List: Most-Challenged Books of 2011

Katniss Everdeen, Panem Capitol — Katniss Everdeen, heroine of "The Hunger Games," is displayed on a big screen in the dystopian Capitol.

(Image credit: Lionsgate)

The Office for Intellectual Freedom recently released its list of the top 10 most challenged books of 2011. These are books that parents or other groups of people have attempted to get removed from schools and libraries because of concerns about their content.

Banning books is not a good option, according to Illinois State University children's literature specialist Karen Coats. But parents looking for good, age-appropriate books for their children should check out Newberry Award winners and finalists, Coats said. Local librarians and children's bookstore staff know the lay of the kid-lit land, too, she said.

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Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.