Story Ideas: Banned Book Week

This week the American Library Assoc. celebrates Banned Books Week.

The purpose is to draw attention to books that people want banned for one reason or another. (Something that runs counter to the First Amendment, by the way.)

So what are some of the books that should be banned? Among the frequently challenged books are:

• Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
• Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding
• A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
• Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Beloved by Toni Morrison
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

So now for the story idea aspect

• Student interviews: What do students think of the attempts to ban these -- and the other -- books?
• Interviews with librarians, groups that try to ban the books, and library users about the issue.
• Interviews with academics and legal experts on the history and legal basis for banning/not banning books.
• Maybe some students can call back to their high schools to discuss the issue with their schools' librarians and school board members to have them discuss battles over book banning.