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Some books that have been challenged in Canada:
For more information about why these books were challenged, and what ended up happening, see the Challenged Book and Magazine List  at www.freedomtoread.ca

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
A classic Canadian dystopic novel about an alternate future.
Challenged for profane language and violence.

Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak by Deborah Ellis.
Transcripts of interviews with children in Israel and Palestine.
Challenged for its information about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding
An allegorical novel about civilizations, depicting a group of school boys stranded on a desert island that devolves into power struggles and chaos.
Challenged for its language, seen to contain racial slurs.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
A classic American novel about class, gender and race relations in the American South in the 1930s.
Challenged for using the n-word.

The Giver by Lois Lowry
A dystopic science fiction novel about a futuristic community that has attempted to abolish unpleasantness but has also eliminated emotional depth.
Challenged as inappropriate for middle school readers.

The King’s Daughter by Suzanne Martel
A historical novel about young women settlers coming to Canada from France to populate the new world, touching on hardships of colonial life, relations between Canadian First Nations and Europeans, and the ways of life in nineteenth century Quebec.
Challenged for its portrayal of a European character who has yet to overcome her prejudice of First Nations people.

His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman:
The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass
Review any of these books!
A series of fantasy novels dealing with physics, theology, philosophy, and coming of age.
Challenged for its religious views, charged with promoting atheism.

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Review any of the books!
Seven books chronicling the adventures of Harry Potter, a boy wizard, and his life at boarding school, mischief, quests, trials, and conquering of evil.
Challenged for depiction of magic, wizardry and witchcraft.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The iconic coming of age story about Holden Caufield’s wanderings in New York City following his expulsion from prep school.
Challenged for “foul language.”

The Little Black Book for Girlz: A Book on Healthy Sexuality by St. Stephen’s Community House
A frank book of information about sex written for teenaged girls by teenaged girls.   There is also a companion version, The Little Black Book for Guys: Guys Talk About Sex.  These books were produced by St. Stephen’s House, a community-based social service agency in Toronto.
Challenged for containing information about sex.

Many other books have been challenged in Canada. For a complete list, see the Challenged Book and Magazine List at www.freedomtoread.ca.