Washington Talking Book
& Braille Library

Administered by the Washington State Library

Bonus Recommended Reads for Children & Young Adults - Read Banned Books!


Think for Yourself and Let Others do the Same
Banned or challenged books 2009/2010

Title

Author

Book #

Annotation

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian

 

Alexie, Sherman.

 

BRW01271

DB065403

LP023368

RC065403

Spokane Indian Reservation. Fourteen-year-old Junior--beset with physical problems caused by brain damage--transfers to an all-white town school. Called a traitor by his best friend and Tonto by his new classmates, Junior uses humor and wit to bridge the cultural divide. Some strong language. For junior and senior high readers. 2007.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

 

Angelou, Maya

 

BR015665

DB057200

RC024959

Collection of warm, joyful, raging, and proud poems that reflect the sense of life, love, and loneliness.

Twisted

Anderson, Laurie Halse

 

BR017488

DB065247

LP023169

RC065247

Bullied Tyler Miller becomes infamous after vandalizing the school and being sentenced to community service. Returning for senior year, Tyler is accused of posting a classmate's nude pictures on the Internet. Life spirals downward until Tyler takes charge--at home and at school. Some strong language. For senior high readers. 2007

Baby Be-Bop

Block, Francesca Lia

 

DB043313

In this companion to Weetzie Bat (RC 37026), sixteen-year-old Dirk McDonald comes to terms with being gay. He is consumed with self-loathing because of his unrequited love for his best friend. While recuperating from a savage beating, Dirk is comforted by surreal visitations from his deceased parents. Some strong language. For senior high and older readers.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

 

Chbosky, Stephen

 

BR012551

In 1991 Charlie is a high school freshman, reeling from his only friend's recent suicide. In a series of letters, the overly sensitive and intelligent Charlie describes making friends with two seniors, who are step-siblings, and growing up with their help. For senior high and older readers. 1999.

Deadline

 

Crutcher, Chris

 

BR017545

DB065481

RC065481

Eighteen-year-old Ben Wolf hides his terminal illness from family and friends during his senior year of high school. Since he is now able to live without fearing consequences, Ben allows himself to fall in love, argue with a teacher, and play football. Some strong language. For senior high readers. 2007.

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

Frank, Anne

 

BR010113

DB057022

LP001002

RC040424

A girl of 15 kept this journal while living in hiding with other Jews in Amsterdam during the most oppressive years of World War II.  Tender, tragic and sometimes funny, it is a record of adolescence by an unusually articulate writer.

The Dead Man in Indian Creek

 

Hahn, Mary Downing

 

RC036604

PARKER AND MATT, Both twelve, decide to camp out one last time before it becomes too cold and stumble upon a dead man. Parker swears he saw George Evans- --his widowed mother’s boyfriend and his least favorite person—at the scene of the crime. Thus begins aperil- laden adventure that includes a cocaine ring in which parker’s mother and George are involved. For grades 5-7 and older readers. 1990

Geography Club

 

Hartinger, Brent

 

DBW08034

Russel and other closeted gay students from the "Geography Club" at their intolerant small-town high school as a way for getting together in secret to talk.  They welcome several straight kids, too, who feel pushed out and pushed around in the sometimes mean social scene.  Through his rise to popularity as a "straight" jock and his fall to exile as "the gay kid," Russel learns about love, betrayal, cruelty and forgiveness.  He figures out what kind of person he wants to be.  Some strong language.  High School.  2003.

To Kill a Mockingbird

 

Lee, Harper

 

BR009237

RC036414

LP020269

DB036414

Lawyer, Atticus Finch, defends a black man charged with the rape of a white woman.  Through the eyes of Finch's children, this novel explores the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s.

Vampire Academy series

 

Mead, Richelle

 

DB068486

RC068486

After two years in hiding, seniors Rose and Lissa are dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy. Vampire princess Lissa must learn to control her magic, while Rose's impetuous behavior hinders her status as Lissa's guardian. Violence, descriptions of sex, and some strong language. For senior high and older readers.    2007.

Twilight series

 

Meyer, Stephenie H.

 

BR018146

LP025009

RC062066

DB062066

Bella goes to live with her Dad, a sheriff in Forks, WA. She's immediately drawn to Edward, a  pale, gorgeous classmate, who associates only with his equally odd siblings. When he saves her from being hit by a truck, it's clear that his abilities are more than human. Despite warnings, Bella is drawn into a world of constant danger. Some violence. High school readers. 2005.

And Tango Makes Three

Richardson, Justin, and Peter Parnell

 

CBA07849

At New York City's Central Park Zoo, two male penguins fall in love and start a family by sharing the care of an abandoned egg and its hatchling. Kindergarten-grade 3. 2005.

The Bookseller of Kabul

Seierstad, Åsne

 

DB057814

Intimate portrait of Afghani bookseller Sultan Khan and his family by an award-winning Norwegian journalist who lived with them in the spring of 2002 after the Taliban fell. Depicts the experiences of Khan's children and two wives in a strict Muslim household as their nation recovers from war. 2002.

Unwind

 

Shusterman, Neal

 

DB066918

RC066918

In a future world, parents may "unwind," or disassemble, their offspring between the ages of thirteen and eighteen to harvest their body parts for others' use. Teens Connor, Risa, and Lev fight to uphold their beliefs and perhaps save their own lives. For junior and senior high readers. 2007.

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies

 

Sones, Sonya

 

BR015850

After her mother's death, fifteen-year-old Ruby leaves Boston and reluctantly moves to California where her father is a famous actor. Ruby has trouble adapting but gradually accepts the change while learning family secrets. Some strong language. For senior high readers. 2004.

The Egypt Game

Snyder, Zilpha Keatley

 

BR009393

DB037531

RC037531

A group of children entranced by the study of Egypt play their own Egypt game with secret meetings, rites, and ceremonies in an abandoned yard behind the antique shop. The game helps an unhappy eleven-year-old solve her personal problems and leads to the identification of the lurking stranger. For grades 4-7.

Jubilee

 

Walker, Margaret

 

RC041543

The daughter of a plantation owner and his black mistress is reared to young womanhood as a servant in this story which chronicles the triumph of a free spirit over many forms of bondage


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