THE VILLAGE, Okla. -- A required summer-reading book for eighth graders recently caused controversy in a metro-area private school, Eyewitness News 5 learned Thursday.

Parents whose children attend the private school in The Village recently received a letter apologizing if they were "offended by the content" of the novel "Montana 1948."

School officials -- who asked not to be identified -- took the title off their required reading list, saying the book contains nudity, bad language and descriptions of sex crimes.

Oklahoma City middle school librarian Paula Morrow said the concern over "Montana 1948" is certainly not new.

"Censorship ... The Bible has been censored, Harry Potter has been censored," she said. "Everything that happens in our lives is controversial, and books represent the human experience."

Morrow said that in her seven years of choosing books for children, she has seen plenty of controversy. However, she said her opinion is it is up to parents -- not schools -- to decide what their children read.

"As a parent, you have a right to protect your child," she said. "But you don't have the right to say other people can't read this book."

Morrow said she monitors what her sixth-grader, Colin, brings home from his school's library. After doing some research on "Montana 1948" -- which is rated as an "adult" book -- she said she might let her son read the book if he is interested.

"I'd probably let him read it if it's something he's interested in, but this doesn't sound like what he'd be interested in anyway," she said.

In response to the controversy in The Village, Morrow said she follows a simple rule when it comes to books.

"If a book offends you, you should put it down," she said.

Most parents at the private school that took the book off its reading list said they were employing the same strategy with their children. Although some officials and parents called for the book to be censored, Eyewitness News 5 learned that other parents protested a proposal to ban the book.

School officials told Eyewitness News 5 that they still use the book in English classes but refrain from discussing details that might offend some students and parents