'Twilight' among most-challenged books

NEW YORK (AP) - Stephenie Meyer, the hottest writer for young people since J.K. Rowling, has the brand new couple to the author of "Harry Potter": the place tall upon the list of books most complained about by relatives as well as educators.

Meyer's multimillion-selling "Twilight" array was ranked No. 5 upon the annual inform of "challenged books" released Wednesday by the American Library Association. Meyer's stories of vampires as well as teenager intrigue have been criticized for passionate content; the living room organisation official additionally thinks which the "Twilight" array reflects ubiquitous unease about abnormal stories.

"Vampire novels have been the aim for years as well as the `Twilight' books are so immensely renouned which the lot of the concerns people have had about vampires are focused upon her books," says Barbara Jones, executive of the association's Office for Intellectual Freedom.

Christian groups for years have protested the themes of necromancy in Rowling's books, which don't crop up upon the stream tip 10.

Topping the 2009 chart was Lauren Myracle's "IM" series, novels told through present messages which have been criticized for nudity, denunciation as well as drug references.

Last year's No. 1 book, "And Tango Makes Three," by Peter Parnell as well as Justin Richardson, is right away No. 2, cited again for its story about dual masculine penguins taking advantage of the baby. Third was Stephen Chbosky's "The Perks of Being the Wallflower," for which the many reasons include drugs, suicide, homosexuality as well as being antifamily.

Also cited were such perennials as J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye" (sexual content, language), Harper Lee's "To Kill the Mockingbird" (language, racism), Alice Walker's "The Color Purple" (sexual content, language) as well as Robert Cormier's "The Chocolate War" (nudity, language, passionate content).

The ALA recorded 460 challenges in 2009, the dro! p from 5 13 the year before, as well as 81 books essentially being removed. The ALA defines the plea as the "formal, created complaint filed with the living room or propagandize requesting which materials be private because of calm or appropriateness."

For every plea tallied, about 4 or five finish up unreported, according to the ALA.

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