Banned Books Week

2026

"Book banning, a form of censorship, occurs when private individuals, government officials or organizations remove books from libraries, school reading lists or bookstore shelves because they object to their content, ideas or themes."

“Book Banning.” The Free Speech Center, 5 July 2024, firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/book-banning/. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.

What is censorship?

"Censorship is the control of what people may say, hear, write, read, see, or do. In most cases, this kind of control comes from a government or from various types of private groups. Censorship can affect books, newspapers, magazines, motion pictures, radio and television programs, and speeches. It also may influence music, painting, sculpture, and other arts."

‌Rupp, Richard E. "Censorship." World Book Advanced, 2024, https://worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar102660. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.

Is your favorite book on the banned books list?

What book was banned because critics identified it as "a real 'downer'"?

a.) Crank by Ellen Hopkins

b.) Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

c.) The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank

d.) The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

What popular children's book was banned because it "Encourages children to break dishes so they won't have to dry them"?

a.) Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm

b.) A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

c.) Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

d.) The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

What genre is increasingly being banned in the US?

a.) Romance

b.) Historical Fiction

c.) Nonfiction (including Bios and Memoirs)

d.) Mysteries/Thrillers

How many book challenges were reported to the American Library Association in 2025?

a.) 4235

b.) 15

c.) 2571

d.) 1265

(The annual average number of unique titles challenged from 2001–2020 was 273)

Let's look at the numbers from ALA...

Is it true that a Librarian can go to prison for sharing banned books?

True or False

Washington Post

According to the ALA, the majority of library censorship remains tied to organized campaigns. Pressure groups and the decision makers they influenced targeted 7,884 total titles in 2025.