2009 Most Frequently Challenged Books List
The Office for Intellectual Freedom has released our list of the Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2009. You can find more information in the ALA press release about the 2009 list.
Lauren Myracle’s Internet girl series – ttyl, ttfn, and l8r g8r – tops the list, replacing the children’s book, And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, in the #1 spot. Tango had appeared at the top of the list for the prior three years in a row. Myracle’s series has been challenged for reasons that include nudity, sexually explicit, offensive language, and drugs.
New to the list this year are Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series and Jodi Piccoult’s My Sister’s Keeper.
OIF recorded a total of 460 challenges in 2009. For every challenge reported to OIF, however, we estimate that there are 4 or 5 challenges that go unreported. We continue to monitor challenge situations across the country, providing information and assistance to librarians and teachers facing attempts to remove or restrict materials in schools and libraries. The good news is that, thanks to the dedication of countless individuals, materials do remain accessible to users in a majority of cases. OIF thanks you for your work and commitment to defending the freedom to read!
Check out our challenges to library materials page for more information on how to report a challenge and get support from the Office for Intellectual Freedom.
Banned Books Week will be held September 25 through October 2, 2010.