Top 10 Lists of Books Banned by Year

Directly from the ALA Office For Intellectual Freedom: “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 Top 10 Most Challenged Books in order to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools. The lists are based on information from media stories and voluntary reports sent to OIF from communities across the U.S. The Top 10 lists are only a snapshot of book challenges. Surveys indicate that 82-97% of book challenges remain unreported and receive no media coverage.”

If a book on any of the lists below has appeared on our site as a Book of the Day selection, you can click on the book title to visit the page for that book.

Ban Years

Book Ban data sourced from the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom

Banned/Challenged Books for 2025

• 2025 book data as not yet been released.

Banned/Challenged Books for 2024

1. All Boys are Not Blue by George M. Johnson
2. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
3. (TIE) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
4. (TIE) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
5. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
6. (TIE) Looking for Alaska by John Green
7. (TIE) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
8. (TIE) Crank by Ellen Hopkins
9. (TIE) Sold by Patricia McCormick
10. Flamer by Mike Curato

Banned/Challenged Books for 2023

1. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
2. All Boys are Not Blue by George M. Johnson
3. This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson
4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
5. Flamer by Mike Curato
6. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
7. (TIE) Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
8. (TIE) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
9. Let’s Talk About It by Erika Moen & Matthew Nolan
10. Sold by Patricia McCormick

Banned/Challenged Books for 2022

1. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
2. All Boys are Not Blue by George M. Johnson
3. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
4. Flamer by Mike Curato
5. (TIE) Looking for Alaska by John Green
6. (TIE) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
7. Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
8. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
9. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
10. (TIE) A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
11. (TIE) Crank by Ellen Hopkins
12. (TIE) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
13. (TIE) This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson

Banned/Challenged Books for 2021

1. Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
2. Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
3. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
4. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
5. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
6. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
7. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
8. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
9. This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson
10. Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin

Banned/Challenged Books for 2020

1. Melissa (previously published as George) by Alex Gino
2. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi & Jason Reynolds
3. All American Boys by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely
4. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
6. Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, & Ann Hazzard
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
8. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
9. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
10. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Banned/Challenged Books for 2019

1. Melissa (previously published as George) by Alex Gino
2. Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin
3. A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss
4. Sex is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg
5. Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack
6. I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel & Jazz Jennings
7. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
8. Drama by Raina Telgemeier
9. Harry Potter (whole series) by J.K. Rowling
10. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell & Justin Richardson

Banned/Challenged Books for 2018

1. Melissa (previously published as George) by Alex Gino
2. A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss
3. Captain Underpants (whole series) by Dave Pilke
4. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
5. Drama by Raina Telgemeier
6. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
7. This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki
8. Skippyjon Jones (whole series) by Judy Schachner
9. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
10. This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman
11. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Banned/Challenged Books for 2017

1. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
3. Drama by Raina Telgemeier
4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
5. Melissa (previously published as George) by Alex Gino
6. Sex is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
8. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
9. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell & Justin Richardson
10. I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel & Jazz Jennings

Banned/Challenged Books for 2016

1. This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki
2. Drama by Raina Telgemeier
3. Melissa (previously published as George) by Alex Gino
4. I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel & Jazz Jennings
5. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
6. Looking for Alaska by John Green
7. Big Hard Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction
8. Make Something Up: Stories You Can’t Unread by Chuck Palahniuk
9. Little Bill (whole series) by Bill Cosby
10. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Banned/Challenged Books for 2015

1. Looking for Alaska by John Green
2. 50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James
3. I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel & Jazz Jennings
4. Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin
5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
6. The Holy Bible
7. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
8. Habibi by Craig Thompson
9. Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan by Jeanette Winter
10. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Banned/Challenged Books for 2014

1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
2. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
3. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell & Justin Richardson
4. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
5. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
6. Saga by Brian Vaughan & Fiona Staples
7. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
9. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
10. Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Banned/Challenged Books for 2013

1. Captain Underpants (whole series) by Dave Pilke
2. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
3. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
4. 50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James
5. The Hunger Games (trilogy) by Suzanne Collins
6. A Bad Boy Can Be Good for A Girl by Tanya Lee Stone
7. Looking for Alaska by John Green
8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
9. Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
10. Bone (whole series) by Jeff Smith

Banned/Challenged Books for 2012

1. Captain Underpants (whole series) by Dave Pilke
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
3. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
4. 50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James
5. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell & Justin Richardson
6. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
7. Looking for Alaska by John Green
8. Scary Stories (whole series) by Alvin Schwartz
9. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
10. Beloved by Toni Morrison

Banned/Challenged Books for 2011

1. ttyl; ttfn; l8r; g8r (whole series) by Lauren Myracle
2. The Color of Earth (whole series) by Kim Dong Hwa
3. The Hunger Games (trilogy) by Suzanne Collins
4. My Mom’s Having A Baby! A Kid’s Month-By-Month Guide to Pregnancy by Dori Hillestad
5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
6. Alice (whole series) by Phyllis Reynolds Nader
7. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
8. What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones
9. Gossip Girl (whole series) by Cecily Von Ziegesar
10. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Banned/Challenged Books for 2010

1. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell & Justin Richardson
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
3. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
4. Crank by Ellen Hopkins
5. The Hunger Games (trilogy) by Suzanne Collins
6. Lush by Natasha Friend
7. What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones
8. Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
9. Revolutionary Voices by Amy Sonnie (editor)
10. Twilight (whole series) by Stephenie Meyer

Banned/Challenged Books for 2009

1. ttyl; ttfn; l8r; g8r (whole series) by Lauren Myracle
2. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell & Justin Richardson
3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
5. Twilight (whole series) by Stephenie Meyer
6. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
7. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
8. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
9. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
10. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Banned/Challenged Books for 2008

1. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell & Justin Richardson
2. His Dark Materials (trilogy) by Philip Pullman
3. ttyl; ttfn; l8r; g8r (whole series) by Lauren Myracle
4. Scary Stories (whole series) by Alvin Schwartz
5. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
7. Gossip Girl (whole series) by Cecily Von Ziegesar
8. Uncle Bobby’s Wedding by Sarah S. Brannen
9. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
10. Flashcards of My Life by Charise Mericle Harper

Banned/Challenged Books for 2007

1. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell & Justin Richardson
2. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
3. Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes
4. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
7. ttyl by Lauren Myracle
8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
9. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Banned/Challenged Books for 2006

1. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell & Justin Richardson
2. Gossip Girl (whole series) by Cecily Von Ziegesar
3. Alice (whole series) by Phyllis Reynolds Nader
4. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
5. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
6. Scary Stories (whole series) by Alvin Schwartz
7. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
9. Beloved by Toni Morrison
10. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Banned/Challenged Books for 2005

1. It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health by Robie H. Harris
2. Forever by Judy Blume
3. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
5. Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
6. Detour for Emmy by Marilyn Reynolds
7. What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones
8. Captain Underpants (whole series) by Dave Pilke
9. Crazy Lady! by Jane Leslie Conly
10. It’s So Amazing! A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families by Robie H. Harris

Banned/Challenged Books for 2004

1. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
2. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
3. Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture by Michael A. Bellesiles
4. Captain Underpants (whole series) by Dave Pilke
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
6. What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones
7. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
8. King & King by Linda deHaan
9. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
10. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Banned/Challenged Books for 2003

1. Alice (whole series) by Phyllis Reynolds Nader
2. Harry Potter (whole series) by J.K. Rowling
3. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
4. Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture by Michael A. Bellesiles
5. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
6. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
7. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
8. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
9. King & King by Linda deHaan
10. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Banned/Challenged Books for 2002

1. Harry Potter (whole series) by J.K. Rowling
2. Alice (whole series) by Phyllis Reynolds Nader
3. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
4. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
5. Taming the Star Runner by S.E. Hinton
6. Captain Underpants by Dave Pilke
7. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
8. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
9. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
10. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George

Banned/Challenged Books for 2001

1. Harry Potter (whole series) by J.K. Rowling
2. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
3. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
4. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
5. Summer of My German Soldier by Better Greene
6. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
7. Alice (whole series) by Phyllis Reynolds Nader
8. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
9. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
10. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause