Banned Books Week is September 26-October 2, 2021.
According to the American Library Association (2012), “Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. It brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.” For more information about Banned Books Week, its history, and how to get involved, check out Banned and Challenged Books: A Website of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom.
Censorship by the Numbers
Who? What? Where? Why?
Check out the ALA’s infographics about censorship in 2020 below. Click here for infographics from past years. Press the arrow for the Spanish translation. Presione la flecha para la traducción al español.
Below is just a sampling of books that have been banned or challenged. Find more on ALA’s frequently challenged book lists: Top Ten Challenged Books by decade and by year, Children’s Books, Young Adult Books, Classics, and Books with Diverse Content. You can also check out our Just for Teens post or stop by the library for more!
Can You Guess Why These Books Were Banned?
Flick through the slideshows to find out, and click the linked titles to reserve your copy!
Picture Books
Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss 
Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss 
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell 
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell 
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein 
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein 
Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story about Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, PhD, ABPP, Marietta Collins, PhD, and Ann Hazzard, PhD, ABPP 
Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story about Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, PhD, ABPP, Marietta Collins, PhD, and Ann Hazzard, PhD, ABPP 
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown 
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown 
Skippyjon Jones series by Judy Schachner 
Skippyjon Jones series by Judy Schachner 
Strega Nona: An Old Tale by Tomie de Paola 
Strega Nona: An Old Tale by Tomie de Paola 
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak 
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak 
The Dumb Bunnies by Dav Pilkey 
The Dumb Bunnies by Dav Pilkey 
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf 
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Fiction
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White 
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White 
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor 
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor 
Harriet, the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh 
Harriet, the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh 
Captain Underpants series by Dave Pilkey 
Captain Underpants series by Dave Pilkey 
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson 
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson 
Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park 
Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park 
Taming the Star Runner by S.E. Hinton 
Taming the Star Runner by S.E. Hinton 
The Giver by Lois Lowry 
The Giver by Lois Lowry 
Crazy Lady! by Jane Leslie Conly 
Crazy Lady! by Jane Leslie Conly 
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George 
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
Nonfiction
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein 
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein 
I am Jazz! by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings 
I am Jazz! by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings 
It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris 
It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris 
Where’s Waldo? by Martin Handford 
Where’s Waldo? by Martin Handford 
This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman 
This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman 
Sex Is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth 
Sex Is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth 
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz 
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz 
My Mom’s Having a Baby! by Dori Hillestad Butler 
My Mom’s Having a Baby! by Dori Hillestad Butler
References
“Banned and Challenged Picture Books”, Edmonton Public Library, February 2018. https://epl.bibliocommons.com/list/share/69128707/70680896 (Accessed September 14, 2021).
“Banned Books Week (September 26-October 2, 2021)”, American Library Association, December 11, 2012. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/banned (Accessed September 11, 2021).
Sutcliffe, Allison. “25 Banned Books Your Kids Need to Read”, Red Tricycle, March 19, 2021. https://redtri.com/kids-books-and-childrens-books-that-are-banned-books/ (Accessed September 14, 2021).
“Top 10 Most Challenged Books Lists”, American Library Association, March 26, 2013. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10 (Accessed September 11, 2021).