Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Did You Know Tuesday: Banned Book Week

Like you, I am a reader.  My early memories including reading Little Golden Books, going to the library, falling in love with series like the Betsy-Tacy books, Nancy Drew mysteries, and the Little House on the Prairie books.

My favorite genres to read now are children's books (still/always), mysteries, and historical fiction.  One of these genres frequently contains banned books.  Sadly, that category is children's books and young adult novels.

The top 10 banned books for 2014 were:

1)      The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
2)      Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
3)      And Tango Makes Three, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
4)      The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
5)      It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
6)      Saga, by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples
7)      The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
8)      The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
9)      A Stolen Life, Jaycee Dugard
10)    Drama, by Raina Telgemeier

A few of the classic children's books that frequently appear on banned book lists include:

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Witches by Roald Dahl
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Forever by Judy Blume
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katharine Patterson 

Banned Book Week was founded in 1982 by First Amendment activist Judith Krug.  It was designed as a way to promote intellectual freedom in libraries, schools, and bookstores.  You can find out more at the official Banned Books Week site. The site includes a great list of events (state by state) including read ins, panel discussions, and celebrations of books.

As a reader, I encourage you to find out more about Banned Book Week and celebrate your freedom to read!  Are you doing anything to celebrate Banned Book Week?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.