Top ten most frequently challenged books of 2002
Out of 515 challenges reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom
- Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling
Reasons: occult/Satanism, violence - Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Reasons: homosexuality, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group - The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence - Taming the Star Runner, by S.E. Hinton
Reason: offensive language - Captain Underpants, by Dav Pilkey
Reasons: offensive language, unsuited to age group - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
Reason: offensive language - Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
Reasons: occult/Satanism, offensive language, violence - Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor
Reason: offensive language - Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
Reasons: unsuited to age group, violence
OIF receives reports from libraries, schools, and the media on attempts to ban books and compiles this information into lists in order to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools. The ALA condemns censorship and works to ensure free access to information. For more information on ALA's efforts to condemn censorship, please explore Banned Books Week: Celebrating Your Freedom to Read.
The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) does not claim comprehensiveness in recording challenges. Research suggests that for each challenge reported there are as many as four or five which go unreported.
