Banned Books Week

What do these books have in common?

• 1984 by George Orwell
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
• The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
• Animal Farm by George Orwell
• Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
• Answers in the Pages by David Levithan
• Are You There, God? It's me, Margaret by Judy Blume
• Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King
• The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest Gaines
• Beloved by Toni Morrison
• Beyond the Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
• Blubber by Judy Blume
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker
• Dead Poet’s Society by N.H. Kelinbaum
• Deenie by Judy Blume
• Double Date by R.L. Stine
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
• Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
• The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them by the Freedom Writers
• Goosebumps (series) by R.L. Stone
• The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Seuss
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
• The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
• Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling
• Here's to You, Rachel Robinson by Judy Blume
• The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
• The Hunger Games (trilogy) by Suzanne Collins
• I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
• The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
• James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
• The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes
• A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
• The Lord of the Rings (series) by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
• Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez
• The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
• Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
• Posted by John David Anderson
• Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
• Sideways Stories from Wayside School (series) by Louis Sachar
• Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
• The Stupids Step Out by Harry Allard
• Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
• To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Twilight (series) by Stephenie Meyer
• Unwind (series) by Neal Shusterman
• Whoopi Goldberg: Her Journey from Poverty to Mega-Stardom by James Robert Parish
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
• You Can't Say That!: Writers for Young People Talk About Censorship, Free Expression, and the Stories They Have to Tell by Leonard S. Marcus, Matt de la Peña, and Robie H. Harris 

The answer is that they've all been on the American Library Association's list of Banned or Challenged Young Adult Books.

Banned Books Week

Established in 1982, Banned Books Week is celebrated annually to raise awareness about the importance of free speech and the right to read. It highlights books that have been challenged or banned in schools, libraries, and communities across the United States.

A book can be challenged and banned for a variety of reasons: the religious or political viewpoint, the topic of the book (race, gender identity, sexuality), or the content of the book (graphic violence, offensive language, sexual content, age appropriateness).

A book won't be considered for removal from shelves in LAUSD unless a committee is formed, the book is read and reviewed, and there is a consensus about whether or not to keep the book.

For other resources, go to the American Library Association. 

Banned Books Week at Palms

Each year, on Banned Books Week (usually the last week in September or first week in October), students in some Palms classes champion their right to read with discussions, signs, and posters promoting the reading of controversial books.

Quote

"You don't have to burn (or ban) books to destroy a culture, just get people to stop reading them."
          -- Ray Bradbury

Books Unbanned

Books Unbanned is a program of the Los Angeles Country Library.

It offers California students from age 13 to age 18 a free Books Unbanned card that gives them unlimited access to the Library's collection of eBooks and audiobooks. The collection includes many frequently-banned books.

Sign up on the Books Unbanned page.