Books Challenged or Banned in 2000–2001, by Robert P. Doyle

Books challenged, restricted, removed, or banned in 2000--2001 as reported in the Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom from May 2000 through March 2001.

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Allende, Isabel

The House of the Spirits

Knopf; Bantam

Retained on the summer reading lists for honors high school students at the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District, Calif. (2000) despite objections that the book is “immoral and sexually depraved.”

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Nov. 2000, p. 195; Mar. 2001, p. 76.

Allington, Richard

Once Upon A Hippo

Scott, Foresman

Challenged, but retained in the Gwinnett County, Ga. schools (2000). A parent challenged the title because of a reference to a character called Ngai, described as the “god of everything and everywhere.”

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, pp. 76-77; July 2000, p. 124.

Alvarez, Julia

In the Time of the Butterflies

Algonquin; Plume

Withdrawn from inclusion at the Paul D. Schreiber High School in Port Washington, N.Y. (2000) because of a drawing of a homemade bomb. The text preceding and following the handwritten diagram does not provide details or instructions. The novel was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1995 and named a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Jan. 2001, pp. 13-14.

Angelou, Maya

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Bantam

Challenged on the Poolesville High School, Md. (2000) reading list due to the book’s sexual content and language.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Nov. 2000, p. 196.

Go Ask Alice

Avon; Prentice-Hall

Retained as optional reading for eighth graders at Rice Avenue Middle School in Girard, Pa. (2000). A grandmother found the book offensive because it contains “filth and smut” that she didn’t want her granddaughters reading.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 92.

Anthony, Piers

Question Quest

Morrow

Removed from the mandatory reading program at the Norman L. Sullivan Middle School in Bonsall, Calif. (2000) due to sexually explicit language.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 76.

Atwood, Margaret

The Handmaid’s Tale

Fawcett; Houghton; Simon; Hall

Downgraded from “required” to “optional” on the summer reading list for eleventh graders in the Upper Moreland, Pa. School District (2000) due to “age-inappropriate” subject matter.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Sept. 2000, p. 145.

Avi

The Fighting Ground

Harper; Lippincott

Retained as part of the John Fuller School curriculum in Conway, N.H. (2000), despite a complaint by a resident calling himself a concerned Christian.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Jan. 2001, p. 37; Mar. 2001, p. 75.

Bauer, Marion Dane, ed.

Am I Blue?: Coming out from the Silence

HarperCollins

Challenged, but retained at the Fairfield, Iowa Middle School and High School libraries (2000) despite objections to sexually explicit passages, including a sexual encounter between two girls.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2000, p. 62; May 2000, p. 91.

Block, Francesca Lia

Baby Be-Bop

HarperCollins

Removed from the mandatory reading program at the Norman L. Sullivan Middle School in Bonsall, Calif. (2000) due to sexually explicit language.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 76.

Bloom, Harold, ed.

Modern Critical Views: James Baldwin

Chelsea House Pubs.

Removed in the Southern Columbia School District in Elysburg, Pa. (2000) because of concerns about sexual references and foul language in a single passage.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, July 2000, p. 104.

Capote, Truman

In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and its Consequences

Modern Library; Random; Vintage; G.K. Hall; Transaction

Banned, but later reinstated after community protests at the Windsor Forest High School in Savannah, Ga. (2000). The controversy began in early 1999 when a parent complained about sex, violence, and profanity in the book that was part of an advanced placement English class.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2001, p. 75.

Cody, Robin

Ricochet River

Knopf

Retained by the West Linn-Wilsonville School Board in Wilsonville, Oreg. (2000) despite objections that the book contains explicit depictions of teenage sexual encounters without explanation of the consequences.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Jan. 2001, p. 36.

Conroy, Pat

The Lords of Discipline

Bantam

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2000, p. 63; Mar. 2001, p. 76.

Cooney, Caroline

The Terrorist

Scholastic, Inc.

Retained in Rockville, Md. (2000) on Montgomery County middle school reading lists, over objections that the book is anti-Arab. Challenged, but retained at the Franklin Middle School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (2000) despite objections that the book negatively portrays the Islamic religion and Arabs. The book is on the Iowa Teen Award list.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 77; Jan. 2001, p. 35.

Cormier, Robert

After the First Death

Pantheon

Challenged, but retained in the Manchester, Conn. curriculum (2000) despite charges that the book is “offensively graphic in its descriptions of violence, terrorism, and suicidal thoughts.” Challenged, but retained on the Liberty High School ninth-grade gifted and talented reading list in Fauquier, Va. (2000). Opponents of the book charged that it was too violent and treated suicide in a cavalier manner. Other parents cited inappropriate sexual content or gender stereotyping.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 92; Sept. 2000, p. 145.

Cormier, Robert

Beyond the Chocolate War

Knopf

Retained as optional reading for eighth graders at Rice Avenue Middle School in Girard, Pa. (2000). A grandmother found the book offensive and didn't want her granddaughters reading it.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 92.

Cormier, Robert

The Chocolate War

Dell; Pantheon

Challenged in York County, Va. (2000) due to sexually explicit language. Retained as optional reading for eighth graders at Rice Avenue Middle School in Girard, Pa. (2000). A grandmother found the book offensive and didn’t want her granddaughters reading it. Challenged on the eighth-grade reading list of the Lancaster, Mass. School District (2000), due to the book’s language and content. Challenged at a Beaver Local Board of Education meeting in Lisbon, Ohio (2001) as a “pornographic” book that should be removed from high school English classes.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, pp. 78, 92; Sept. 2000, pp. 144-45; Mar. 2001, pp. 43, 57.

Cormier, Robert

We All Fall Down

Dell

Restricted in Arlington, Tex. middle and high schools to students who have written parental permission, due to concerns over violent content. Removed from the Carver Middle School library in Leesburg, Fla. (2000) after parents complained about the book’s content and language. Challenged in the Tamaqua, Pa. Area School District (2001) because the book “might not be appropriate for younger schoolmates.”

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 75; July 2000, p. 103; Mar. 2001, p. 54.

Duncan, Lois

Daughters of Eve

Little

Removed from the Fairfax County, Va. middle school libraries and classrooms (2000) because “it promotes risky behavior and violence and also seeks to prejudice young vulnerable minds on several issues.”

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, July 2000, p. 105.

Escoffier, Jeffrey

John Maynard Keynes

Chelsea House Pubs.

Removed from the Anaheim, Calif. school district (2000) because school officials said the book is too difficult for middle school students and that it could cause harassment against students seen with it. The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California filed suit in Doe v. Anaheim Union High School District alleging that the removal is “a pretext for viewpoint-based censorship.” The ACLU claims no other books have been removed from the junior high library for similar reasons, even though several, such as works by Shakespeare and Dickens, are more difficult reading. The ACLU contends that the school officials engaged in unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination by removing the book because it contains gay and lesbian material.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2001, p. 53.

Follett, Ken

The Hammer of Eden

Random; Crown; Fawcett

Challenged at the Great Falls, Mont. High School library (2000). Parents called for the review of all library books and the adoption of stricter rules to keep “obscenity” off library shelves.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2001, p. 54.

Gaines, Ernest

A Lesson Before Dying

Knopf; Vintage

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2000, p. 63; Mar. 2001, p. 76.

Gettings, Fred

Dictionary of Demons

Trafalgar Square Pub.

Moved out of the circulating collection of the Northwood, Ohio High School library (2000) because of concerns that the book promotes the occult.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 75.

Gilstrap, John

Nathan’s Run

HarperCollins; Warner

Challenged in the Everett, Wash. School District (2000) due to sexual explicitness and violence.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Sept. 2000, p. 144.

Ginsberg, Allen

Howl and Other Poems

City Lights.

Prohibited in the Jacksonville, Fla. Forrest High School advanced placement English class (2000) because of descriptions of homosexual acts. The class syllabus warns students and parents that some people might find the reading objectionable and offers an alternative assignment. The prohibition led to the review of all materials taught in the class.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Jan. 2001, p. 12.

Guterson, David

Snow Falling on Cedars

Harcourt; Thorndike Pr.; Vintage

Restricted by the South Kitsap, Wash. School District board (2000) after critics complained about the book’s sexual content and profanity. After being approved by committees at the high school and district levels, the book was being considered for the district’s approved reading list for high school students. Students are not required to read listed books of which they or their parents disapprove.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, July 2000, p. 106.

Harris, Robie H.

It’s Perfectly Normal: A Book about Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health

Candlewick Pr.

Challenged in the Holland, Mass. Public Library (2000) due to its sexually explicit content. The book was moved from the children’s to the adult section of the library. Challenged at the Marion County, Fla. Public Library (2001). Critics called the book pornographic and demanded it be permanently removed from the library or placed in a special restricted-access area.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Sept. 2000, p. 143; Mar. 2001, p. 54.

Hegi, Ursula

Stones from the River

Scribner; Simon

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2000, p. 63; Mar. 2001, p. 76.

Hinton, S. E.

The Outsiders

Dell; Viking

Challenged at the George Washington Middle School in Eleanor, W.Va. (2000) due to objections to the focus on gangs and gang fights.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, July 2000, p. 106.

Hinton, S. E.

Tex

Dell

Restricted by the Central Dauphin school board in Harrisburg, Pa. (2000) due to graphic language.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Sept. 2000, p. 144.

Hitler, Adolf

Mein Kampf

Houghton

The publisher of the first unabridged Czech edition received a three-year suspended sentence for promoting Nazism. Czech police seized some 300 copies of the book.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2001, p. 62.

Huxley, Aldous

Brave New World

Harper

Removed from the Foley, Ala. High School library (2000) pending review, because a parent complained that its characters showed contempt for religion, marriage, and the family. The parent complained to the school and to Alabama Governor Don Siegelman.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Nov. 2000, p. 193; Jan. 2001, p. 11.

Irving, John

A Prayer for Owen Meany

Ballantine; Morrow

Challenged in the Kanawha County, W.Va. high schools (2000) as “pornographic, offensive and vulgar.” The novel is on the county book list for suggested reading material for the eleventh and twelfth grades.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, July 2000, p. 106.

Kellogg, Steven

Pinkerton, Behave!

Dial

Challenged, but retained at the Elm Tree Elementary School library in Benton, Ark. (2000) despite the objections to a character in the book holding a gun.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Jan. 2001, p. 35.

Kenan, Randall

James Baldwin

Chelsea House Pubs.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2001, p. 53.

Kesey, Ken

One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest

NAL; Penguin; Viking

Challenged in the Placentia-Yorba Linda, Calif. Unified School District (2000) after complaints by parents stated that teachers “can choose the best books, but they keep choosing this garbage over and over again.”

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2001, p. 55.

Klein, Norma

Just Friends

Fawcett

Removed from the mandatory reading program at the Norman L. Sullivan Middle School in Bonsall, Calif. (2000) due to sexually explicit language.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 76.

Koertge, Ronald

Where the Kissing Never Stopped

Atlantic Monthly Pr.

Retained as optional reading for eighth graders at Rice Avenue Middle School in Girard, Pa. (2000). A grandmother found the book offensive and didn’t want her granddaughters reading it.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 92.

Letts, Billie

Where the Heart Is

G. K. Hall; Warner

Challenged in the Tamaqua, Pa. Area School District (2001) because the book “might not be appropriate for younger schoolmates.”

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2001, p. 54.

Levenkron, Steven

The Best Little Girl in the World

Contemporary Books

Retained as optional reading for eighth graders at Rice Avenue Middle School in Girard, Pa. (2000). A grandmother found the book offensive and didn’t want her granddaughters reading it.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 92.

Llywelyn, Morgan

Druids

Morrow

Challenged at Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax County, Va. (2000) due to its depictions of oral sex and rape.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Sept. 2000, pp. 145-46.

Martin, W. K.

Marlene Dietrich

Chelsea House Pubs.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2001, p. 53.

Martinac, Paula

k. d. lang

Chelsea House Pubs.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2001, p. 53.

Mathabane, Mark

Kaffir Boy

NAL

Removed from sophomore reading list at Armijo High School in Fairfield, Calif. (2000) due to its sexual content.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Nov. 2000, p. 195.

McCullers, Carson

Member of the Wedding

Houghton

Challenged in the Tamaqua, Pa. Area School District (2001) because the book “might not be appropriate for younger schoolmates.”

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2001, p. 54.

Merriam, Eve

Halloween ABC

Macmillan

Challenged, but retained in the Wellsville, N.Y. elementary school library (2000) despite complaints the book promotes violence.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2001, p. 75.

Merriam, Eve

The Inner City Mother Goose

Simon & Schuster/Touchstone

Removed from the Whitney Point, N.Y. middle school library (2000) after a parent complained about its language and content.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, July 2000, p. 104.

Meyer, Michael, ed.

Bedford Introduction to Literature

St. Martin

The Paxon School for Advanced Studies in Jacksonville, Fla. (2000) principal authorized teachers to cut out the play Angels in America from the textbook. The Duval County School Board first banned the play three years ago after learning that it was being used in a class at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. The play is the first half of Tony Kushner’s work depicting the United States in the 1980s as the AIDS epidemic began to spread. It won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for drama and several Tony awards, including best play.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2001, p. 56.

Mishima, Yukio

The Sound of Waves

Putnam

Challenged in the Newark, Calif. Unified School District (2001) because the book is sexually explicit.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2001, p. 55.

Morrison, Toni

Sula

Knopf

Challenged on the Poolesville High School, Md. (2000) reading list because of the book’s sexual content and language. On Oct. 5, 2000, Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Paul McGuckian dismissed the bid to ban the work from the curriculum. The school, however, decided to remove the book from the summer reading list.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Nov. 2000, p. 196; Jan. 2001, pp. 36-37.

Mungo, Raymond

Liberace

Chelsea House Pubs.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2001, p. 53.

Myers, Walter Dean

Fallen Angels

Scholastic

Challenged, but retained in the Arlington, Tex. school district’s junior high school libraries (2000) despite a parent’s complaint that the book’s content was too strong for younger students.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Jan. 2001, p. 36.

Myers, Walter Dean

Hoops

Dell

Challenged but retained in Vanlue, Ohio (2000) High School English classes despite objections that the book is evil and depicts drugs, alcohol, and sex.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, July 2000, p. 125.

Nelson, O. T.

The Girl Who Owned a City

Runestone Pr.; Lerner Pubs.

Challenged in the Fort Fairfield, Maine schools (2000) because the book promotes violence, including explaining how to make a Molotov cocktail.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, July 2000, p. 104.

Nunokawa, Jeff

Oscar Wilde

Chelsea House Pubs.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2001, p. 53.

O’Brien, Sharon

Willa Cather

Chelsea House Pubs.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2001, p. 53.

O’Brien, Tim

The Things They Carried

Broadway Bks.; Houghton

Challenged, but retained at the Pennridge, Pa. high school (2000) despite a protest of the book’s strong language. O’Brien was a finalist for the 1990 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Jan. 2001, p. 37.

O’Connor, Flannery

The Complete Stories

Noonday Pr.

Prohibited at the Opelousas, La. Catholic High School (2000) by Bishop Edward J. O’Donnell of Lafayette, La. along with any “similar book.” Some parents protested when they saw the word “nigger” in the collection of short stories assigned for the summer reading of students after their junior year.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Jan. 2001, p. 13.

Parish, James Robert

Whoopi Goldberg: Her Journey from Poverty to Mega-Stardom

Carol Pub. Group.

Retained in the Muskego-Norway, Wis. School District (2000) after a challenge of the book because it contains vulgar language.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, July 2000, p. 105; Nov. 2000, p. 216.

Pelzer, Dave

A Child Called It

Health Communications; Omaha Pr. Pub. Co.

Removed from the Sussex, Del. Central Middle School (2000) until the committee completes its review because of the book’s profanity and violence.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, July 2000, p. 105.

Pike, Christopher

Bury Me Deep

Archway

Removed from the Nampa, Idaho West Middle School (2000) due to its violence and sexual content.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 74.

Pike, Christopher

Chain Letter 2

Flare

Removed from the Nampa, Idaho West Middle School (2000) due to its violence and sexual content.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 74.

Pike, Christopher

Last Act

Archway

Removed from the Nampa, Idaho South Middle School (2000) due to its violence and sexual content.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 74.

Pike, Christopher

The Listeners

Tor Bks.

Removed from the Nampa, Idaho West Middle School (2000) due to its violence and sexual content.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 74.

Pike, Christopher

The Lost Mind

Pocket Bks.

Removed from the Nampa, Idaho West Middle School (2000) due to its violence and sexual content.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 74.

Pike, Christopher

The Midnight Club

Pocket Bks.

Removed from the Nampa, Idaho West Middle School (2000) due to its violence and sexual content.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 74.

Pike, Christopher

Remember Me 3

Pocket Bks.

Removed from the Nampa, Idaho West Middle School (2000) due to its violence and sexual content.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 74.

Pike, Christopher

The Star Group

Archway

Removed from the Nampa, Idaho West Middle School (2000) due to its violence and sexual content.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 74.

Pike, Christopher

Witch

Archway

Removed from the Nampa, Idaho West Middle School (2000) due to its violence and sexual content.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 74.

Pilkey, Dav

Adventures of Captain Underpants

Blue Sky Pr.

Removed from the Maple Hill School in Naugatuck, Conn. (2000) due to concerns that it caused unruly behavior among children.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 73.

Pomeroy, Wardell B.

Boys and Sex

Delacorte

Challenged in the Charlotte, N.C. Public Library (2000) because of its sexual content.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Sept. 2000, p. 143.

Pomeroy, Wardell B.

Girls and Sex

Delacorte

Challenged in the Charlotte, N.C. Public Library (2000) because of its sexual content.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Sept. 2000, p. 143.

Reynolds, Marilyn

Detour for Emmy

Morning Glory Pr.

Removed from Dysart Unified School District libraries, Dysart, Ariz., (2000) for its portrayal of teenage pregnancy.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 73.

Rodgers, Mary

Freaky Friday

Harper; ABC-CLIO

Pulled from the library shelves of Hernando County, Fla. schools (2000) based on a parent’s complaint about the book’s references to drinking and smoking, characters who take God’s name in vain, and the claim that it advocates violence.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2001, p. 53.

Rowling, J. K.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Scholastic

Challenged in Bend, Oreg. at the Three Rivers Elementary School (2000) due to references to witchcraft and concerns the book will lead children to hatred and rebellion. Challenged in the Salamanca, N.Y. elementary school libraries (2000) because a family complained about the book’s dark themes. Retained at Orange Grove Elementary School in Whittier, Calif. (2000); it was challenged for dealing with magic and bad experiences. Challenged in six Santa Rosa County schools in Pace, Fla. (2000) for its presentation of witchcraft. Retained in the Durham School District, Ont., Canada (2000) after a challenge of the series because of concerns about witchcraft. Challenged, but retained in Arab, Ala. school libraries and accelerated reader programs (2000) over objections that the author “is a member of the occult and the book encourages children to practice witchcraft.” Challenged in the Fresno, Calif. Unified School District classrooms (2000) by a religious group voicing concerns about sorcery and witchcraft. Restricted to students with parental permission in the Santa Fe, Tex. School District (2000) because critics say the book promotes witchcraft. Challenged, but retained in the Newfound Area School District in Bristol, N.H. (2000) despite an objection that the book “is scary.“ Banned from the Christian Outreach College library in Queensland, Australia (2000) because the book was considered violent and dangerous.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 77; July 2000, p. 124; Sept. 2000, pp. 165-66; Nov. 2000, pp. 193-94, 216; Jan. 2001, pp. 11, 12, 13, 15; Mar. 2001, pp. 43, 62, 75.

Rowling, J. K.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Scholastic

Challenged in six Santa Rosa County schools in Pace, Fla. (2000) for its presentation of witchcraft. Retained in the Durham School District, Ont., Canada (2000) after a challenge of the series because of concerns about witchcraft. Challenged, but retained in Arab, Ala. school libraries and accelerated reader programs (2000) over objections that the author “is a member of the occult and the book encourages children to practice witchcraft.” Challenged in the Fresno, Calif. Unified School District classrooms (2000) by a religious group voicing concerns about sorcery and witchcraft. Restricted to students with parental permission in the Santa Fe, Tex. school district (2000) because critics say the book promotes witchcraft. Challenged, but retained in the Newfound Area School District in Bristol, N.H. (2000) despite an objection the book “is scary.” Banned from the Christian Outreach College library in Queensland, Australia (2000) because the book was considered violent and dangerous.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Nov. 2000, pp. 193-94, 216; Jan. 2001, pp. 11, 12, 13, 15; Mar. 2001, pp. 43, 62, 75.

Rowling, J. K.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Scholastic

Challenged in Bend, Oreg. at the Three Rivers Elementary School (2000) due to references to witchcraft and concerns the book will lead children to hatred and rebellion. Challenged in the Salamanca, N.Y. elementary school libraries (2000) because a family complained about the book's dark themes. Retained at Orange Grove Elementary School in Whittier, Calif. (2000); it was challenged for dealing with magic and bad experiences. Challenged in six Santa Rosa County schools in Pace, Fla. (2000) for its presentation of witchcraft. Retained in the Durham School District, Ont., Canada (2000) after a challenge of the series because of concerns about witchcraft. Challenged, but retained in Arab, Ala. school libraries and accelerated reader programs (2000) over objections that the author “is a member of the occult and the book encourages children to practice witchcraft.” Challenged in the Fresno, Calif. Unified School District classrooms (2000) by a religious group voicing concerns about sorcery and witchcraft. Restricted to students with parental permission in the Santa Fe, Tex. School District (2000) because critics say the book promotes witchcraft. Challenged, but retained in the Newfound Area School District in Bristol, N.H. (2000) despite an objection that the book “is scary.” Banned from the Christian Outreach College library in Queensland, Australia (2000) because the book was considered violent and dangerous.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 77; July 2000, p. 124; Sept. 2000, pp. 165-66; Nov. 2000, pp. 193-94, 216; Jan. 2001, pp. 11, 12, 13, 15; Mar. 2001, pp. 43, 62, 75.

Rowling, J. K.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Scholastic

Challenged in Bend, Oreg. at the Three Rivers Elementary School (2000) due to references to witchcraft and concerns the book will lead children to hatred and rebellion. Challenged in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa school libraries (2000) because the book romantically portrays witches, warlocks, wizards, goblins, and sorcerers. Challenged in the Salamanca, N.Y. elementary school libraries (2000) because a family complained about the book’s dark themes. Retained at Orange Grove Elementary School in Whittier, Calif. (2000); it was challenged for dealing with magic and bad experiences. Challenged in six Santa Rosa County schools in Pace, Fla. (2000) for its presentation of witchcraft. Retained in the Durham School District, Ont., Canada, (2000) after a challenge of the series because of concerns about witchcraft. Challenged, but retained in Arab, Ala. school libraries and accelerated reader programs (2000) over objections that the author “is a member of the occult and the book encourages children to practice witchcraft.” Challenged in the Fresno, Calif. Unified School District classrooms (2000) by a religious group voicing concerns about sorcery and witchcraft. Challenged in the Fresno, Calif. Unified School District classrooms (2000) by a religious group voicing concerns about sorcery and witchcraft. Restricted to students with parental permission in the Santa Fe, Tex. School District (2000) because critics say the book promotes witchcraft. Challenged, but retained in the Newfound Area School District in Bristol, N.H. (2000) despite an objection that the book “is scary.” Banned from the Christian Outreach College library in Queensland, Australia (2000) because the book was considered violent and dangerous.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 77; July 2000, pp. 104, 124; Sept. 2000, pp. 165-66; Nov. 2000, pp. 193-94, 216; Jan. 2001, pp. 11, 12, 13, 15; Mar. 2001, pp. 43, 62, 75.

Sachar, Louis

Marvin Redpost: Is He a Girl?

Random

Challenged in the New Lenox, Ill. elementary school (2000) because its young hero plays with girls and dreams that he wears a dress to baseball practice.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, July 2000, p. 104.

Salinger, J. D.

Catcher in the Rye

Bantam; Little

Challenged, but retained on the shelves of Limestone County, Ala. school district (2000) despite objections about the book’s foul language. Banned, but later reinstated after community protests at the Windsor Forest High School in Savannah, Ga. (2000). The controversy began in early 1999 when a parent complained about sex, violence, and profanity in the book that was part of an advanced placement English class.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 91; July 2000, p. 123; Mar. 2001, p. 76.

Santiago, Esmeralda

When I Was Puerto Rican

Addison-Wesley; Vintage

Challenged in the Newark, Calif. Unified School District (2001) because the book is sexually explicit.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2001, p. 55.

Schwartz, Alvin

And the Green Grass Grew All Around

HarperCollins Pub.

Removed from elementary and middle school library shelves by the Central Dauphin school board in Harrisburg, Pa. (2000) due to its explicit language.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Sept. 2000, p. 144.

Sherman, Josepha and Weisskopf, T. K. F.

Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts

August House Pubs.

Retained in the collection of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library in Kingston, Ont., Canada (2000). It had been challenged as unsuitable for children.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Sept. 2000, p. 165.

Snyder, Jane McIntosh

Sappho

Chelsea House Pubs.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2001, p. 53.

Speare, Elizabeth George

The Sign of the Beaver

Houghton

Challenged in a Pinellas County, Fla. elementary school (2000) for use of the word “squaw” to refer to Native American women.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 2000, p. 76.

Twain, Mark [Samuel L. Clemens]

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Bantam; Bobbs-Merrill; Grosset; Harper; Holt; Houghton; Longman; Macmillan; NAL; Norton; Penguin; Pocket Bks.

Challenged, but retained in the Enid, Okla. schools (2000). The novel was previously removed from the curriculum in Enid in 1977 after similar protests. It was returned to the required reading list in 1991. Challenged in the Kankakee, Ill. School District (2001) because the book uses the word “nigger.”

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2000, p. 52; July 2000, p. 125; Mar. 2001, p. 57.

Vonnegut, Kurt

Slaughterhouse-Five

Dell; Dial

Removed as required reading for sophomores at the Coventry, R. I. High School (2000) after a parent complained that it contained vulgar language, violent imagery, and sexual content.

Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Jan. 2001, p. 14.