylor, another book called 'unsuitable for the age group' and containing sexual content
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers for racism, vilolence and offensive language.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. This book has been removed from many high school reading lists for having sexual content, using inapropriate language, and holding a theme considered racist.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, again for sexism, racist content and "general inappropriateness." (We don't know what that means, either.)
The
Scary Stories series by Alvin Shwartz, these books allegidly have an 'occult based' theme and are too frightning for childern.
The Giver by Lois Lowry, for being violent, having an occultbased theme and for being sexualy explicit.
The Terrorist by Carpline Cooney for violence, and again for having an 'occult' oriented theme.