This is a companion piece to The most frequently challenged (banned) books, that have a screen adaption. 1990-2009, and Frequently Challenged (banned) books in Canada that have a Screen Adaption.
Every 10 years
The American Library Association releases a top 100 list of books that are
most challenged/requested by people and organizations to be banned from
libraries and schools.
"A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the
objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials.
Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather,
they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby
restricting the access of others. As such, they are a threat to freedom of
speech and choice." - ALA Website. - 2017
The full lists are at ALA.org.
At the time of writing this 40 of the 100 titles have a screen adaption.
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher; [First
Published in 2007]: 13 Reasons Why (2017-2020)
Hannah Baker
committed suicide before her death she sends 13 tapes of the 13 people/ reasons
why and sent it to a classmate to listen and to give a copy of the tape to each
person she talks about. The TV series continues the story after the events of
the book.
1984 by George Orwell; [First Published in 1949]: 1984 (1956/1984) In a future the Earth has been split into Empires. In Oceania one of these three Empires, Winston Smith a man that works for the Ministry of Truth rewriting history, and news to fit the government narrative. One day he meets Julia a woman and falls in love an act of rebellion in itself. This leads him to become an enemy of the State.
The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain; [First
published in 1884]: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
(1939/1955/1960), The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993), Huckleberry Finn
(1974/1975)
The sequel to The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer by Mark Twain [First Published in 1875]. Huckleberry Finn
runs away from home and joins a runaway slave traveling on the Mississippi
River having many adventures along the way.
Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor; [First Published in 1985]: Alice Upside Down (2007)
The series has 25 books, and 3
prequels Alice McKinley is entering her teenage years and has various
misadventures with growing up, dating/relationships, friendships, finding role
models and family issues.
Anne Frank: The Diary of
a Young Girl by Anne
Frank; [First Published in 1947] Anne Frank: The Diary of a
Young Girl (1959); The Diary of Anne Frank (1980); The Attic: The Hiding of
Anne Frank (1988); Anne Frank the Whole Story (2001); The Diary of Anne Frank
(2009)
The Diary of Anne Frank a young
Jewish girl hiding with her family from the Nazi’s during WWII.
Beloved, by Toni Morrison; [First published
in 1987]: Beloved (1998)
Set during and after
the American Civil War a runaway slave escapes from Kentucky to the free state
of Ohio. After escaping she does the best for her family while dealing
with the ghosts of the past.
Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo A. Anaya; [First published in
1972]: Bless Me, Ultima (2013)
A
coming-of-age story about a young Chicano, that is growing up in New Mexico and
being mentored by a curandera that he is related to.
(A curandera is a female healer that uses folk medicine and mysticism for healing).
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley; [First Published in 1932] Brave
New World (1980/1998) Brave New World Series (2020)
Set in the future a
totalitarian utopia exists through genetic engineering, drugs, sex and brain
washing. However, one-man longs to be free.
Burned by Ellen Hopkins; [First Published in
2006] Burned (2019)
Pattyn
is a 17-year-old girl that is struggling with Mormon teachings and lifestyle.
After getting into trouble, she goes to live with her Aunt Jeanette that gives
her a new perspective on the world and religion.
Captain Underpants (series), by Author & Illustrator Dav Pilkey; [First Published in 1997]: Captain
Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017), The Epic Tales of Captain
Underpants (2018-?)
A 12-book series about a 2
fourth grade boys who hypnotize their principle into becoming a superhero
called Captain Underpants.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger; [First Published in
1951]
After getting expelled from Holden
Caulfield spends a few days in New York dealing with depression, looking for
love and or sex and reflecting on his view of the world.
While there is no adaption to the book by J.D. Salinger however there is a Biopic about the author’s life titled Rebel In The Rye (2017)
A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess;[First published in 1962]: A Clockwork
Orange (1971)
Set
in a future England a sociopathic gang leader Alex is caught for attempted
robbery and murder. Once in prison Alex is chosen for an experimental
behavior-modification treatment that makes him severely ill at the mere thought
of violence. After treatment and being released from prison society takes
advantage of his conditioned state.
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker; [First published in
1982]: The Color Purple (1985)
Set in Georgia during the 1930’s
the story is about a black woman of low social status, suffers abuse from her
father and other people in her life over four decades.
CRANK, by Ellen Hopkins; [First Published in 2004] CRANK: Flirting with the Monster (2015) Kristina Snow a well-behaved nice girl goes to New Mexico to visit her Father. While on the trip she tries crystal meth aka crank and enjoys it. Kristina soon becomes addicted getting her into trouble and struggles with her addiction.
Enders Game by Orson Scott
Card; [First Published in 1985]: Enders Game
(2013)
After barley defeat the Formics an
alien race that want to take over the Earth. The Earth government starts
training children to be future military leaders. The protagonist Ender Wiggin
is a genius at tactics, games, and strategy quickly rises in the ranks to the
point of being the perfect General.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer; [First Published in
2005] Extremely Loud & Incredibly
Close (2011)
Oskar is a 9-year-old boy that lost
his father during the 9/11 attacks on 9/11/2001. One day he finds a key in his
father’s belongs and sets out to find the lock it goes to helping the boy learn
about himself and to find closure.
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James; [First Published in 2011]: Fifty
Shades of Grey (2015)
A literature student
meets billionaire Christian Grey a man with specific sexual and romantic
tastes. Together they pursue a relationship.
The Glass Castle by Janet Wells;
[First Published in 2005]: The Glass Castle (2017)
The Glass Castle is a memoir about
unconventional parents with issues that create a difficult childhood for the
author and her siblings. The siblings eventually leave home and become
successful.
The Giver, by Lois Lowry: [First published in 1993]: The
Giver (2014)
Set in the future a boy is given
starts training for a special position with his society and government. This
helps him to realize that his utopian society is really a highly controlled dystopia.
Goosebumps (series), by R.L. Stine: [First
Published in 1992] Goosebumps (TV Series) (1995-1998), Goosebumps (2015),
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018)
Goosebumps is a series of horror novellas that follow child characters, who
find themselves dealing with unusual situations; that usually involve the
supernatural and or science fiction. There are 62 book are printed under the
original umbrella title. With several spin offs.
Gossip Girl (series), by
Cecily von Ziegesar: [First Published in 2002] Gossip Girl
(2007-2012)
A book series that follow the
lives, and romances of privileged elite teens from the Upper East Side
Manhattan.
The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood: [First published in
1985]: The Handmaid’s Tale (1990) TV Series (2017-2022)
Set in a dystopian future a totalitarian government runs a country called
Gilead where all fertile women are stripped of rights and must serve as
surrogates for infertile wives of the rich and powerful.
The Hate U Give by Angie Tomas; [First Published in 2017] The
Hate U Give (2018)
Star Carter is a 16-year-old black girl in a poor part of town. One night Star leaves a party with
Khalil a childhood friend. They are pulled over for a traffic violation. The
situation becomes tense, and Star witnesses the officer shooting Kahlil. After
that night Star testifies in court and becomes activist. She and her family
face the challenges of her activism.
The Holy Bible by GOD, [First Published Unknown]
There are many screen adoptions of the Bible
in whole or part for various ages, and dominations.
The House of Spirits, by Isabel Allende: [First published
in1982]: The House of Spirits (1993)
Three
generations of the Trueba family are chronicle through personal and political
upheaval in Latin America during the 20th Century.
The Hunger Games by, Suzanne Collins; [First Published in
2008] The Hunger Games (2012)
Set in a dystopian future, Katniss Everdeen
volunteers to take her sister’s spot in the annual death game that sets 24
young people (between the ages of 12 -18) against each other for entertainment
for the elite and to exert control over the lower castes.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou: [First published in
1969]: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1979)
The autobiography is
about the early years of poet, writer, singer, and activist Maya Angelou 1928 -
2014.
The Kite Runner, by Khaled
Hosseini: [First published in 2003]: The Kite Runner (2007)
Tells
the story of a friendship between two boys beginning in the final days of the
Afghanistan Monarchy and into the rise of the Taliban Regime.
Lolita by Vladimir
Nabokov; [First Published in 1955]: Lolita (1962/1997)
A man marries his landlady so he can be close to
her underage daughter that he secretly desires.
Looking For Alaska by John Green; [First Published in 2005]
Looking For Alaska (2019)
Miles Halter goes to Culver Creek Preparatory High
School in Alabama where he forms friendships with three other students. When
one of the friends ends up dead the group looks for answers and grow as
people.
Madeline and the Gypsies by Ludwig Bemelmans Madeline; [First Published in
1958]: Madline (1998) Madeline TV Series (1989-2001)
Madeline and her friend Pepito
visit a traveling Gypsie Carnival become lost and temporally join the carnival
as performers. The Movie is about Madeline trying to save her beloved
school and the TV series covers the series.
Monster by Walter Dean Myers; [First Published in 1999]: All Rise
(2018)
Steve
Harmon is a 17-year-old student that has been arrested for a robbery that
resulted in a murder in the State New York. The rest of the story is legal
battle he must go through to prove his guilt or innocence.
Of Mice and Men, by John
Steinbeck: [First published in 1937]: Of Mice and Men (1939,
1968, 1981, 1992)
Two drifters working the fields during The
Great Depression George and Lennie work to achieve their dream of having their
own land. Until an accidental murder kills the shared dream they have about a
better life.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky: [First published in 1999]: The
Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
A coming-of-age novel set
in the early 1990’s about an introvert starting high school, dealing with
death, drugs, sex, abortion and family and coming to terms with being molested
as a child.
Persepolis by
Marjane Satrapi; [First Published in 2000]: Persepolis (2007)
Memoir told by Marjane and her childhood
during the Islamic Revolution in Iran beginning in the 1970’s. Marjane tells
her story about growing up and witnessing the world changing.
Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark (series) by Alvin Schwartz, Illustrator
Stephen Gammell; [First Published in 1981]: Scary Stories
To Tell In The Dark (2019) Scary Stories (2018)
The
books series is a collection of short scary stories based on folklore, urban
legends, and history. The 2019 film is set in the 1968
about a group of teens that experience several of their stories because of a ghostly curse.
The Documentary Scary Stories (2018) is about the books, the author, becoming one of the most banned book series and the art it has inspired.
Speak, by Laurie Halse
Anderson: [First published in 1999]: Speak
(2004)
At
the final party of the summer a high school freshman calls the police ending
the party. Unable to say why she called the police due to a trauma that
happened during the party she becomes a loner. Through art she is able to
overcome what happened and speak up.
The Things They Carried, by Tim
O’Brien; [First published in 1990]: A Soldier’s Sweetheart
(1998)
A set of connected short
stories about US soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War.
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee: [First published in 1960]: To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the depression era Deep South defends a black man accused of raping a white woman in a court of law. While teaching his children about predigest people have.
The Walking Dead (series) by Robert Kirkman & Illustrator Tony
Moore; [First Published in
2004]:The Walking Dead (2010-2022); Fear The Walking Dead (2015-2023); The Walking Dead: World Beyond (2020)
Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes is injured in
the line of duty and falls into a coma. When he wakes up, he finds the hospital
deserted and the world changed by the walking dead. Rick and other survivors
fight to stay alive.
