Book banning is so medieval.

The American Library Association (ALA) has a wealth of information associated with Banned Books Week, which began on September 23 and continues through September 30.

The ALA has released a list of the most challenged books of the 21st century, and two guesses which book sits at the very top? That's right, our own Harry Potter. No doubt Christians led the charge against the series about an orphaned boy who learns that he's a wizard hunted by the most evil wizard in the world. Here's the list:

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

Christians would do well to remember that the Bible is also a challenged book. Remember Laura Mallory, the Gwinnett County, GA, woman who challenged the Harry Potter series? Here are my thoughts.

(Photo credit: Gwinnett Daily Post)

Move over, Harry Potter!

If you're looking for something to keep you busy until the final Harry Potter book comes out and you're tired of HP theorizing and wondering whether Snape is "good," why not start reading a totally new book series?

I just received Landon Snow and the Auctor's Riddle in the mail, and I can tell by the charming cover that it will be a good read. I will add the book to my growing stack of books to review.

Disclaimer: I'm not being paid to review this book.

Landon Snow was published by Barbour Publishing, a Christian company. Thanks to my interest in Harry Potter, I'm finding many great Christian fantasy books and publishers. Author R.K. Mortenson (who I thought was a woman - thanks a lot, J.K. Rowling) is writing a second book titled Landon Snow and the Shadows of Malus Quidam, coming this spring. Do I smell a seven-book series?

Addendum: You may also comment on The Da Vinci Code book and upcoming movie in this thread.

Also see Why Christian Fiction?

Have you read The Dark Is Rising Sequence? I was browsing a Harry Potter discussion forum when I found a reference to this series.

Written by Susan Cooper, The Dark Is Rising Sequence consists of five books aimed at a teenaged audience. The first book, Over Sea, Under Stone, published in 1965, begins the story of siblings Simon, Jane, and Barnabas Drew, who discover a treasure map. They embark on a quest to find a grail that's been hidden for over 1,000 years and eventually confront the forces of evil.

The series sounded like a great combination of fantasy and mystery, so I bought the box set last week. The books run between 125-275 pages, so the series will probably be a fast read. I'll post a review sometime this week.

If you've read the books, you may post a spoiler-free review in the comment section.

Update (1/3): These stories are whetting my appetite for more Christian fantasy. Fascinating stuff. I'm on Book 2 of the five-book series. More later.