Tina Harden learned the hard way that you can't stop "Gossip Girl," you can can't even hope to contain it.
The Central Florida mom has been waging a nearly two-year war against the series of tween books, refusing to return them to the public library in the hopes of keeping them out of the hands of impressionable youngsters like her daughter.
Harden said she couldn't believe the content she read in the books, which inspired the hit WB TV show of the same name, when her daughter brought one home.
Sex, drugs, dirty language, all too much for the Seminole County mom.
"I was just shocked that this was in the young adult section of the library," Harden told WESH.
Harden decided to take action. She checked out three "Gossip Girl" books as well as a book from the "It Girl" series in 2008, refusing to return them. She has racked up over $85 in fines while keeping the books for the past two years.
"I am not a book burner, I am not a censor," she insisted. Harden suggested the library restrict access of the books to teens or put a warning label on the books.
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The library declined, since restricting access would be censorship. They capitulated slightly, however, and moved the books from the young adult section to adult fiction.
Harden's book hijacking efforts did little to stem the tide of "Gossip Girl" indulgence, as the library carried multiple copies of the series. One of the books, "Notorious," was checked out 129 times in the last five months.
Harden finally returned the books Thursday, but has no plans to pay back the $85 dollar fine.
