This year, Banned Books Week is centered around Young Adult books. “Young Adult books are challenged more frequently than any other type of book,” said Judith Platt, chair of the Banned Books Week National Committee. Most of the time this challenges are issued from parents who "claim" to be concerned for the students' delicate sensibilities. YA titles were on the list of the Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2014, according to the American Library Association.
The problem with parents trying to dictate what should and should not be read is two-fold: first, they are not educational professional who often (I know this may not be 100% of the time) vett the book to utilize for an educational purpose, and second, they don't just attempt to stop their own child from reading the book, but all the children. I have a major problem with both of these issues: please don't interfere with the learning process of every child in the class; while parents have a right to review what their child is being exposed to, they do not have that right for all the other children. Let those kids parents make those determinations for themselves. Additionally, unless you've had a frank and in-depth conversation with the educator about why the book was chosen, don't fly off the handle. Teachers are not out to harm students, but to expand their outlook on the world, which is often reflected in the challenged material.
So below I've highlighted EIGHT of my favorite recently banned Young Adult Books! Each is fantastic and really do have something to highlight for the reader about the real world we live in, even when set in a dystopian such as The Hunger Games or a murder-thriller such as I Hunt Killers.
