Last year, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy numbered among the ten most challenged titles of the year for its religious and political viewpoints, as did Alvin Schwartz's popular Scary Stories series for its violence and references to the occult. Below is the ALA's map of book bans and challenges in 2007-2009, which includes the removal of Robert Heinlein's The Day After Tomorrow (also known as Sixth Column) and Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones. The ALA believes these represent only a fraction of bans and challenges, as the vast majority go unreported.

View Book Bans and Challenges, 2007-2009 in a larger map

[Banned Books Week via Metafilter]

If you were one of the many unsatisfied with last year's movie version of Philip Pullman's parallel universe parable The Golden Compass, here's some cold comfort - At least you're unlikely to face similar disappointment from movies based upon the later two books in the His Dark Materials trilogy, given that it's looking like they'll never be made.

British newspaper The Independent is reporting that The Golden Compass prompting a combination of disappointing box office and outcries from Christian fundamentalists have resulted in all plans to produce movies based on The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass to be put on indefinite hold. Talking to Pullman as well as Compass director Chris Weitz, the Independent revealed the awkward status quo of the project:

Pullman told The Independent that he had not yet been contacted by Shepperton Studios and was not aware of any imminent plans to film the sequel, The Subtle Knife. When the first film was in production last year, he was regularly contacted by Chris Weitz, its writer and director.

"I know everyone would like to see a sequel and I know I'd like to see it. When the first film was in production, I was talking to the studio and to Chris Weitz and producers quite frequently. I'm sure I would be now if the sequel was in production," he said.

Weitz said yesterday he did not want talk about the project while the studio responsible for the first film was refusing to discuss the future of the trilogy.

While I don't doubt that upset from Christian fundamentalists did hurt the success of the movie, isn't there also the possibility that the real reason The Golden Compass the movie wasn't a bigger success because it just wasn't very good?

Christian protests may leave Philip Pullman's trilogy as one of a kind [The Independent]