Author: Anne Frank
Publisher & Date: Bantam, 3 Feb 2997
Page Count: 400 pages
ISBN: 978-0553577129
Age/Reading Level: 12-18/Grades 7-12
Representation: Jewish
Other Information:
Book Information
Discovered in the attic where she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit.
In 1942, as Nazis occupied Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the secret upstairs rooms of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death.
In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, Anne’s account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.
Challenges & Bans
The book has been challenged due to passages that were considered “sexually offensive,” as well as for the tragic nature of the book, which some felt might be “depressing” for young readers.
Specific Challenges*:
Culpepper County, Virginia (2010, 2011): The book was challenged by parents requesting that their children not be required to read the book aloud due to the content of the book. The challenge was overturned and the book was allowed to remain in the curriculum, although the superintendent agreed to teach the book at a different grade level.
Northville, Michigan (2014): The book was challenged by parents due to anatomical descriptions in the book. The book was retained.
Josephine County Library District/Grants Pass, Oregon (2020): A library patron complained about “talk about the vagina, penis, and sex” in the book and requested it be replaced by an edited version. The original book was retained in the children’s section as well as the adult and young adult sections of the library.
Elizabeth School District/Elbert County, CO (2024/25): The school district announced in August of 2024 that they were removing 19 titles from school libraries “for review” and requiring parental permission for 110 others. The board cited concerns over the religious views expressed; LGBTQIA+ content; and depictions of drug use, sex, and violence in the books. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl was one of the titles requiring parental permission. In March of 2025 a federal judge ordered the district to restore access to all 129 titles and prohibited further censorship of library books “because the district disagrees with the views expressed therein or merely to further their preferred political or religious orthodoxy.”
*Source: Marshall University Library Banned Books webpage
Awards & Accolades
Le Monde’s 100 Books of the Century Selection
