Every day, books are challenged and banned by schools and parent organizations. These organizations and schools deprive children of their intellectual freedom. The American Library Association defines intellectual freedom as “the right of each individual to seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction” (Ross, Caplan 1). When schools restrict the intellectual freedom of their students, the ALA defines censorship as “the suppression of ideas and information that certain people, individuals, groups, or government officials find objectionable or dangerous” (1). Books are banned for various reasons such as sexual themes, profanity, violence or anti-religious themes. In one case, a librarian at Ortega's middle school took issue with the book because she thought it was inappropriate for children ("Censorship Watch" 1). The Golden Compass has been challenged because the author is an atheist and many religions believe it has anti-religious themes (Taylor 1). Anti-religious content and an author's religious preference are not justifiable grounds...