| Question | Answer |
| 1. Books in this worldwide best-selling series were the #1 most banned books for the decade beginning in 2000. Parents across the country wanted it pulled from library shelves because they thought it promoted witchcraft, dark magic, and evil. | Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling
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2. Parents challenged this humorous children’s picture book about an aging dog because it uses the word fart 24 times. | Walter the Farting Dog by Walter Kotzwinkle
| 3. This is one of the most banned books of all time and has been pulled from library shelves in Alaska, Florida, and Pennsylvania because it “contains language and stories inappropriate for any age, including tales of incest and murder.” | The Bible
| 4. Parents in Wisconsin said they challenged the book Geography Club by Brent Hartinger because they thought it was obscene and had sexually explicit language. That wasn’t the real reason, though. Why did parents really want this book banned? | It is about gay students and homosexuality.
| 5. This book series about vampires was pulled off the shelves in Texas, and school boards there ruled to ban any future books in the series even before the books had been written or published. | The Vampire Academy
| 6. This breakout novel that jump-started the teen vampire genre was banned in Australia and challenged in the U.S. because it went against religious beliefs. | Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
| 7. This popular children’s picture book tells the true story of two male penguins who raise a baby penguin as their own in the New York City zoo. It was challenged locally because it “indoctrinates children about homosexuality” and was the #1 most banned book in America five out of six years after its publication, and even though it wasn’t published until late 2005 it was the 4th most banned book between 2000 and 2009. | And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson
| 8. This book about trying to earn a living by working at Wal-Mart or as a waitress has been used in business classes at North. It was challenged in Pennsylvania for promoting “economic fallacies and socialist ideas” in addition to “belittling Christians.” | Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich.
| 9. This famously controversial work has been frequently challenged and banned because it sets forth the theory of evolution. | Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
| 10. This thriller was a worldwide best-seller and Hollywood hit starring Tom Hanks. It was challenged in several U.S. states and banned outright in Egypt and Iran because it reportedly contains insults toward Christ, Christianity, and Islam. | The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
| 11. A student in the Lee's Summit district requested that this book be banned because, in the student's opinion, it would make teenagers want to try dangerous drugs. The very popular free-verse novel shows a star student's life spiraling out of control after she takes meth for the first time. The book’s title is a nickname for the drug. | Crank by Ellen Hopkins
| 12. This enormously popular children's book author has frequently had his books of poems and drawings pulled off library and school shelves because parents feel the books "promote satanism, cannibalism, and disrespect toward parents." | Shel Silverstein
| 13. This novel, now a part of the freshman history curriculum in Lee’s Summit, was publicly burned in Saint Louis and banned in Kansas City as well as countless cities and schools around the country. The novel tells the story of migrant workers looking to start a new life in California. | Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
| 14. This classic novel, taught in some English classes at North, was banned in Ireland in 1953 and has been challenged or banned in cities around the U.S. almost every year since its publication. It was even challenged by the KKK in South Carolina in 1977. The book about two migrant workers looking for work has been described as “vulgar, profane, filthy.” | Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
| 15. This coming-of-age novel about a gay teen has been in the top ten most-banned books of the year several times, and is still frequently banned and challenged across the U.S. The author also wrote the screenplay and directed the movie that starred Emma Watson. | The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
| 16. This famous poet was born in Saint Louis and has written several autobiographies about her childhood in Stamps, Arkansas. Her most famous work is widely taught, but has also been widely banned and challenged for reasons such as, “it preaches bitterness and hatred of white people.” Who is she and which of her books is still among America’s most banned books? | Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
| 17. The American Library Association ranked this enormously popular children’s chapter book series as the #1 banned book in 2012, and it has been in the top ten banned books for many years. | Captain Underpants, Dav Pilkey
| 18. This book was the Missouri Gateway Award-winning novel in 2010 and is about a teenage girl who commited suicide. In 2012 it ranked as the third most banned book in America. | Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
| 19. In 2011, this incredibly popular young adult series about a young woman who sparked a revolution against an oppressive government ranked as the third most banned book in America (the series was counted as one book). It faced challenges for being anti-ethnic, anti-family, insensitivity, offensive language, occult/satanic worship, and violence. | The Hunger Games series, Suzanne Collins
| 20. This coming-of-age novel set in the depression-era deep south is taught in almost every high school in America, yet it is still in the top ten most-banned books in the U.S. nearly every year. | To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee |
