Literature inspires. It can also offend. The American Library Association has identified the 10 books or series of books between 2000 and 2005 most frequently targeted by individuals or groups seeking to remove them from circulation.

1. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

2. "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier

3. Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

4. "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

5. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

6. "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers

7. "It's Perfectly Normal" by Robie Harris

8. Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz

9. Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey

10. "Forever" by Judy Blume

The association said that during the 1990s there were at least 6,364challenges to books for the following reasons:

1,607 for "sexually explicit" material

1,427 for "offensive language"

1,256 for material considered "unsuited to age group"

842 for material with an "occult theme or promoting the occult or Satanism"

737 for material considered "violent"

515 for material with a homosexual theme or "promoting homosexuality"

419 for material "promoting a religious viewpoint."

The group lists as other stated reasons: "nudity" (317 challenges), "racism" (267 challenges), "sex education" (224 challenges) and "anti-family" (202 challenges).

The number of reasons for challenges exceeds the total because some works were challenged on multiple grounds.

-- Bill Schackner