John Green’s ‘Paper Towns’ Dropped From School’s Reading List Due to ‘Questionable’ Content

John Long Middle School dropped 'The Fault in Our Stars' author John Green's novel 'Paper Towns' from their summer reading list after a mom picked up the book alongside her 13-year-old daughter.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Joanne Corcoran has never heard of John Green, but decided to read 'Paper Towns' when her eighth grader chose it off her summer reading list. While reading it, her daughter had some questions about terminology within the book, which "mortified" her mother.

'Paper Towns' is YA lit, but is also contains strong language and discussions of teenage sex. Corcoran had just put her daughter back into the school system after homeschooling, and had doubts after this encounter. "I thought maybe she is more mature to deal with it," Corcoran said about her public middle school. "Then I got met with soft porn."

It took just over a weekend for school officials to remove 'Paper Towns' from the reading list following Corcoran's email to the board. However, Corcoran stressed that she didn't request the book be removed.

School board member Joanne Hurley agreed that the book had an inappropriate nature for the age group in question. "The book may be appropriate for older kids," she said. "But I would find it very questionable for eighth grade. I have a granddaughter going into the eighth grade. I would probably have the same reaction as this parent, had my granddaughter brought home this book. I'm giving it the grandmother test, and it didn't pass."

Despite this, it is hard to believe that most fans, which are in the middle to high school demographic, haven't already picked up the novel on their own. It was recently announced that 'Paper Towns' would hit the big screen, following the release of this summer's blockbuster 'The Fault in Our Stars.' Nat Wolff, who co-stars alongside Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort in 'TFIOS,' is set to star in the 'Paper Towns' adaptation.