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Top 10 Most Challenged Books Lists | Advocacy, Legislation & Issues

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The American Library Association condemns censorship and works to ensure free access to information. Every year, the Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles a list of the 10 most questioned books to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools. Lists are based on information from media stories and voluntary reports submitted to OIF from communities across the United States.

You are reading: Banned books list 2018

The top 10 lists are just a snapshot of the book challenges. Surveys indicate that 82-97% of book challenges (documented requests to remove materials from schools or libraries) go unreported and unmediated.

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the 10 most questioned books of 2021

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The Wing Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 729 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2021. Of the 1,597 books that were targeted, these are the most challenged, along with the reasons cited for censoring the books:

  1. gender queer by maia kobabe reasons: banned, challenged and restricted for lgbtqia+ content, and because it was deemed to contain sexually explicit images
  2. lawn boy by jonathan evison reasons: banned and challenged for lgbtqia+ content and because it was deemed sexually explicit
  3. not all boys are George M. Blues johnson reasons: banned and questioned for lgbtqia+ content, profanity and because it was considered sexually explicit
  4. out of the dark by ashley hope perez reasons: banned, questioned and restricted for depictions of abuse and because it was considered sexually explicit
  5. the hate you give for angie thomas reasons: banned and challenged for profanity, violence and because it was intended to promote a message against police and the indoctrination of a social agenda
  6. the absolutely true diary of a part-time indian by alexie sherman reasons: banned and questioned for profanity, sexual references and use of a term derogatory
  7. me and earl and the dying girl by jesse andrews reasons: banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and degrading to women
  8. the bluest eye of toni morrison reasons: prohibited been questioned because it depicts ch child sexual abuse and was deemed sexually explicit
  9. this book is gay by juno dawson reasons: banned, challenged, relocated and restricted for providing sex education and lgbtqia+ content.
  10. beyond magenta by susan kuklin reasons: banned and challenged for lgbtqia+ content and because it was deemed sexually explicit.

the 10 most questioned books of 2020

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The Wing Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 156 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2020. Of the 273 books that were targeted, these are the most challenged, along with the reasons cited for censor the books:

  1. george by alex gino reasons: challenged, banned, and restricted for lgbtqia+ content, conflicting with a religious viewpoint, and not reflecting “our community’s values”
  2. print: racism, anti-racism and you by ibram x. kendi and jason reynolds Reasons: Banned and questioned due to the author’s public statements and claims that the book contains “selective narrative incidents” and does not cover racism against all people
  3. all american boys by jason reynolds and brendan kiely reasons: banned and challenged for profanity, drug and alcohol use, and because it was thought to promote anti-police views, contain divisive themes, and was “too sensitive a subject at this moment”
  4. laurie halse anderson speech reasons: banned, contested, and restricted because it was thought to contain a political point of view and was claimed to be biased against men. students, and for inclusion in the rape and profanity novel
  5. the absolutely true diary of a part-time indian by alexie sherman reasons: banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references and allegations of sexual misconduct by the author
  6. something happened in our town: a children’s story about racial injustice by marianne celano, marietta collins and ann hazzard, illustrated by jennifer zivoin reasons: challenged for “divisive language” and because it was thought to promote anti-police views
  7. kill a mockingbird by harper lee reasons: prohibited and challenged by racial slurs and their negative effect on students, with a “white savior” character and his perception of the black experience
  8. of mice and men by john steinbeck reasons: banned and challenged for racial slurs and racist stereotypes, and its negative effect on students
  9. toni morrison’s bluest eye reasons: banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and depicts child sexual abuse
  10. the hate you give for angie thomas reasons : challenged for profanity, and was thought to promote an anti-police message

the 10 most questioned books of 2019

see the censorship by numbers infographic for 2019

the wing office for intellectual freedom tracked 377 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2019. of the 566 books that were targeted, these are the most challenged, along with the reasons cited for censoring the books:

  1. george by alex gino reasons: questioned, prohibited, restricted and hidden to avoid controversy; for lgbtqia+ content and a transgender character; because schools and libraries should not “place in a child’s hand books that require discussion”; for sexual references; and for conflicting with a religious viewpoint and “traditional family structure”
  2. beyond magenta: transgender teens speak out for susan kuklin reasons: challenged by the lgbtqia+ content, because of “its effect on any young people who would read it,” and because of concerns that it might be sexually explicit and biased
  3. a day in the life of marlon bundo by jill twiss, illustrated for, say, keller reasons: challenged and trashed for lgbtqia+ content and political views, for concerns that it’s “designed to pollute the morals of its readers” and for not including a content warning
  4. sex is a funny word by cory silverberg, illustrated by fiona smyth reasons: challenged, banned and relocated for lgbtqia+ content; to discuss gender identity and sex education; and for concerns that the title and illustrations were “inappropriate”
  5. prince & gentleman by daniel haack, illustrated by stevie lewis reasons: challenged and restricted for featuring gay marriage and lgbtqia+ content; for being “a deliberate attempt to indoctrinate young children” with the potential to cause confusion, curiosity, and gender dysphoria; and for conflicting with a religious point of view
  6. i am jazz by jessica herthel and jazz jennings, illustrated by shelagh mcnicholas reasons: challenged and relocated for lgbtqia+ content, for a character transgender and for addressing a topic that is “sensitive, controversial and politically charged”
  7. margaret atwood’s handmaid’s tale grounds: banned and challenged for profanity and for “vulgarity and sexual connotations”
  8. drama written and illustrated by raina telgemeier reasons: contested for lgbtqia+ content and concerns that it goes against “family values/morals”
  9. harry potter series by j. K. rowling reasons: banned and banned from discussion for referencing magic and witchcraft, for containing actual curses and spells, and for characters using “nefarious means” to achieve goals
  10. and tango ago three by peter parnell and justin richardson illustrated by henry cole motif: questioned and relocated for lgbtqia+ content

the 11 most questioned books of 2018

see the censorship by numbers infographic for 2018

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the wing office for intellectual freedom tracked 347 challenges to library, school and university materials and services in 2018. Of the 483 books challenged or banned in 2018 , the top 11 most questioned books are:

  1. george by alex gino reasons: banned, challenged, and relocated because it was believed to encourage kids to clear browser history and change their bodies using hormones, and for mentioning “magazines dirty,” describing the male anatomy, “creating confusion,” and including a transgender character
  2. a day in the life of marlon bundo by jill twiss, illustrated by eg keller reasons: banned and questioned for including lgbtqia+ content, and for his political and religious views
  3. captain underpants series written and illustrated by dav pilkey reasons: the series was questioned because it was perceived to encourage disruptive behavior, while captain underpants and the sensational saga of sir stinks-a-lot was questioned for including a same-sex couple
  4. the hate you give for angie thomas reasons : banned and questioned because it was considered “anti-police” and blah sphemias, drug use and sexual references
  5. drama written and illustrated by raina telgemeier reasons: banned and challenged to include lgbtqia+ characters and themes
  6. thirteen reasons for jay asher reasons: banned, questioned and restricted for tackling teen suicide
  7. this summer by mariko tamaki, illustrated by jillian tamaki reasons: banned and questioned for profanity, sexual references, and certain illustrations
  8. skippy jon jones series written and illustrated by judy schachner reason: challenged for representing stereotypes of mexican culture
  9. the absolutely true diary of a part-time indian by sherman alexie reasons: banned and challenged for sexual references, profanity, violence, underage gambling and underage drinking, and for his point of view religious
  10. this day in june by gayle e. pitman, illustrated by kristyna litten reason: challenged and burned for including lgbtqia+ content
  11. two boys kissing by david levithan reason: challenged and burned for including lgbtqia+ content

Top 10 of 2017

see the censorship by numbers infographic for 2017

Ala Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 354 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2017. Of the 416 books challenged or banned in 2017, the 10 most challenged books are:

  1. thirteen reasons why written by jay asher originally published in 2007, this new york times bestseller has re-emerged as a controversial book after netflix aired a tv series with the same name. this novel has already been questioned and banned in several school districts because it is about suicide.
  2. the absolutely true diary of a part-time indian written by alexie sherman constantly questioned since its publication in 2007 for recognizing issues such as poverty, alcoholism, and sexuality, this national book award winner was challenged in school curricula due to profanity and situations deemed sexually explicit.
  3. drama written and illustrated by raina telgemeier this 2012 stonewall honor award winning graphic novel by an acclaimed cartoonist was challenged and banned from school libraries because it included lgbt characters and was deemed “confusing”.
  4. the runner kite written by khaled hosseini this critically acclaimed multi-generational novel was challenged and banned because it included sexual violence and was thought to “lead to terror rism” and “promoting islam.”
  5. geor ge written by alex gino written for elementary school children, this lambda literary award winner was challenged and banned because it includes a child transgender.
  6. sex is a fun word written by cory silverberg and illustrated by fiona smyth this informative 2015 children’s book written by a certified sex educator was challenged because it addresses sex education and it is believed to make children “want to have sex or ask questions about sex.”
  7. to kill a mockingbird by harper lee this pulitzer prize-winning novel, considered a American classic, was challenged and banned due to violence and its use of the n-word.
  8. the hate you give written by angie thomas despite winning multiple awards and being the most searched book on goodreads during its debut year, this novel was already challenged and banned in the bibli libraries and school curricula because it was considered “generally vulgar” and because of drug use, profanity, and offensive language.
  9. and the tango ago three written by peter parnell and justin richardson and illustrated by henry cole Returning after a brief hiatus from the top ten most questioned list, this remarkable children’s book, published in 2005, was questioned and labeled as featuring a same-sex relationship.
  10. i am jazz written by jessica herthel and jazz jennings and illustrated by shelagh mcnicholas this autobiographical picture book co-written by the 13-year-old protagonist was challenged because it addresses gender identity.

Top 10 of 2016

of 323 challenges registered by the office for intellectual freedom

see the censorship by numbers infographic for 2016

  1. this summer written by mariko tamaki and illustrated by jillian tamaki reasons: challenged because it includes lgbt characters, drug use and profanity, and was deemed sexually explicit with mature themes
  2. drama written and illustrated by raina telgemeier reasons: questioned because it includes lgbt characters, was considered sexually explicit, and was considered to have an offensive political point of view
  3. george written by alex gino reasons: challenged because it includes a transgender child and “sexuality was not appropriate at the elementary levels”
  4. i am jazz written by jessica herthel and jazz jennings e illustrated by shelagh mcnicholas reasons: challenged because it portrays a transgender child and because of offensive language, sex education, and viewpoints
  5. two children kissing written by david levithan reasons: questioned because its cover has an age im d children kissing, and was deemed to include sexually explicit lgbt content
  6. seeking alaska written by john green reasons: challenged by a sexually explicit scene that may lead a student to “ sexual experimentation”
  7. hardcore sex offenders written by matt fraction and illustrated by chip zdarsky reason: challenged because it was deemed sexually explicit
  8. make something up : stories you can’t stop reading written by chuck palahniuk reasons: challenged for profanity, explicit sex, and being “disgusting and completely offensive”
  9. little bill (series) written by bill cosby and illustrated by varnette p. honeywood reason: questioned due to criminal sexual accusations against the author
  10. eleanor & park written by rainbow rowell reason: challenged for offensive language

Top 10 of 2015

of 275 challenges registered by the office for intellectual freedom

see the censorship by numbers infographic for 2015

  1. looking for alaska, by john green grounds: offensive language, sexually explicit, and inappropriate for age group
  2. fifty shades of grey, by e. i james reasons: sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group and others (“misspelled”, “worries that a bunch of teens will want to try it”)
  3. im jazz, by jessica herthel and jazz jennings reasons: inaccurate, homosexuality, sexual education, religious point of view and inappropriate for the age group
  4. beyond the magenta: transgender teens speak out, by susan kuklin reasons: anti-family, offensive language, homosexuality, sex education, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, inappropriate for age group et al (“want to remove from collection to avoid complaints”)
  5. the curious incident of the dog in the night, by mark haddon reasons: offensive language , religious point of view , inappropriate for the age group and others (“blasphemies and atheism”)
  6. the holy bible reasons: point of view ta religious
  7. fun house
  8. fun house

    9. strong>, by alison bec hdel reasons: violence and others (“graphic images”)

  9. habibi, by craig thompson reasons: nudity, sexually explicit, and inappropriate for age group
  10. the secret school of nasreen: a true story from afghanistan, by jeanette winter reasons: religious point of view, inappropriate for the age group and violence
  11. two boys kissing, by david levithan motives: homosexuality and others (“sorry for public displays of affection”)

Top 10 of 2014

of 311 challenges registered by the office for intellectual freedom

see the infographic of censorship by the numbers for 2014

  1. the absolutely true diary of a part-time indian, by alexie sherman reasons: anti-family, cultural insensitivity, drugs/alcohol/smoking, gambling , offensive language, sex education, sexually explicit, age inappropriate, violence. additional reasons: “depictions of bullying”
  2. persepolis, by marjane satrapi reasons: gambling, offensive language, political point of view. additional reasons: “politically, racially and socially offensive”, “graphic representations”
  3. and tango makes three, justin richardson and peter parnell reasons: anti-family, homosexuality, political point of view, religious point of view, inappropriate for the age group. additional reasons: “promotes the homosexual agenda”
  4. the bluest eye, by toni morrison reasons: sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group. additional reasons: “contains controversial topics”
  5. is perfectly normal, by robie harris reasons: nudity, sex education, sexually explicit, inappropriate for group old . additional reasons: “alleges child pornography”
  6. saga, by brian vaughan and fiona staples reasons: anti-family, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit and inappropriate for age group
  7. the kite runner, by khaled hosseini reasons: offensive language, inappropriate for age group, violence
  8. the perks of being an outcast, by stephen chbosky reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, offensive language, sexually explicit, inappropriate for the group old. additional reasons: “date rape and masturbation”
  9. a stolen life, jaycee dugard reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group
  10. drama, by raina telgemeier reason: sexually explicit

Top 10 of 2013

of 307 challenges registered by the office for intellectual freedom

  1. captain underpants (series), by dav pilkey motifs: offensive language, age inappropriate, violence
  2. the bluest eye, by toni morrison reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group, violence
  3. the absolutely true diary of a part-time indian, by alexie sherman reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, age inappropriate
  4. fifty shades of grey, by e.l. james reasons: nudity, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group
  5. the hunger games, by suzanne collins reasons: religious point of view, inappropriate for age group
  6. a bad boy can be good for a girl, by tanya lee stone reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, nudity, offensive language , sexually explicit
  7. seeking alaska, by john green reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group
  8. the perks of being an outcast, by stephen chbosky reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, sexually explicit, age inappropriate
  9. bless me last, by rudolfo anaya reasons: occult/satanic, offensive language, religious point of view, sexually explicit
  10. bone (series), by jeff smith reason: point of view political, racism, violence

Top 10 of 2012

of 464 challenges registered by the office for intellectual freedom

  1. captain underpants(series), by dav pilkey reasons: offensive language, inappropriate for age group
  2. the absolutely true diary of a part time indian, by alexie sherman reasons: offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group
  3. thirteen reasons why, by jay asher reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, suicide, inappropriate for age group
  4. fifty shades of grey , by e. i james reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit
  5. and tango makes three, by peter parnell and justin richardson reasons: homosexuality, inappropriate for age group
  6. the kite runner, by khaled hosseini reasons: homosexuality, offensive language, religious point of view, sexually explicit
  7. looking for alaska, by john green reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group
  8. stories scary (series), by alvin schwartz motifs: inappropriate for age, violence
  9. the glass castle, by jeanette walls grounds: offensive language, sexually explicit
  10. loved, by toni morrison grounds: sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence

top 10 of 2011

of 326 challenges registered by the office for intellectual freedom

  1. linden; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series), by lauren myracle reasons: offensive language, religious point of view, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group
  2. the color of the earth (series), by kim dong hwa motifs: nudity, sexual education, explicit sex, inappropriate for the age group
  3. the hunger games trilogy, by suzanne collins motifs: anti-ethnic, anti-family, insensitivity, offensive language, occult/satanic, violence
  4. my mom goes to have a baby! a kids monthly guide to pregnancy, by dori hillestad butler reasons: nudity, sex education, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group
  5. the absolutely true diary of a part time indian, by sherman alexie grounds: offensive language, racism, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group
  6. alice (series), by phyllis reynolds naylor reasons: nudity, offensive language, religious point of view
  7. brave new world , by aldous huxley reasons: insensitivity, nudity, racism, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit
  8. what my mother doesn’t know , by sonya sones reasons: nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit
  9. gossip girl (series), by cecily von ziegesar reasons : drugs, offensive language, sexually explicit
  10. to kill a mockingbird, by harper lee reasons: offensive language, racism

top 10 of 2010

of 348 challenges registered by the office for intellectual freedom

  1. and the tango makes three, by peter parnell and justin richardson reasons: homosexuality, religious point of view, inappropriate for age
  2. the absolutely true diary of a part time indian, by alexie sherman reasons: offensive language, racism, sex education, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group, violence
  3. brave new world, by aldous huxley reasons: insensitivity, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit
  4. wacky , by ellen hopkins reasons: drugs, offensive language, sexually explicit
  5. the hunger games, by suzanne collins reasons: sexually explicit, inappropriate for the age group, violence
  6. exuberant, by a friend of natasha reasons: drugs, language offensive, sexually exploitative illicit, inappropriate for age group
  7. what my mother doesn’t know, b and sonya sones reasons: sexism, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age
  8. nickel and dimed, by barbara ehrenreich reasons: drugs, inaccurate and offensive language, political point of view, religious point of view
  9. revolutionary voices, edited by amy sonnie motifs: homosexuality, sexually explicit
  10. twilight, by stephenie meyer reasons: religious point of view, violence

Top 10 of 2009

of 460 challenges registered by the office for intellectual freedom

  1. linden; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series), by lauren myracle motifs: drugs, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, age inappropriate
  2. and tango three ago, by peter parnell and justin richardson reasons: homosexuality
  3. the perks of being an outcast, by stephen chbosky reasons: anti-family, drugs, homosexuality, offensive language, religious point of view, sexually explicit, suicide, inappropriate for the age group
  4. to kill a mockingbird, by harper lee reasons: offensive language, racism, inappropriate for age group
  5. twilight (series) by stephenie meyerreasons: religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, age inappropriate
  6. the catcher in the rye, by j.d. salinger grounds: offensive language, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group
  7. my sister’s keeper, by jodi picoult grounds : homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexism, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group, violence
  8. the earth, my butt and other big round things, by carolyn mackler reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, inappropriate for the age group
  9. the color purple, by alice walker grounds: offensive language, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group
  10. the chocolate war, by robert cormier grounds: nudity, language offensive, sexually explicit, inappropriate for the age group

Top 10 of 2008

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of 513 challenges registered by the office for intellectual freedom

  1. and the tango makes three, by justin richardson and peter parnell motives: anti-ethnic, anti-family, homosexuality, religious point of view, inappropriate for age
  2. his dark materials trilogy, by philip pullman motifs: political point of view, religious point of view, violence
  3. tyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series), by lauren myracle reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, inappropriate for the age group
  4. scary stories (series), by alvin schwartz motifs: occultism/satanic, religious point of view, violence
  5. bless me, last, by rudolfo anaya reasons: occult/satanic, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, violence
  6. the perks of being an outcast, by stephen chbosky reasons : drugs, homosexuality, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, suicide, inappropriate for the age group
  7. gossip girl (series), by cecily von ziegesar reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group
  8. uncle bobby’s wedding, by sarah s. brannen reasons: homosexuality, inappropriate for age group
  9. the kite runner, by khaled hosseini reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group
  10. flashcards of my life, by charise mericle harper reasons: sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group

Top 10 of 2007

of 420 challenges registered by the office for intellectual freedom

  1. and tango makes three, by justin richardson and peter parnell reasons: anti-ethnic, anti-family, homosexuality, religious point of view, sexism, not suitable for age group
  2. the chocolate war, by robert cormier reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, violence
  3. olive’s ocean, by kevin henkes reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit
  4. the golden compass, by philip pullman reason: religious point of view
  5. the adventures of huckleberry finn, by mark twain reason: racism
  6. the color purple, by alice walker reasons: homosexuality, offensive language, sexually explicit
  7. ttyl, by lauren myracle reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, inappropriate for the group old
  8. I know why the caged bird sings, by maya angelou reason: sexually explicit
  9. it is perfectly normal, by robie harris motifs: sex education, sexually explicit
  10. the perks of being an outcast, by stephen chbosky reasons: homosexuality, offensive language, sexually explicit, inappropriate for the age group

Top 10 of 2006

of 546 challenges registered by the office for intellectual freedom

  1. and tango makes three, by justin richardson and peter parnell reasons: anti-family, homosexuality, age inappropriate
  2. gossip girls (series), by cecily von ziegesar motives: homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language, inappropriate for the age group
  3. alice (series), by phyllis reynolds naylor motifs: sexually explicit and offensive language
  4. the earth, my butt and other big round things , by carolyn mackler reasons: anti-family, offensive language, sexually explicit, inappropriate for the age group
  5. the bluest eye, by toni morrison reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group
  6. scary stories (series), by alvin schwartz reasons: insensitivity, occultism /satanic, age inappropriate, violence
  7. athletic short ts, by chris crutcher reasons: homosexuality, offensive language
  8. the perks of being an outcast, by stephen chbosky reasons: homosexuality, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group
  9. loved, by toni morrison reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group
  10. the chocolate war, by robert cormier reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, violence

Top 10 of 2005

of 405 challenges registered by the office for intellectual freedom

  1. It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex and Sexual Health, by robie h. harris reasons: abortion, homosexuality, nudity, religious viewpoint, sex education, inappropriate for age group
  2. forever, by judy blume reasons : offensive language, sexual content
  3. the catcher in the rye, by j. d. salinger reasons: sexual content, offensive language, inappropriate for the age group
  4. the chocolate war, by robert cormier reasons: sexual content, offensive language
  5. whale talk, by chris muleter reasons: racism, offensive language
  6. diversion for emmy, by marilyn reynolds reason: sexual content
  7. what my mother doesn’t know, by sonya sones reasons: sexual content, unsuitable for the age group
  8. captain underpants (series), by dav pilkey reasons: anti-family content, unsuitable for age group, violence
  9. crazy girl!, by jane leslie conly reason: offensive language
  10. is incredible! a book about eggs, sperm, childbirth, babies and families, by robie h. harris reasons: sex education, sexual content

Top 10 of 2004

of 547 challenges registered by the office for intellectual freedom

  1. the chocolate war, by robert cormier reasons: offensive language, religious point of view, sexually explicit, age inappropriate, violence
  2. fallen angels, by walter dean myers reasons: offensive language, racism, violence
  3. arming america: the origins of a national gun culture , by michael a. bellesiles reasons: inaccurate, political point of view
  4. captain underpants (series), by dav pilkey reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit
  5. the perks of being an outcast, by stephen chbosky reasons: homosexuality, offensive language, sexually explicit
  6. which one my mother doesn’t know, for sonya sones reasons: offensive language, age inappropriate, sexually explicit
  7. in the kitchen at night , by maurice sendak reasons: nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit
  8. king & king, by linda dehaan reason: homosexuality
  9. I know why the caged bird sings, by maya angelou reasons: homosexuality, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, inappropriate for the age group
  10. of mice and men, by john steinbeck reasons: offensive language, racism, violence

Top 10 of 2003

of 458 challenges registered by the office for intellectual freedom

  1. alice (series), by phyllis reynolds naylor reasons: sexual content, offensive language, inappropriate for age group
  2. harry potter (series), by j.k. rowling reasons: occult/satanism
  3. of mice and men, by john steinbeck reasons: offensive language
  4. Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture, by michael bellesiles reason: inaccuracy
  5. fallen angels , by walter dean myers reason: drugs, offensive language, racism, sexual content, violence
  6. ask alice, by anonymous reason: drugs
  7. it’s perfectly normal, by robie harris reasons: homosexuality, nudity, sexual content, sex education
  8. we all fall down, by robert cormier reasons: offensive language, sexual content
  9. king & rey, by linda de haan motif: homosexuality
  10. bridge to terabithia, by katherine paterson motifs: occult/satanic, offensive language

Top 10 of 2002

of 515 challenges registered by the office for intellectual freedom

  1. harry potter, by j.k. rowling reasons: occult/satanic, violence
  2. alice(series), by phyllis reynolds naylor reasons: homosexuality, sexually explicit, inappropriate to the age group
  3. the chocolate war, by robert cormier reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, inappropriate for the age group
  4. I know why the caged bird sings, by maya angelou reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, age inappropriate, violence
  5. domestication the star corridor, by s.e. hinton reason: offensive language
  6. captain underpants, by dav pilkey reasons: offensive language, inappropriate for age group
  7. the adventures of huckleberry finn, by mark twain motif: offensive language
  8. bridge to terabithia, by katherine paterson reasons: occult/satanic, offensive language, violence
  9. roll of thunder, hear my cry, by mildred d. taylor reason: offensive language
  10. julia de los lobos, by jean craighead george reasons: age inappropriate, violence

top 10 of 2001

of 448 challenges registered by the office for intellectual freedom

  1. harry potter, by j.k. rowling reasons: anti-family, occult/satanic, religious viewpoint, violence
  2. of mice and men, by john steinbeck reasons: offensive language, racism, age inappropriate, violence
  3. the chocolate war, by robert cormier reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, inappropriate for age group, violence
  4. I know why the caged bird sings, by maya angelou reasons: language offensive, sexually explicit
  5. summer of my german soldier, by bette greene reasons: offensive language, racism, sexually explicit
  6. the catcher in the rye, by j.d. salinger reasons: offensive language, inappropriate for age group
  7. alice (series), by phyllis reynolds naylor reasons: sexually explicit , age group inappropriate
  8. ask alice, for anonymous reasons: drugs, offensive language, sexually explicit
  9. fallen angels, by walter dean myers reason: offensive language
  10. blood and chocolate, by annette curtis klause reasons: sexually explicit, inappropriate for the age group

background information from 2000 to 2009

see the 2000-2009 book challenge infographic

From 2000 to 2009, 5,099* challenges were reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom.

  • 1,577 challenges due to “sexually explicit” material
  • 1,291 challenges due to “offensive language”
  • 989 challenges due to material deemed “inappropriate for the age group “
  • 619 challenges due to “violence”‘
  • 361 challenges due to “homosexuality”

In addition, 274 materials were challenged due to “occult” or “satanic” themes, an additional 291 were challenged due to their “religious point of view” and 119 because they were “anti-family”.

Note that the number of challenges and the number of reasons for those challenges do not match because works are often challenged for more than one reason.

1,639 of these challenges were in school libraries; 1,811 were in classrooms; 1,217 took place in public libraries. there were 114 challenges to materials used in university classes and 30 to academic libraries. there are isolated cases of challenges to library materials made available in or by prisons, special libraries, community groups, and students.

The vast majority of challenges were initiated by parents (2,535), followed by sponsors and administrators (516 and 489 respectively).

* we receive challenge reports after the top ten lists have been published. this number reflects all the challenges we received since July 31, 2013 for the period 2000-2009.

before 1990

oif has only been collecting data on banned books since 1990, so we don’t have any lists of frequently questioned books or authors before that date.

See Also: Darynda Jones – Book Series In Order

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