I banned the bible from my house because it gives me the heebie jeebies during my satanic rituals.

The Color Purple is banned? What's wrong with this country?! The Color Purple speaks of the history of black people and our country! Shame on people!

I referred to, “Fahrenheit 451” in my last post. I wonder if anyone has read this Ray Bradbury book. To me, it says a LOT.
Read, comprehend, read some more, and educate yourself. THINK. Ask questions, lots of questions, and then form an opinion. BOOKS ARE GOOD.

This just seems bogus to me. Are parents really that protective of their children?? My daughter is two and I plan on reading her all kinds of books including books about what she is going through when puberty hits and God forbid if anything happened to one of our family members. I would find a book in her age group that would help her cope with it. I think some parents need to grow up and let their children find out for themselves what they like and what they don't. Or what they should learn and what they shouldn't.

Gabby,I agree with you about How to Eat Fried Worms. Maybe the complaining party was worried his/her child would consume worms or that his/her child would think that making bets was cool. Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs was banned cuz the Nana upstairs in the story died. The complaining person didn't want his/her child to know that people die. Alice in Wonderland was banned cuz Alice drank drugs!

Cougarmom3~I know you are right about why they bann some books. But How to Eat Fried Worms. I don't get that. It is a fiction book. Children need to know the difference.
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I just don't get this at all. Lets let our children watch Bugs Bunny and Spongebob (to me are more violent than any book) but let's not let them develop their minds by reading. I can't say this enough......THIS BUGS ME!!!!

Hannah, you're missing the point! Books were banned at different times in history because of their beliefs at the time. The Rabbits' Wedding (a picture book) was banned back in the '60s cuz a black rabbit married a white rabbit and they had bi-racial babies. The Magic Pebble (another picture book) was banned--probably also in the 60s or 70s cuz the policemen in the book were pigs dressed in police uniforms. It was a put down to policemen. How to Eat Fried worms probably was banned so kids wouldn't get ideas and challenge their friends to eat 15 worms in 15 days. When we look at banned books, we have to look at when they were written and what was going on at that time in history.

The ability to read and comprehend is a wonderful thing. Reading allows our own imaginations to blossom.
Reading, and my favorite, Mathematics, is the key to knowledge.
“Fahrenheit 451” comes to mind after reading the list. Just my opinion.
Thanks Stacy.

This really disturbes me. I know that kids should not be reading some books. But I think it really is up to them. When I was 13-14 years old I was reading Danielle Steel books. Granted her books are no where near violent but some of them have very "romantic" scenes. But I was mature enough to know that it was just a book. Same with Harry Potter. I started reading those when they first came out, think I was around 15 (not sure) they were great. They give children something to think about. Create their imagination. Oh no wait we don't want our children to have imaginations we want them surfing on the web all day instead of reading a good novel or a classic book. People are so irrating.

If you want to see some banned books come to the Beloit School District. The school board banned The Onion from the school in the fear it might offend.

It's no wonder that children today have no imagination. Heaven forbid they read a book, much less a classic. I don't know about any one else, but at a kid reading some of these books I knew the difference between fiction and non fiction....reality and fantasy...I was going to say, EVERYTHING is in the Bible....but that's a choice in reading....may be it should be a required reading...just a thought.

I read that bibles weren't banned in China-just large numbers of the books being brought in at once. You can bring in your own bible for personal use.
To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the best books ever.

Books are not written so that every single person in the US or the world will read them, they are written because the authour has a passion about something and wants to share it with other people that have the same passions, whether it be fiction or non-fiction. I don't think anyone should be able to tell people what novel they can or cannot write. If you don't like the title or the summary THEN DON"T READ IT!!!!! Simple as that.

Where's Waldo? by Martin Hanford
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Is this the book where you actually have to find Waldo or is there a novel or something named the same thing??? Cuz if this is the childrens book this list is ridiculous!

Oh and Of Mice and Men......I read this in my Senior Lit class...it was given to us by the teacher. What is wrong with it??? To me it was kinda boring, but that's just me!

Wow Harry Potter????? Don't let your child read the series but make sure you take him to the movies the day it opens so they can see it instead of imagine it. And Goosebumps......I had just about every single book that was made. They were make believe!!!!! Books (I believe) help your child learn the difference between reality and fiction. Or at least some. Why did they bann so many of Judy Blumes books??? I loved reading here when I was a teenager. It felt like at least someone in this world knew what I was going through!

ktaustin-
The list is books that have been challenged or banned in libraries and schools around the country. The ALA doesn't recommend that books be banned.
-Stacy Vogel

hockeyjockey....you are the man! I'd doubt that she has read too many books.

stupid- i agree worse on COMMERCIALS

Out of bounds...fouled out? Oh, please, people, get a grip.
First of all, my first comment was a joke. I forgot that humor, particularly political humor, has no place on Gazetteextra.com because too many people have no sense of humor. (Generally, the same kind of people who would ban books.)
I did NOT say "Sarah Palin banned books" or "I have in my hand a list of 100 card-carrying books that Sarah Palin banned..." Whoops, that was a Joseph McCarthy reference. Oh no, another political joke! I've just given everyone more ammo! Help, they're trying to crucify me! Oh no, I just quoted John Lennon! He's not political, but he's a Beatle, so it's just as bad. Aagh!
Oh, and by the way, Stacy, apologies for stirring up a pot on your blog by my poor attempt at humor. Thank you for bringing attention to Banned Book Week.
And I can see Russia from my house...

Good call Walker!
Hockeyjockey - you are out of bounds and you just fouled out of the game.

The Bible comes to mind. Not only is it effectively banned for teachers to use, but there are still many countries where it is banned outright, noteably China.

Why are you complaining about sex ed books being banned... the idea is for you to talk to your kids about it. Besides, I'm assuming this only affects school libraries, because I know I can get these titles at Hedberg.

Actually now that I've followed the link, I'm a little confused. Are these books that the ALA is recommending be banned, and the top 100 list is challenges to the ban, or are these the top 100 books that are challenged, as in people want them banned?

The list flying around the Internet is fake, but the fact that she inquired about doing it is true.

Judy Blume books teach about puberty like a book by Mohammed Atta would teach about flying an airplane.

Is that even true Hockeyjockey?

http://www.snopes.com/politics/palin/ban...

Hey, don't give Sarah Palin any ideas!!

Wow! I am so glad I read this. I can not believe that in this day and age we are afraid of what terrors could be learned from a Judy Blume book. This is insanity, alot of the books on the list are purely educational. Wouldn't it be a shame if parents had a reference guide to help them talk about puberty with there kids? The real question is why would I trust my kids will learn what they need about puberty and sex ed from a school that banned the books that help teach it. I own many of these books and will likely purchase many more.

I love Banned Books Week! To celebrate, I will set aside whatever I'm reading this week and read only banned books. I will read "Harriet the Spy," Huck Finn, "To Kill a Mockingbird," "James and the Giant Peach," "Julie of the Wolves" and "Catcher in the Rye." That should fill up the week nicely, and they are all on our shelves at home.

Hmmm. I see "Harriet the Spy" isn't on this list, but I've seen it in the past.

--Ann Marie

The youth of today see far more on tv, movies, and the internet that should be banned than what is found in some of these books! I too am a book lover. A book was my escape from some of the bad things in my childhood. A book was a new world for me. It was an adventure or at times a way to see things (through words) that I knew I would never get to see in real life.

That list is something else! I've read many of them, some a few times. I am greatful that I grew up in a house with parents who encouraged reading. Not once did they object to a book I was reading. It helped I was raised without a lot of television in our home. Of course no internet either back then. When you wanted to explore a new world, you picked up a book.

"Satanic Verses" comes to mind as a pretty famous banned book. Not only is it banned in all of the Muslim world, but I think those Islamic nut groups still have a $5 million bounty out for Salman Rushdie's head!