BuzzSugar

Buzz News Roundup, 5/16

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:30:28 PDT

Did you ever read R.L. Stine's Goosebumps books? Now there's going to be a movie version of the series, Variety reports.
Billboard has the rundown of this year's BET Awards nominees; T. Pain leads the pack with five nominations.
Hooray! The hilarious Rob Corddry has finally landed a starring role, in the action-comedy Project A, which will be produced by Ben Stiller, ComingSoon writes.
According to Variety, we'll see an English-language remake of the Chilean movie Pretendiendo in which "a beautiful woman . . . dons a fat suit to shield herself from any more romantic upsets."
American Idol's Taylor Hicks is headed to Broadway as the Teen Angel in a production of Grease, Billboard reports.
Zap2It writes that George Clooney will star in an adaptation of the non-fiction book Men Who Stare at Goats.
The Wall Street Journal claims that if ratings don't improve for the CW, the network may be doomed.
ComingSoon reports that Danny Glover will reprise his stage role in a big screen adaptation of Master Harold... and the Boys.
Check out the colorful pictures of the grand opening of the Simpsons ride at Universal Studios in the Orlando Sentinel.

18 Young Adult Novels Worth Reading Again

TresSugar — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:19:59 PST

Young Adult, starring Charlize Theron as a fiction writer, comes out in theaters next week. We asked our readers what YA novels they'd read again. From classics like Little Women to '80s nostalgia like Sweet Valley High to contemporary favorites like the Gossip Girl series, here are 18 books to add to your list.

The Giver by Lois Lowry
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares
Gossip Girl series by Cecily von Ziegesar
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Forever . . . by Judy Blume
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

Read the rest below.

Banned Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of the Last Two Decades

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:49:54 PDT

When a high school in Missouri recently banned Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut's story of World War II as told through a science fiction lens, for creating "false conceptions of American history and government," the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library stepped up to donate copies of the book to any affected student that requests it.

Despite First Amendment protection, banning or attempting to challenge books has a long history, with many cases even making it to the US Supreme Court. As the American Library Association explains: "books usually are challenged with the best intentions-to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information." Science fiction and fantasy books often contain these themes that some find questionable, whether it's alien life forms, magical powers, or mystical worlds. In honor of Banned Books week, we're rounding up the most challenged science fiction and fantasy books according to the ALA. Browse the list below!

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling - The stories of the wizarding world are seen by challengers to have occult and violent themes.
Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins - The hot series for youth and adult readers has been deemed unsuitable to its target age group and violent.
Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer - Its movie stars may provoke pandemonium, but critics of the book say it's too sexually explicit.
His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman - The series beginning with The Golden Compass is often decried for its anti-religious viewpoints.
The Giver by Lois Lowry - Despite the book's message of freedom of choice, criticisms are made for the fictional dystopia's bleak family outlook.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - Offensive language, racism, and insensitivity are often cited in challenges to the future dystopian novel.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - The tale of a future world where the printed word is banned and systemically burned was criticized for offensive language.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle - Children's search through space and time for their vanished father is often challenged for the inclusion of supposed witches.

Follow the break for more challenged books of the last 20 years.