Hunger Games Hits No. 3 on Challenged Books List

Suzanne Collins makes ALA list for second consecutive year
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 9, 2012 1:16 PM CDT
Hunger Games Hits No. 3 on Challenged Books List
Suzanne Collins arrives at the world premiere of "The Hunger Games" on Monday March 12, 2012 in Los Angeles.   (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

The more popular the Hunger Games trilogy becomes, the more reasons some parents and educators have found to question whether it belongs on library shelves. For the second year in a row, Suzanne Collins' work was among the most "challenged" books, as reported yesterday by the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom. The association defines a challenge as "a formal, written complaint filed with a library or school requesting that a book or other material be restricted or removed because of its content or appropriateness." Collins' million-selling novels ranked No. 3 on the association's list, rising from No. 5 last year.

In last year's list, when just the title book of the trilogy was in the top 10, complaints included "sexually explicit" and "unsuited to age group and violence." For the new study, which also included Catching Fire and Mockingjay, the objections were more varied, and harsher, including, "Anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; violence." Barbara Jones, director of the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom, thinks anticipation for the Hunger Games film led to closer criticism of the books. The most challenged works were Lauren Myracle's tween novels ttyl, ttfn, l8r, and g8r, followed by Kim Dong Hwa's The Color of Earth series. (More challenged books stories.)

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