Banned Books Week day 8!

This is the end of Banned Books Week and I thought I'd give you a couple of ideas to stay on top of the situation. Visit your local library, ask them if they have any challenged/banned books, and talk to them about it, see if another solution can be found. Volunteer to host a book club for adults and children reading one of the challenged/banned books and have a discussion. Take part and stay informed, maybe run for your school board to be an active participant in the process at that level. Loads of ideas to keep those books on the shelves.

I don't think I mentioned it, but this is my favorite solutions to a challenged book is to add to a library's collection so all viewpoints are covered, don't take them away and limit the flow of information. No one can make an informed opinion without having all sides of an issue.

Okay, I'm going to close this year with one last list of books - the 10 most frequently challenged books for 2006. They are:

1. "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, for homosexuality, anti-family, and unsuited to age group.

2. "Gossip Girls" series by Cecily Von Ziegesar for homosexuality, sexual content, drugs, unsuited to age group, and offensive language.

3. "Alice" series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for sexual content and offensive language.

4. "The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things" by Carolyn Mackler for sexual content, anti-family, offensive language, and unsuited to age group.

5. "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison for sexual content, offensive language, and unsuited to age group.

6. "Scary Stories" series by Alvin Schwartz for occult/Satanism, unsuited to age group, violence, and insensitivity.

7. "Athletic Shorts" by Chris Crutcher for homosexuality and offensive language.

8. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky for homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language, and unsuited to age group.

9. "Beloved" by Toni Morrison for offensive language, sexual content, and unsuited to age group.

10. "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier for sexual content, offensive language, and violence.

Next time you're stuck for something to read, try a challenged/banned book or one of these books and form your own opinion of the situation.

I always learn so much in preparing for this annual event, and this year there's been some great comments and experiences in return, thank you. The two contest winners [chosen randomly from all the commentors on Sunday] will receive $25 Amazon gift certificate and they are:

Again, thank you all for taking part, it is an important subject and one we shouldn't let pass us by without paying attention.

Happy reading everyone :-)

See you all next year September 27–October 4, 2008 for more.