The Banned Book List released each year by the American Library Association (ALA) includes both children's and adult literature. For most of the last thirty years, hundreds of titles were challenged. However, we are now seeing thousands of books are challenged for a variety of reasons, including LGBTQ content, sexual content, and religious objections just to name a few. Historically, few were actually banned from the shelves or removed from school curricula, but were restricted. Restrictions can include only allowing the book to be kept behind a librarian's desk, only allow it to be checked out by a certain demographic of readers, and more. Unfortunately, due to several factors (including state legislation) we have seen an unprecedented rise in the banning of books in the since 2020.
I recommend that all librarians and educators ensure that their libraries, schools, and districts have policies and procedures in place for challenges.
The books listed in this LibGuide are only the children's literature titles that appear on the list. For more about Banned Books and Banned Books Week (celebrated every October), click this link: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks
