The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is one of the most controversial books released in my lifetime. It's a thriller that questions the foundations of the Christian religion with conspiracy theories.

For those of you that haven't read it, it's about a man trying to uncover a religious conspiracy hidden by the Catholic Church. I'm not going to go into many details on the plot, but the book's questioning of the Bible and criticism of the Catholic church has angered many people.

I go to a Christian school, so obviously I'm surrounded by people telling me not to read it, and that it's blasphemous trash. Although how can you judge a book, before you've even read it? I disagree with most Christians on this topic. So, I decided to read the book for myself.

Personally, I thought the book was very entertaining and it was a fun thriller. Although after reading it, you might really start to question the Bible and Christianity. I don't agree with the ideas, and of course I don't believe them.

The book is fiction. Dan Brown continuously says that his book is good for sparking religious discussions, and it is.

After you've read The Da Vinci Code, I would suggest reading The Da Vinci Code: Decoded, by Martin Lunn. This is written from a Christian perspective, and points out all the flaws in Dan Brown's theory. This will help you to determine fact from fiction, and form your own ideas after reading both points of view.

I don't think kids should ever feel censored from reading books just because they're controversial. How can we ever form our own opinions, and ideas if we're constantly being sheltered?

SpunkGrl