Fresh Off the Press (And Under Fire!)
This graphic novel by Jerry Craft won the Newbery Medal but faced challenges over its portrayal of microaggressions at a private school.
What is New Kid?
Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel set in Maycomb, Alabama, remains one of the most frequently challenged classics in middle and high schools.
What is To Kill a Mockingbird?
This national library organization (ALA) leads Banned Books Week every fall to advocate for the freedom to read.
What is the American Library Association?
J.K. Rowling’s bestselling wizarding series was repeatedly challenged in the early 2000s for depicting witchcraft and magic.
What is Harry Potter?
This amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of speech and the freedom of the press.
What is the First Amendment?
In Lois Lowry's classic novel, Jonas lives in a seemingly perfect society where memories of pain, war, and color are hidden.
What is The Giver?
Judy Blume's famous 1970 novel about a 6th grader navigating religion, friendship, and growing up faced widespread censorship.
What is Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.?
An official request to remove or restrict a book from a school library or curriculum is known as this.
What is a challenge?
Suzanne Collins’ dystopian trilogy about Katniss Everdeen competing in a broadcasted arena was challenged for violence and anti-authority themes.
What is The Hunger Games?
The suppression, alteration, or prohibition of speech, books, or ideas deemed objectionable is called this.
What is censorship?
This fantasy book by Madeleine L'Engle involves Meg Murry traveling through space and time via a "tesseract," but was challenged for religious themes.
What is A Wrinkle in Time?
This Roald Dahl story features giant fruit, talking insects, and magical peach pits, yet was challenged for references to tobacco and alcohol.
What is James and the Giant Peach?
Unlike a challenge, this occurs when a book is completely removed from shelves or instructional use.
What is a ban?
Neal Shusterman’s sci-fi novel sets up a world where teenagers can be "disassembled" for their organs, sparking debates over mature ethical themes.
What is Unwind?
The physical location in a school where students retain the right to browse and select their own reading material.
What is the school library (or media center)?
Dav Pilkey's funny graphic novel series featuring a wedgie-powered superhero was frequently challenged for "encouraging disrespect for authority".
What is Captain Underpants?
Anne Frank’s actual WWII journal has faced challenges from schools attempting to edit or censor specific entries.
What is The Diary of a Young Girl (or The Diary of Anne Frank)?
This month of the year is when Banned Books Week is traditionally celebrated across the United States.
What is September/October?
This classic fantasy series by C.S. Lewis faced challenges from critics who felt the allegorical battles were too violent for younger readers.
What is The Chronicles of Narnia?
This constitutional term describes information or content that is not protected under free speech, though it rarely applies to middle-grade literature.
What is obscenity?
This novel by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely tells the story of two teens- one Black and one white- dealing with the fallout of an act of police violence.
What is All American Boys?
Mildred D. Taylor’s award-winning novel about the Logan family growing up in Mississippi during the Great Depression faces recurring censorship challenges.
What is Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry?
The official slogan of Banned Books Week emphasizes this fundamental right guaranteed by the First Amendment.
What is the Freedom to Read?
Rick Riordan’s famous mythology series has faced occasional challenges from groups objecting to its depiction of polytheistic gods and diverse demigods.
What is Percy Jackson & the Olympians?
School districts and activist groups have recently used generative AI and large language models for this fast, controversial method of submitting hundreds of book challenges at once.
What is automated scanning (or AI-generated book flagging/bot challenges)?