Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
Whereas most people whove actually read it tend to think this is one of the undisputed classics of children's literature.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Don't get me started.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
Never read any Harry Potter myself, but anything that gets that many kids that excited about reading is okay by me.
Forever by Judy Blume
Sure, ban the woman who's probably responsible for more happy memories of childhood reading than any other author.
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
See Chocolate War.
Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Giver by Lois Lowry
It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
See Harry Potter.
A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Sex by Madonna
Okay, granted, Sex is not appropriate for children. Hell it's hardly appropriate for adults. Madonna naked and bored, surrounded by lesbians. Madonna transformed into a feminist, sex-positive dominatrix. Anything but Madonna actually looking like a warm human being with whom one might actually want to have sex.
Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
Because when Maurice Sendak draws a penis, it's an atrocity.
The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
The Witches by Roald Dahl
The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
The Goats by Brock Cole
Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
Blubber by Judy Blume
See Forever.
Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
I met Ms. Duncan once. I was working in a bookstore and she stopped in, identified herself and offered to sign our copies of her new non-fiction book about the killing of her daughter. It was actually kind of a nice moment for me, because I enjoyed reading so many of her books growing up and got a chance to tell her so. Do not, do not, do not go by the movie version of I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
Final Exit by Derek Humphry
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras
I had the boy version...which probably goes without saying. Though sadly not necessarily.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Well, hell, everybody knows what an offensive piece of trash this is.
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Do not even get me started. Loved the movie, loved the book. Curious to see the new DVD release that Coppola has apparently re-edited to include a lot of scenes that were cut from the film.
The Pigman by Paul Zindel
Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
Deenie by Judy Blume
See Forever and Blubber.
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Because the Hugo award is always a sign of mediocrity.
Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
Cujo by Stephen King
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
Ordinary People by Judith Guest
This is one of the few books about which you'll hear me say: Actually, the movie is even better.
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
There we go. It may be worth noting that apparently, girls sexuality is more troubling than boys, since their book is more-frequently banned. And yes ladies, I know: Tell you something you don't know.
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Ok, you've figured out that I have only good memories of Judy Blume by now.
Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
Fade by Robert Cormier
I bought this book as a (nominal) adult at the indirect recommendation of Harlan Ellison, who pointed to it and praised it during a book signing. It was worth it. This is the story that the movie "Hollow Man" wanted to be about the double-edged sword of invisibility.
Guess What? by Mem Fox
The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Because Vonnegut is a hack.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Native Son by Richard Wright
Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday
Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
Jack by A.M. Homes
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
Carrie by Stephen King
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
Family Secrets by Norma Klein
Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
The Dead Zone by Stephen King
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
See Huck Finn.
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
Private Parts by Howard Stern
Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
What, are they kidding me?
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
Sex Education by Jenny Davis
The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
1 comment:
I can't wait until one of my books makes this list.
And actually, I might not have that long to wait. One of the main characters in The Real Life Channel, due out next year, is an African-American girl who is very happy to be the adopted daughter of a gay white couple.
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