The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling

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The minds of children are the most impressionable. Children are not born with any predetermined judgments or ideas about controversial subjects. They do not know what racism, homophobia, or discrimination are, or how to practice them. They are not born knowing what religion they will practice, or even what religion is. This fact about children is among the reasons that children's literature is as important as it is. For as long as humans have been creating them, there have been books that have been considered controversial. Children's books are no different. There have been children's books that have been banned from various places or groups, such as religious groups, schools, and even entire countries. The reasons behind the banning of these books vary, and the criticism of censorship as a practice is an issue that is widely debated. One modern book series that has been censored in varies outlets is the Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling. Censorship is one of the most controversial topics in the world of literature. To many, censorship is just another way of government or other organizations controlling the population. To others, it is the only way to ensure that children are readying appropriate materials. In theory, the idea of censorship is not entirely wrong. Developmentally, there are issues that children cannot handle at certain ages. For instance, a five year-old child should not be reading the same books as a twelve year-old, who should not be reading the same books as an eighteen year-old, simply because they are at varying degrees of developmental readiness for said books. The problem with censorship arises when observing the idea that the books that censorship is not occurring with consideration for the child. Most s... ... middle of paper ... ... help them form opinions on controversial subjects on their own. Works Cited "Banned & Challenged Classics." Ala.org. American Library Association, n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2013. Cockrell, Amanda. "Harry Potter and the Witch Hunters: A Social Context for the Attacks on Harry Potter." The Journal of American Culture 29.1 (2006): 24-30. Print. Isajlovic-Terry, Natasha, and Lynne Mckechnie. "An Exploratory Study of Children's Views of Censorship." Children and Libraries (Spring 2012): 38-43. Print. Jones, Marnie. "The Threat to Imagination in Children's Literature." International Journal of the Book 3.2 (2005/2006): 71-76. Print. Kidd, Kenneth. "Not Censotship but Selection: Censorship And/as Prizing." Children's Literature in Education (2009): 197-216. Print. Moyers, Bill. "The Controversy over Children's Literature." PBS.org. PBS, 12 Mar. 2004. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.

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