PALIN AND The Most Challenged Books of 21st Century (2000-2005)

"And Tango Makes Three," by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell is the most challenged book in 2008. Reasons: Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint

Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin investigated banning books in her home town when she was mayor. Because of that and because of the 25th anniversary of Banned Books Week (September 23-30, 2006), the American Library Association (ALA) compiled the top 10 most challenged books from 2000-2005, with the Harry Potter series of books leading the pack. The 10 most challenged books of the 21st Century (2000-2005) are:

1. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
2. "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
3. Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
4. "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck
5. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
6. "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers
7. "It's Perfectly Normal" by Robie Harris
8. Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz
9. Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey
10. "Forever" by Judy Blume

All but three of these books were also in the top 10 of the most challenged books of the 1990s. The ALA reports there were more than 3,000 attempts to remove books from schools and public libraries between 2000 and 2005. Harry Potter tops list of most challenged books of 21st Century.

I am proud to say that I have three of those books in my library along with these that have also been challenged:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell