Exercise your right to read — without censorship

The last week of September is Banned Books Week.

Ever read a book from the “Harry Potter” series or “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”? Then you’ve read a banned book — a book taken off of shelves in a classroom or library at one time because people complained about it.

Sometimes, people who want to ban a book get so mad they actually burn copies of it (like in “Pleasantville” and “Footloose”).

The American Library Association got more than 400 requests to ban books last year. But most of those requests were unsuccessful, because of librarians, teachers, parents, students and other people who make sure books stay on shelves.

Use this week to support your right to read. Here are some banned books to consider reading this week:

• “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank, which someone wanted to ban because it was “a real downer.”

• “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret” by Judy Blume
• “The Chocolate War” by Robert Cormier
• The “Goosebumps” series by R.L. Stine
• The “Captain Underpants” series by Dav Pilkey
• “James and the Giant Peach” by Roald Dahl
• “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss
• “Bridge to Terabithia” by Katherine Paterson
• …. And don’t forget the Torah and the Talmud

For more information, visit ” target=”_blank”>Kids@jewishjournal.com with Kein v’Lo in the subject line.