The young adult spirit lives through Ted Dawe's novel entitled "Into the River". Apparently, the board's decision to ban the book only made it more popular and more interesting to young adults.

Author Jason Pinter has acquired the novel for U.S. publisher Polis Books, Publisher Weekly reports.

"Into the River", a coming-of-age young adult novel, has become the first book to be banned by New Zealand in 22 years, CNN reports. 

"Into the River" centers on a Maori boy who wins a scholarship to an elite school. Throughout the novel, the reader sees the boy in different situations where he makes right and wrong choices.

The restriction by Film and Literature Board was due to the complaints of a Christian group called "Family First".

Bob McCroskie, national director of Family First New Zealand, told CNN that the book bears "highly offensive language and gratuitous sexual content."

"I've read it to parents, I've sat with a group of fathers, none of them want their children to be reading it," McCroskie said.

While the book has been pulled from stores and libraries, it gathered a lot of interests especially when news of the book ban spread online.

Author Ted Dawe still believes that his novel will benefit its young adult readers.

"I have taught in secondary schools for the past forty years. Much of this time has been spent encouraging boys to read. Part of the challenge was to find books that 'spoke' to them," quotes The Guardian.

"There are many issues that young adults can not take to other people. They want to do their own thinking about them. There is no better, no more private medium for this than the novel," he continued.

Ted had been a teacher before he stumbled into the world of publishing.

"There comes a stage in the life of a child where they make the transition to adulthood, they have to walk free of their family, have to walk into spaces which may be dangerous," he told CNN. "This is what young adult fiction prepares them for."

Penguin Random House New Zealand has also expressed its disappointment that the book put under restriction.

U.S. publisher Polis also picked up another Ted Dawe novel, "Thunder Road", which is the sequel to "Into the River." 

The publisher intends to release the book in June 2016.

Meanwhile, U.S. is currently celebrating "Banned Books Week". The program runs from September 27 to October 3.

The event pays tribute to many challenged books and authors over the years. Coincidentally, this year's theme is highlighting the Young Adult genre, the category where "Into the River" falls into.

According to Judith Platt, National Committee chair of the event, "Young Adult books are challenged more frequently than any other type of book."