Flowers for Algernon contains strong sexual references, including a scene when Charlie, the main character, has a nocturnal emisison.
Just the sort of naughty stuff that 11 and 12 year old girls are seeking out in their mothers’ Cosmos (while the boys are throwing erasers at each other). And really, if a child is uncomfortable with the content of a book it is so incredibly easy to put it down- easier than turning off a television or walking out of a movie. If she doesn’t understand the contents, she can ask a parent or teacher or get out a dictionary. It is so hard to conceive of any possible negative consequences resulting from reading most of the aforementioned books.
Am I the only person who would have loved to have a book banned at school? I would have fought tooth and nail against any hint of censorship! Instead, we had comics that were basically porn (gay and straight), Stephen King and more in the library and were required to read Huckleberry Finn, Inherit the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, etc. …damn liberal schools…