Famous YA Books
This 'colorful' author has faced numerous book bans regarding his boarding school novel, "Looking for Alaska." In 2022, it was the 5th most challenged book.
John Green
In 2023, this state became the first in the U.S to prohibit book bans
Illinois
The book Suspended is about this version of Spiderman, made famous by the recent Spider-verse movies.
Miles Morales
Her YA romance novel Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is her first book for teens, but adult romance fans may know her better for her Brown Sisters trilogy.
Talia Hibbert
This year CPL celebrated first opening their doors in 1873 making them this many years young.
150 Years
This Nobel-winning author's debut novel, 'The Bluest Eye,' was the third most challenged book of 2022. She later won a Pulitzer Prize for 'Beloved.'
Toni Morrison
Months after being banned by a Tennesse school board, this anthropomorphic graphic novel memoir about the Holocaust was selected as 2022's "One Book, One Chicago." Their nein was our ja.
Maus
This novel about teen pregnancy is based on the famous MTV show of the same name.
16 and Pregnant
Along with Into the Light, a novel about the struggles of queer teens and the foster care system, this author also put out the most recent Percy Jackson book with Rick Riordan this year
Mark Oshiro
This is the name of the app a CPL cardholder can use to check out, download, and listen to audiobooks for free.
Libby
"Stay gold, Ponyboy" is a famous quote from this novel about two rival gangs. Author S.E. Hinton was just 18 years old at the date of publication, certainly no 'insider' to the industry!
The Outsiders
Based on a true story, "And Tango Makes Three" was banned for homosexual content because it featured two males of this species raising a child together. Morgan Freeman should do a reading!
Penguin
The novel As You Walk On By by Jason Winters is inspired by this classic 80s movie. Here’s a hint: the title comes from the lyrics of the song that plays over the famous freeze-frame ending.
The Breakfast Club
The graphic novel, The Monkey Prince, is by this author of American Born Chinese and Dragon Hoops. He also wrote a run of Shang Chi for Marvel comics.
Gene Luen Yang
This genre of books, created in Japan, is the most checked out at Harold Washington Library’s YouMedia space.
Manga
His Dark Materials,' an oft-banned trilogy which includes The Golden Compass, was written by this alliterative author whose last name is synonymous with an old-timey train company known for its sleeping cars
Phillip Pullman
Ray Bradbury explains that the title of this 1953 novel about censorship comes from "the temperature at which book paper catches fire and burns."
Fahrenheit 451
The book Nearer My Freedom based on the journals of Olaudah Equiano, an 18th century black man who escaped slavery and became a successful businessman uses this poetic style where portions of an original text are crossed out to create a new poem
Blackout poetry
This author who wrote Enter the Body, about Shakespeare's protagonists Juliet, Ophelia, and Cordelia, is also well known for her novel in verse Blood Water Paint about the 17th century painter Artemisia Gentileschi.
Joy McCullough
The program The ___ Club, which makes it easier for children and teens to get library cards, gets its name from the number of CPL branches across the city.
81
In 2013, Chicago Public School teachers were told to remove this graphic novel memoir about the Iranian Revolution from 7th grade classrooms. Its one word title means "City of the Persians" and was written by Marjane Satrapi.
A: Persepolis
A 17 year old's surname was immortalized after successfuly suing his school for banning books. The case is called Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26 v. this surname. That's a spicy case, for being the least spicy sauce at Chipotle!
Pico
Lies We Sing to the Sea is a fantasy novel set in the world of Homer’s Odyssey. Our hero must break a curse to keep twelve young women are sacrificed to Poseidon every year in memory of the twelve maids that served this wife of the famous Odysseus
Penelope
Famous for their work on the manga Tokyo Ghoul, this author also wrote Choujin X.
Sui Ishida
This program provides library cardholders with free or discounted access to The Art Institute, The Field Museum, The Museum of Science and Industry, and many other cultural institutions around the city.
Digital Museum Passes