It’s hard to search for banned books in the United States because it completely depends on the school district. Some of the more notorious and big-name books that have been banned include “Harry Potter,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and “Animal Farm.” But what about more recent bans? For this slideshow, we’ve chosen books banned during the 2023 – 2024 school year.
“Nineteen Minutes” (2007)
- Author: Jodi Picoult
- Pages: 455
- Bans: 98
“Looking for Alaska” (2005)
- Author: John Green
- Pages: 297
- Bans: 97
“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (1999)
- Author: Stephen Chbosky
- Pages: 259
- Bans: 85
“Sold” (2006)
- Author: Patricia McCormick
- Pages: 262
- Bans: 85
“Thirteen Reasons Why” (2007)
- Author: Jay Asher
- Pages: 288
- Bans: 76
“Crank” (2004)
- Author: Ellen Hopkins
- Pages: 537
- Bans: 76
“Identical” (2008)
- Author: Ellen Hopkins
- Pages: 576
- Bans: 74
“The Kite Runner” (2003)
- Author: Khaled Hosseini
- Pages: 371
- Bans: 73
“The Handmaid’s Tale” (1985)
- Author: Margaret Atwood
- Pages: 311
- Bans: 67
“Water for Elephants” (2006)
- Author: Sara Gruen
- Pages: 331
- Bans: 66
“Tricks” (2009)
- Author: Ellen Hopkins
- Pages: 640
- Bans: 66
Banned Picture Books
Adult and young adult books aren’t the only ones that are banned. Children’s picture books also get banned. These titles were banned in multiple districts during the 2023 – 2024 school year.
“And Tango Makes Three” (2005)
- Authors: Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
- Illustrator: Henry Cole
- Bans: 7
“The Family Book” (2003)
- Author: Todd Parr
- Illustrator: Todd Parr
- Bans: 5
“Julián Is a Mermaid” (2018)
- Author: Jessica Love
- Illustrator: Jessica Love
- Bans: 5
“When Aidan Became a Brother” (2019)
- Author: Kyle Lukoff
- Illustrator: Kaylani Juanita
- Bans: 4
“Draw Me a Star” (1992)
- Author: Eric Carle
- Illustrator: Eric Carle
- Bans: 4
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Jure Divich / Shutterstock.com.