Middle school student Sam is comfortable with their nonbinary identity, and their family has accepted it too (as long as they do their homework and chores), so when their history teacher assigns as a project coming up with a proposal for the new statue honoring a historical Staten Islander (there is a contest involved) they and their friend TJ decide to focus on Alice Austen, a lesbian photographer, whose house on Staten Island is a museum but they have to overcome the presumption on the part of their teacher that only straight males are eligible.

Why it was banned/challenged: LGBTQ+ content 

This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby and as an eAudio on Hoopla. 

When a popular student encourages her to join the soccer team, Faith signs up even though she has never played the game, and learns about loyalty and friendship. 

Why it was banned/challenged: features a transgender character 

From the time she was two years old, Jazz knew that she had a girl’s brain in a boy’s body. She loved pink and dressing up as a mermaid and didn’t feel like herself in boys’ clothing. This confused her family, until they took her to a doctor who said that Jazz was transgender and that she was born that way. Jazz’s story is based on her real-life experience and she tells it in a simple, clear way that will be appreciated by picture book readers, their parents, and teachers.

Why it was banned/challenged: LGBTQ+ content and for featuring a transgender character

This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby. 

When a middle school teacher announces that the class play is going to be Charlotte’s web, George, a boy who identifies as a girl, really wants to play Charlotte, but the teacher won’t let George try out for the part. So, with the help of best friend Kelly, George comes up with a plan that lets her be Charlotte and also lets everyone know her true identity. 

Why it was banned/challenged: LGBTQ+ content and featuring a transgender character

This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby and eAudio on Hoopla. 

Eleven-year-old (nearly twelve) Celi Rivera, who is a mix of Black-Puerto Rican-Mexican Indian is uncomfortable about her approaching period, and the changes that are happening to her body; she is horrified that her mother wants to hold a traditional public moon ceremony to celebrate the occasion–until she finds out that her best friend Magda is contemplating an even more profound change of life. 

This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby and an eBook in English and Spanish on Hoopla.  

Why it was banned/challenged: accused of promoting the occult 

Instead of sending Jordan to the arts school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics. Jordan turns out to be one of the few kids of color in his entire grade and struggles to find balance between his home life in Washington Heights and his new upscale academy. 

This title is also available for checkout as an eBook and eAudio on Libby and an eBook and eAudio on Hoopla.  

Why it was banned/challenged: accused of promoting critical race theory and racism 

From the moment Allie meets Sam, she feels like she has found a friend. But as their friendship grows, it begins to evolve into a deeper emotion and they must navigate their feelings for one another in 1977 North Carolina.

Why it was banned/challenged: LGBTQ+ content 

This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby and Hoopla. 

In this deeply moving and empowering true story, young readers will trace the life of the Gay Pride Flag, from its beginnings in 1978 with social activist Harvey Milk and designer Gilbert Baker to its spanning of the globe and its role in today’s world. Award-winning author Rob Sanders’s stirring text, and acclaimed illustrator Steven Salerno’s evocative images, combine to tell this remarkable – and undertold – story. A story of love, hope, equality, and pride.

Why it was banned/challenged: LGBTQ+ content

This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby.  

A prince and a knight in shining armor find true love in each other’s embrace after fighting a dragon together.

Why it was banned/challenged: LGBTQ+ content 

Rainbow Revolutionaries brings to life the vibrant histories of fifty pioneering LGBTQ+ people from around the world. Through Sarah Prager’s (Queer, There, and Everywhere) short, engaging bios, and Sarah Papworth’s bold, dynamic art, readers can delve into the lives of Wen of Han, a Chinese emperor who loved his boyfriend as much as his people, Martine Rothblatt, a trans woman who’s helping engineer the robots of tomorrow, and so many more!

Why it was banned/challenged: LGBTQ+ content

After discussing the police shooting of a local Black man with their families, Emma and Josh know how to treat a new student who looks and speaks differently than his classmates.  

This title is also available for checkout as an eAudio on Libby and an eAudio on Hoopla.  

Why it was banned/challenged: challenged for divisive language and because it was thought to promote anti-police views 

Kids will discover where racist ideas came from, identify how they impact America today, and meet those who have fought racism with antiracism. Along the way, they’ll learn how to identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their own lives.

Why it was banned/challenged: “historical inaccuracy,” “gross generalizations,” and age appropriateness

This title is also available for checkout as an eAudio and eBook on Libby. 

Before Kamala Harris was elected to the vice presidency, she was a little girl who loved superheroes. And when she looked around, she was amazed to find them everywhere! In her family, among her friends, even down the street—there were superheroes wherever she looked. And those superheroes showed her that all you need to do to be a superhero is to be the best that you can be. 

Why it was banned/challenged: objectionable politics 

This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby.  

Two worms in love decide to get married, and with help from Cricket, Beetle, Spider, and the bees they have everything they need and more, but which one will be the bride and which the groom?

Why it was banned/challenged: LGBTQ+ content