'Harry Potter' Tops Most Challenged Books—Again

The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling has topped the annual list of the most challenged books for the third year in a row, according to the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). The best-selling books continue to draw criticism from some parents who object to the series' focus on wizardry and magic.

Beverley Becker, the associate director of OIF, says there's a connection between the books' phenomenal popularity and the frequency of challenges—a written complaint filed with a library or school about a book's content or appropriateness. "If no one's reading a book, no one's challenging it," she says.

Since 1999, the Potter books have inspired challenges in 27 states, primarily in school libraries, and all on the grounds of "occult/Satanism," reports OIF. The 10 most challenged books of 2001 may be found online at www.ala.org/bbooks/challeng.html#mfcb