Author J.K.Rowling

ISBN: 978-0-7660-2708-4

In 1990, on what was normally a forty-minute train ride to the northern city of Manchester, a four-hour delay provided enough time for Rowling to dream up a story that would change her life. She visualized a scrawny black-haired boy with glasses who did not know he was a wizard. In that one train ride, Rowling thought up many of the characters that would people his world.

She didn't have a pen, so she just sat and thought about her boy-wizard idea for the whole train ride. That evening, she started working on the first Harry Potter book.

The Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling have delighted children and adults worldwide. However, some people contend that they endorse witchcraft, and they think children should not read them. In J.K. Rowling: Banned, Challenged, and Censored from our Authors of Banned Books series, author Joan Vos MacDonald provides a brief biography of Rowling, analyzes the Harry Potter books, and explores both sides of the argument over censorship.

Interesting Facts About Madeleine L'engle

 ISBN: 978-0-7660-2708-4
Madeleine L'Engle is the author of challenged books
 including A Wrinkle in Time and Many Waters. 

Madeleine L'Engle was an only child and was raised with a nanny and governess. She spent most of her lonely childhood eating meals in her room and writing stories, drawing, learning to play the piano, and reading her favorite books.

Against Madeleine's mother's wishes, her English nanny would secretly hide sugar in the bottom of Madeleine's oatmeal bowl.

Madeleine and her parents lived in an apartment in New York City, near Central Park until they moved to Switzerland when Madeleine was twelve years old. They returned to the United States when Madeleine was about fifteen and lived in the family beach house in Florida to be with her paternal grandmother.

As a young child, Madeleine entered a poetry contest and won. Her teachers did not believe that she had written the poem herself, they accused her of copying it. Madeleine's mother went to school carrying examples of the poems, novels, and stories she wrote at home before the teachers would concede that perhaps she did deserve to win the prize. 

As a child, Madeleine's favorite author was Lucy Maud Montgomery, who is best known for her Anne of Green Gables stories. But Madeleine's favorite story was Emily of New Moon because the character, Emily, was also an only child who had difficulty in school and had an ailing father.

For more about Madeleine L'Engle check out our book: Madeleine L'Engle: Banned, Challenged and Censored from our Authors of Banned Books series.

To Ban or Not to Ban Mark Twain's Works

As a look-ahead to the upcoming recognition of Banned Books Week, let's briefly consider Mark Twain's issues in this arena. Some of the author's works, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, outraged certain groups for the books' treatment of race, social mores, and personal character. A considerable portion of Twain's literary and commercial publishing career involved dealing with these and other charges. Over the decades since the publication of Twain's principal works, some of Twain's antagonists demanded the removal his titles from library shelves or offered highly negative, influential criticism of his books. Twain has also had his share of advocates, who have defended his right to write or his perspective on specific topics.

This episode in American literary and social history is a fascinating one, filled with intriguing personalities and contemporary relevance. Enslow Publishers' "Authors of Banned Books" series features writers who have struggled with censorship and book banning. Mark Twain: Banned, Challenged, and Censored provides a thoughtful, age-appropriate perspective on the issues and individuals associated with Twain's controversial works. Author Michelle M. Houle's 160-page book includes a rich lode of source material, further reading options, and succinct definitions of key terms that frame a consideration of censorship and banning.

Mark Twain: Banned, Challenged, and Censored is available in a library-bound edition for $25.95; the price represents a 25% discount from Enslow's list price for this title.