What's up with all the Caution tape?!

Since hanging up the new display for Banned Books Week (September 30-October 6), I have received many questions from students asking what it's all about.  "Are those books banned from our library now? I wanted to read that one!"; "Why are those books banned?"; "What could possibly be wrong with Harry Potter?"; and, of course, "What's up with all the Caution tape?".  Before I continue, here are some pictures of what the display looks like.  There are two large showcases outside of the library, so this display was done on one side only. 

If you look closely at the image that shows the whole display or the front of the display, you can see that there are peepholes cut throughout for students/teachers to look into and see what is inside.  When they look, they will see something like this:

 

 

 

Each title is wrapped in black paper with the title written very plainly and there is a description next to each one showing why that book was banned and/or challenged in other libraries.  My favorite is just plain silly (about The Diary of Anne Frank): "It's a real downer!".  Most others have reasons more along the lines of drugs, mature/sexual content, offensive language, racism, sorcery, anti-religion, violence, or homosexuality.  Within the library, the students can also view more books that have been banned or challenged and a list with reasons why on this display:

 

 

 

 

So, to answer the questions...No, these books are not banned in OUR school library.  They are the most frequently challenged and banned books of the last decade in other libraries.  Some are classics and some are more modern stories.  Some have been challenged for fairly legitimate reasons and some not at all!  Banned Books Week is all about us celebrating our freedom to read what we want and tolerating the things that others may want or like to read without judgement or criticism.  When Banned Books Week gets closer, there will be another post with more information and links to other sites that are celebrating Banned Books Week.  Please feel free to ask any questions!