J. K. Rowling. New York, NY. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2005 1st Ameri. ed.
Genre: Challenged or Censored book.
Annotation: This is the sixth book in the series by author J. K. Rowlings and just like the earlier books before this, the story is full of magic and sorcery. There is a major confrontation between good and evil in a prolonged battle that results in the death of one of the major characters. There are wizard lessons and quidditch matches and making of potions that some parents deem too offensive for young adults. Harry Potter and the half blood Prince has been constantly challenged by parents due to the excessive portrayal of witchcraft and wizardry and they have actually succeeded in getting the books off of some school shelves and libraries.
Non-Nomination Justification: It is true that this book contains a lot of magic and violent graphic scenes like the scene where Dumbledore uses magic to freeze Harry in place and the battle scene between the members of the order of the phoenix and the death eaters. The incident were Snape kills Dumbledore by sending him flying over the edge of the tower is described by some as too graphic for young teens. However I don’t think this book deserves to be banned or censored. After considering the book as a whole, it is clear that the author just wanted to satisfy the curiosity of her young readers. One of the developmental milestones of adolescence is the intense curiosity about the world of fantasy. It is interesting too that a little romance was depicted in the relationship between Ron and his girl friend Lavender and the jealousy that ensued with Hermoine.
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