Timeline entry for 2010: ttyl
We’re now onto 2010 of the timeline of banned and challenged books. Today’s featured book is “ttyl,” by Lauren Myracle.
Published in 2004, “ttyl” was the first book written entirely in the format of instant messaging — the title itself is a shorthand reference to “talk to you later” — and is the first book in Myracle’s “Internet Girls” series for young adults. It was challenged, but retained, in 2010 at the Ponus Ridge Middle School library in Norwalk, CT. Critics labeled its style as “grammatically incorrect” and objected to its language, sexual content, and questionable sexual behavior. “ttyl” ranked as ALA’s most frequently challenged book in 2009 and 2011.
For more information about Banned Books Week, please visit www.ala.org/bbooks.