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BookLikes blogger at Bookish Blerd presents the top 10 challenged books of the last year and we had to share. Words have power!
A book is challenged when someone requests it to be removed from a library or notifies that access to a given title should be restricted. The OIF (the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom) each year shares a list of the top 10 most challenged books in the schools and libraries.
Here's a list of the top 10 of 2016 with a reason why it has been reported and banned.
This One Summer - Mariko Tamaki, Jillian Tamaki
Challenged because it includes LGBTQ characters, drug use, and profanity and was considered sexually explicit with mature themes.
Review 
:
I loved the artwork in this graphic novel; the portrayal of the characters all seemed so real. I especially loved the rendition of Windy, which perfectly captured that pudgy, just-before-puberty, before-you-start-to-get-self-conscious stage. Most of the story surrounds the dynamic between Windy and her friend Rose, who is maybe a year or two older than her... continue reading on A Reading Vocation blog ->
Challenged because it includes LGBTQ characters, was deemed sexually explicit, and was considered to have an offensive political viewpoint.
Review :
I see now why Raina Telgemeier has such a devoted fanbase. Drama was a great deal of fun and brought back a lot of fond memories of my own drama club experiences. Callie is in 7th grade and passionate about set design for her middle school's productions. Being of the age when you're drowning in a sea of hormones she spends a lot of her energy on thinking about certain cute guys in school and the chances she takes with those crushes don't always pan out the way she'd hope... continue reading on Books Read, Not Necessarily Well blog->
Challenged because it includes a transgender child, and the “sexuality was not appropriate at elementary levels.”
Review 
:
This is a touching story about a child trying to get people to accept her for who she is. Her struggle is presented in an age-appropriate way that while difficult at times, remains hopeful. The reason I became interested in this book is because a third-grade teacher at school was complaining about it. She didn't like that one of the students in her class was reading it. She came into the library to ask if we had the book and to point out that she thought it was inappropriate for third-graders. I looked into it and School Library Journal recommends it to grades 4-6, Kirkus Reviews says ages 9-12 and Publishers Weekly says ages 8-12. The student got the book from home so it wasn't really an issue. I am glad I read the book... continue reading on Reading is my ESCAPE from Reality! blog ->
Challenged because it portrays a transgender child and because of language, sex education, and offensive viewpoints.
Review :
I Am Jazz is a book that follows the story of a transgender girl (an individual born genetically as a male). This book is kid-friendly, stressing the importance of acceptance of all individuals no matter their back story. Because this book follows Jazz through her issues at school and also troubles with herself, this book is great for a classroom that might experience a child who is transgender. I would say this book would be great for any elementary school child... continue reading on Lit Block Book Blog ->
Two Boys Kissing - David Levithan
Challenged because its cover has an image of two boys kissing, and it was considered to include sexually explicit LGBTQ content.
Review :
This is an amazing inside look at the struggles of being gay in the past and present. The narrator is the collective voice of the gay generation during the AIDS epidemic. The storyline follows a cast of several gay teens in different walks of life during the age of the internet... continue reading on Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents blog ->
Looking for Alaska - John Green
Challenged for a sexually explicit scene that may lead students to “sexual experimentation.”
Review :
I finished this book this morning on the way to work. I don’t know why I like the book. Probably because it’s everything I wanted to experience as a teenager but never had the guts to. This book gave me my teenage years back and I liked it. Sure, the story is sad and the second half of the book plays out as some sort of teenage crisis but I feel as if I can relate to the characters. That’s what we want from a good book, to feel the characters as if they were real. No one is perfect and that’s what I liked from the character Pudge... continue reading on the AMAITKEN.COM Book Reviews blog ->
Big Hard Sex Criminals - Matt Fraction, Chip Zdarsky
Challenged because it was considered sexually explicit.
About the book:
Suzie's just a regular gal with an irregular gift: when she has sex, she stops time. One day she meets Jon and it turns out he has the same ability. And sooner or later they get around to using their gifts to do what we'd ALL do: rob a couple banks... continue reading->
Make Something Up: Stories You Can't Unread - Chuck Palahniuk
Challenged for profanity, sexual explicitness, and being “disgusting and all around offensive.”
Review :
I have a love/hate relationship with Chuck Palahniuk. I love him because he can somehow get away with writing the most offensive, politically incorrect, disgusting fiction ever. I hate him because I don’t feel smart enough to read his work. Somehow, I always have the feeling that he’s laughing at me...continue reading on the Read All The Things! Reviews blog->
The Meanest Thing To Say: A Little Bill Book for Beginning Readers - Bill Cosby
Challenged because of criminal sexual allegations against the author.
Review :
This one also had a good meaning behind it. No one has to submit to peer pressure, especially when it's being mean to each other. There are alternative paths to take, and those paths may change the way other people think as well... continue reading on a I'm A Book Shark blog ->
Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell
Challenged for offensive language.
Review :
I thought this novel was phenomenal. This novel is told in alternating chapters by Eleanor and Park. Both of these characters are two 16 year old teenagers living in Omaha in the 1980s. Park has an American father and Korean mother and except for those things comes from a home that could rival the Cleaver family at times. Park does his best to stay out of firing range from the cool kids on his bus. Feeling like a disappointment to his father and not very interested in girls he just likes to listen to music and read his comic books. Eleanor comes from a broken home and is finally after a year long absence allowed to return home to live with her mother... continue reading on Obsidian Blue blog ->
Keep on reading!
