Book News
Book-banning bait.
Not everyone loves “The Kite Runner.”
Khaled Hosseini’s million-selling novel about friendship and betrayal between two Afghan boys, a book-club favorite that became a feature film, was among the releases most likely to inspire complaints last year from U.S. parents, educators and others, the American Library Association has announced.
“The Kite Runner,” which includes a rape scene, has been criticized for offensive language and sexual content.
For the third year in a row, the most-challenged book was “And Tango Makes Three,” Justin Richardson’s and Peter Parnell’s award-winning picture story about two male penguins who become parents. It was cited for being anti-family, pro-gay and anti-religion.
Also high on the list were British author Philip Pullman’s “Dark Materials” trilogy (violent and anti-religious), Cecily von Ziegesar’s “Gossip Girls” series (language, sexually explicit) and Alvin Schwartz’s “Scary Stories” (violence, occultism).
Books pulled or restricted last year included Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Jodi Picoult’s “My Sister’s Keeper” and Mark Bowden’s “Black Hawk Down.”
The Associated Press
First Lines
First Family, by David Baldacci
Her footsteps were unhurried. Down the street, making one left, a two-block straightaway, and then a slight right. There was a pause at one intersection, a longer stop at another. Just from habit, really. The radar in her head showed no danger and her pace picked up. There were people around though the hour was late, but they never saw her. She seemed like a breeze, felt but never seen.
The three-story cinderblock building was right where it had always been, stuck between a high-rise on the left and a concrete shell on the right. There was security of course, but it was basic, not the best. A typical package, it would slow down a journeyman for a few minutes, a pro for much less.
She selected a window in the back of the building instead of breaking in the front door. These entry points were almost never wired. She popped the swivel latch, slipped up the window, and wriggled through. The motion detector was handled with ease; she was humming as she did it. Yet was a nervous hum. She was getting close to it, what she came here for.
Children’s fiction best sellers
1. The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman
2. City of Glass, by Cassandra Clare
3. Evermore, by Alyson Noel
4. Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher
5. City of Bones, by Cassandra Clare
6. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
7. The Sword Thief (The 39 Clues), by Peter Lerangis
8. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
9. Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson
10. Scat, by Carl Hiaasen
Publishers Weekly
