Books are challenged for violence, fighting, LGBTQ mentions, gender identity, and so many more. We need this to stop.

Did you know that some books are banned in school libraries? I recently found out about this. Imagine writing a book directed at children and being extremely realistic and even relatable and then schools banning it? I also learned that this is mainly in other states, though, but it’s still interesting.

My mom bought me some books to read a few months ago. One of those books was by a FAMOUS children’s book author. Her books are always in schools. I remembered reading many of her books in 3rd grade and you probably have, too. It’s the author Judy Blume. Sounds familiar, right? I was reading a book called Are you there, God? It’s me, Margaret. Soon, I had learned the book was actually banned from schools in states like Texas, Alabama, and Arizona. I was surprised. If the book was racist, or promoted stereotypes, or drugs, or something like that, I would’ve understood. The book was banned because it talked about puberty and questioning your religion. That’s it!

I personally disagree with it being banned. The book was clearly directed at children, more specifically children and teens who are going through stuff like that. Everyone experiences puberty and questioning who they are, so it’s possible that shielding people from relatable books can be damaging.

An even more crazy example of this was that Harry Potter was banned in some schools! An Insider article states, “‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ made the list of the most challenged books in the 1990s even though the first book was only published in the US in 1999. ‘Harry Potter’ books were also the most challenged books in the following decade, with complaints that they were “anti-family,” violent, and Satanic.”

I think books should stop being banned for certain common topics. Otherwise, people will think these topics are bad and will be uncomfortable later on. These are normal things, and we need to understand that we can’t shield people from them forever.