The Chocolate War challenged in Michigan.

From The Ann Arbor News:

Written by Robert Cormier, "The Chocolate War'' was the most-challenged book in the United States in 2004, according to the American Library Association, which releases a list of banned and challenged books each year. The book was number four on the association's list of most-challenged books of the decade from 1990-2000.

Chris Anderson, a mother of five children in the Milan district, said the book is inappropriate for the classroom and contradicts the district's teaching in terms of character building.

"It has vile language and bad sexual conduct and masturbation,'' Anderson said. "Wet dreams and masturbation were mentioned something like six times. The entire book has a very negative message. The main character stands up to the school bullies and gets beat to a pulp for it.''

I didn't think that people used the term "vile language" seriously anymore.  I guess I was wrong.  It sounds like she might have actually read the book, which is rare.  Yeah, it's a rough story.  But a good one.  And it sounds like the school has a system in place so that parents who have a beef with the book can pull their kids out of the classroom during the Cormier section.  So I don't see what her problem is.  Oh, wait.  Yes I do.  She wants to be the boss of everybody else's kids, too.  That makes sense.

I love The Chocolate War.  Regardless of what this lady says, it's a classic of YA literature and everyone should read it at least once.