Special Collections
ALA's Most Frequently Challenged Books of the 21st Century
Description: Explore the list of American Library Association's Most Frequently Challenged Books. Some titles are challenged multiple years. To learn more about challenges to books, visit ALA's website: http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10 #teens
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Summer of My German Soldier
by Bette GreeneIn Bette Greene's award-winning debut novel, a young Jewish girl in the postwar South finds herself drawn to a German prisoner of war
When the Army delivers a batch of Nazi prisoners of war to an internment camp in Jenkinsville, Arkansas, Patty Bergen is as anxious as any of her neighbors to get a glimpse of the monsters. The eldest child in the town's sole Jewish family, Patty is lonely and isolated, spending most of her time in the company of Ruth, her parents' black housekeeper. Then she meets Anton Reiker, an inmate in the camp. Even though he fought against the Allies, Anton seems to understand Patty in a way even her parents never have. When Anton escapes from the camp, Patty risks everything to keep him safe--but following her heart may come at a terrible price. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Bette Greene including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author's personal collection.
Taming the Star Runner
by S. E. HintonTravis is the epitome of cool, especially when he's in trouble. But when he's sent to stay at his uncle's ranch, he finds that his tough attitude doesn't make him any friends and his city survival skills are no match for the unforgiving land.
Thirteen Reasons Why
by Jay AsherClay Jenkins returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers 13 cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker -- his classmate and crush -- who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list. Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.
A New York Times Bestseller
Need Help? Or Know Someone Who Does? Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)
This Book Is Gay
by Juno DawsonLesbian. Bisexual. Queer. Transgender. Straight. Curious. This book is for everyone, regardless of gender or sexual preference. This book is for anyone who's ever dared to wonder. This book is for YOU. There's a long-running joke that, after "coming out," a lesbian, gay guy, bisexual, or trans person should receive a membership card and instruction manual. THIS IS THAT INSTRUCTION MANUAL. You're welcome.
Inside you'll find the answers to all the questions you ever wanted to ask: from sex to politics, hooking up to stereotypes, coming out and more. This candid, funny, and uncensored exploration of sexuality and what it's like to grow up LGBT also includes real stories from people across the gender and sexual spectrums, not to mention hilarious illustrations.
You will be entertained. You will be informed. But most importantly, you will know that however you identify (or don't) and whomever you love, you are exceptional. You matter. And so does this book.
This Book Is Gay
by Juno DawsonThe bestselling young adult non-fiction book on sexuality and gender!Lesbian. Gay. Bisexual. Transgender. Queer. Intersex. Straight. Curious. This book is for everyone, regardless of gender or sexual preference. This book is for anyone who's ever dared to wonder. This book is for YOU.This candid, funny, and uncensored exploration of sexuality and what it's like to grow up LGBTQ also includes real stories from people across the gender and sexual spectrums, not to mention hilarious illustrations.Inside this revised and updated edition, you'll find the answers to all the questions you ever wanted to ask, with topics like:Stereotypes—the facts and fictionComing out as LGBTWhere to meet people like youThe ins and outs of gay sexHow to flirtAnd so much more!You will be entertained. You will be informed. But most importantly, you will know that however you identify (or don't) and whomever you love, you are exceptional. You matter. And so does this book.This book is for:LGBTQIA+ teens, tweens, and adultsReaders looking to learn more about the LGBTQIA+ communityParents of gay kids and other LGBT youthEducators looking for advice about the LGBTQIA+ communityPraise for This Book is Gay:A Guardian Best Book of the Year2018 Garden State Teen Book Award Winner"The book every LGBT person would have killed for as a teenager, told in the voice of a wise best friend. Frank, warm, funny, USEFUL."—Patrick Ness, New York Times bestselling author"This egregious gap has now been filled to a fare-thee-well by Dawson's book."—Booklist *STARRED REVIEW*
To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper LeeHarper Lee's Pulitzer prize-winning masterwork of honor and injustice in the deep south--and the heroism of one man in the face of blind and violent hatred, available now for the first time as an e-book.
One of the best-loved stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, served as the basis for an enormously popular motion picture, and was voted one of the best novels of the twentieth century by librarians across the country.
A gripping, heart-wrenching, and wholly remarkable tale of coming-of-age in a South poisoned by virulent prejudice, it views a world of great beauty and savage inequities through the eyes of a young girl, as her father-a crusading local lawyer-risks everything to defend a black man unjustly accused of a terrible crime.
Tricks
by Ellen Hopkins"When all choice is taken from you, life becomes a game of survival." Five teenagers from different parts of the country. Three girls. Two guys. Four straight. One gay. Some rich. Some poor. Some from great families. Some with no one at all. All living their lives as best they can, but all searching...for freedom, safety, community, family, love. What they don't expect, though, is all that can happen when those powerful little words "I love you" are said for all the wrong reasons. Five moving stories remain separate at first, then interweave to tell a larger, powerful story -- a story about making choices, taking leaps of faith, falling down, and growing up. A story about kids figuring out what sex and love are all about, at all costs, while asking themselves, "Can I ever feel okay about myself?" A brilliant achievement from New York Times best-selling author Ellen Hopkins -- who has been called "the bestselling living poet in the country" by mediabistro.com -- Tricks is a book that turns you on and repels you at the same time. Just like so much of life.
TTYL
by Lauren MyracleThis book chronicles, in "instant message" format, the day-to-day experiences, feelings, and plans of three friends, Zoe, Maddie, and Angela, as they begin tenth grade.
Twilight
by Stephenie MeyerFall in love with the addictive, suspenseful love story between a teenage girl and a vampire with the book that sparked a "literary phenomenon" and redefined romance for a generation (New York Times).Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn.Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger.Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.It's here! #1 bestselling author Stephenie Meyer makes a triumphant return to the world of Twilight with the highly anticipated companion, Midnight Sun: the iconic love story of Bella and Edward told from the vampire's point of view."People do not want to just read Meyer's books; they want to climb inside them and live there." -- Time"A literary phenomenon." -- The New York Times
Two Boys Kissing
by David Levithan
In his follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Every Day, David Levithan, coauthor of bestsellers Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, crafts a novel that the Los Angeles Times calls "open, frank, and ultimately optimistic".
Based on true events--and narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS--Two Boys Kissing follows Harry and Craig, two seventeen-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record.
While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teens dealing with universal questions of love, identity, and belonging.
With Levithan's trademark sharp-witted, warm-hearted tales of teenage love, Two Boys Kissing will appeal to fans of Levithan's breakthrough debut, Boy Meets Boy, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2013.
A 2014 Lambda Literary Award Winner.
A 2014 Stonewall Honor Book.
Named to the 2013 National Book Award Longlist.
Uncle Bobby's Wedding
by Sarah S. Brannen and Sarah BrannenBobby and Jamie are getting married, but Bobby's niece Chloe is worried that she won't be his favorite person anymore. Will Uncle Bobby still think she is special?
Sarah Brannen's warm story is set in an alternative family as Uncle Bobby marries his boyfriend. Uncle Bobby's Wedding embraces Bobby's relationship with Jamie, but keeps its focus where it truly belongs: on an uncle and niece's love for each other. Beautifully told and charmingly illustrated, this simple yet moving story begs to be read time and again.
We All Fall Down
by Robert CormierThey entered the house at 9:02 P.M. and trashed their way through the Cape Cod cottage. At 9:46 P.M. Karen Jerome made the mistake of arriving home early. Thrown down the basement stairs, Karen slips into a coma. The trashers slip away.But The Avenger has seen it all.From the Paperback edition.
Whale Talk
by Chris CrutcherA varsity letter jacket: it's exclusive, nearly unattainable, revered . . . and everything that's screwed up about Cutter High, as far as T. J. Jones is concerned.
That's why T. J. is determined to have the Cutter All Night Mermen--the unlikeliest swim team a high school has ever seen--earn letter jackets of their own. It won't be easy.
For one thing, they don't even have a pool. They will fight for their dignity, they will fight with each other, and sometimes they will just fight. And then they will realize that a single moment can bring lifelong heartache or lifelong friendship.
For T. J. and his crew of misfits, the quest may be far more valuable than the reward.
What My Mother Doesn’t Know
by Sonya SonesComposed entirely of short poems in free verse, What My Mother Doesn't Know captures the ups and downs of Sophie's freshman year of high school and her first real romance.