A dark version of the “damsel in distress” fairytale trope. The kingdom of Harding has been rescuing damsels from dragons for generations. In order to prove himself worthy of the throne, each generation’s heir must seek out a dragon and win the damsel.
When Ama awakes in the arms of Emory, he says she’s been saved from a dragon by him and is to be his bride. Ama has no memories from before waking and is understandably concerned about her fate.

So reading this book, which is classified as young adult, I can see why some people might have taken issue with young children reading it. The narrative is aggressively sexual at times and there are obvious triggers for violence (physical and sexual in nature).
But the book also challenges the traditional fairytale trope and forces you to see things from a different perspective. The blatantly male dominated society, most of whom are ruthless in character. The choice, or lack there of, between safety and submission or individual freedom and liberty.

Definitely a book that you might want to prescreen as a parent to see if the narrative is something your child is ready for. Feels more like a new adult book than a young adult book with the mature themes.

Banned/challenged for level of age appropriateness, pornographic content, brutality/violence/cruelty

I think this is a great book for any kid who love adventure or the wilderness but also for any kid who doubts themselves or his having a hard time. Brian shows how kids can persevere in the most impossible of situations and talks about some of the difficulties he was experiencing in his life before the crash.

I’m sure I would have appreciated this book more had I read it first as a child but as an adult I can see the value it has as well. This book was banned or challenged for many different reasons including profanity, violence, adult themes (isolation, fear, survival), and a negative portrayal of authority figures.
While some of those things are present, the much bigger message is that in times of adversity we are more capable than we think.

A dystopian novel that shows what the world would be like if we were governed by those who seek to limit us to our basest biological functions and control our bodies. Women who can reproduce are valuable but they cannot keep their babies and can only perform that one task at the behest of their owners. They are named for the men that own them: Offred, Ofglenn, Ofwarren. Those that dare to question are labeled unwomen and sent away.

A controversial novel that really takes the corruption of power and totalitarianism to the next level. It makes you wonder what if…

And the author herself said it best “To those who seek to stop young people from reading The Handmaid’s Tale: Good luck with that. It’ll only make them want to read it more”.

This book has been repeatedly banned since the 1950s in multiple countries for a variety of reasons. Most common reasons cited are profanity, offensive language, and not representing traditional values.

For years this has been required reading in schools. I remember reading it my sophomore year of high school as well. A tale of found family and hardship. They try to stick together through everything but it becomes too much.
This book touches on larger issues as well, showing us the prejudices and behaviors of a different time.