Lauren Myracle and Judy Blume helped launch the banned books virtual read out sponsored by The Office of Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association. Every year banned books are celebrated during the last week of September.
According to the ALA’s list of Most Frequently Challenged Authors of the 21st Century, Judy Blume has made the list 7 out of the past 10 years and Lauren Myracle, whose first book was published in 2007, has made the list 3 out of the 4 years she was eligible. In February Publishers Weekly printed an article about Myracle calling her “this generations Judy Blume.”
Myracle’s work for tween and teen girls has kicked up a hornet’s nest of angry protest. Complaints about the Internet Girls series—three books written entirely in the truncated chat-speak of the online world—earned her a place on the American Library Association’s Top 10 Banned Books list for the last three years. A subsequent series aimed at a younger audience, Luv Ya Bunches, was temporarily banned from Scholastic Book Fairs because a main character’s parents were lesbians.
Judy Blume:
Censors never go after books unless kids already like them. I don’t think they even know to go after books until they know children are interested in reading this book. Therefore there must be something in it that is wrong.
All week new read-outs will be posted by authors and readers alike. Check the Banned Books Week YouTube Channel and www.bannedbooksweek.org daily for new videos! Banned Books Week will run from September 24th- October 1st. We will have more coverage about the most challenged/banned books next week.
What will you do to celebrate banned books?