Banned Books Week is September 22-28, 2024. As CLP celebrates the right to read, check out the list below of teen titles that have been challenged. Many of these books highlight the lives and experiences of LGBTQ+ and/or BIPOC characters and authors. Some have been banned in some libraries and schools, others have stayed on the shelves—or been restored to them.
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Tells the story of one transformative week of Boy Scout camp, in which chubby, awkward Filipino American Aiden wrestles with the growing realization that he’s gay.
This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby.
Why it was banned/challenged: for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered sexually explicit
After witnessing her friend’s death at the hands of a police officer, Starr Carter’s life is complicated when the police and a local drug lord try to intimidate her in an effort to learn what happened the night Kahlil died.
This title is also available for checkout as an eAudio on Libby and an eBook on Hoopla.
Why it was banned/challenged: for discussions of racism and anti-police views
A graphic novel guide for teens about sexuality, gender, body image, anatomy, consent, safe sex, and many other topics.
Why it was banned/challenged: for being sexually explicit, dealing with sex education and LGBTQIA+ content
Seventeen-year-old Greg has managed to become part of every social group at his Pittsburgh high school without having any friends, but his life changes when his mother forces him to befriend Rachel, a girl he once knew in Hebrew school who has leukemia.
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: because it was considered to be sexually explicit and degrading to women
After enduring his father’s suicide, his own suicide attempt, broken friendships and more in the Bronx projects, Aaron Soto, sixteen, is already considering the Leteo Institute’s memory-alteration procedure when his new friendship with Thomas turns to unrequited love.
This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby.
Why it was banned/challenged: sexual Content, LGBTQIA+, language
Loosely based on a school explosion that took place in New London, Texas in 1937, this is the story of two teenagers: Naomi, who is Mexican, and Wash, who is black, and their dealings with race, segregation, love, and the forces that destroy people.
This title is also available for checkout as an eBook and eAudio on Libby.
Why it was banned/challenged: for depictions of abuse and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
Ever since her body grew into curves, Xiomara Batista has felt unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood and she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking, but Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers.
This title is also available for checkout as an eBook and eAudio on Libby and an eBook on Hoopla.
Why it was banned/challenged: for sexuality in adolescence and being anti-religious
A history of racist and antiracist ideas in America, from their roots in Europe until today, adapted from the National Book Award winner Stamped from the Beginning.
This title is also available for checkout as an eBook and eAudio on Libby.
Why it was banned/challenged: for teaching critical race theory, being un-American and being divisive
Rose and her parents have been going to Awago Beach since she was a little girl. Her friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had, completing her summer family. But this summer is different.
This title is also available for checkout as an eAudio on Libby.
Why it was banned/challenged: LGBT characters, drug use, profanity, and sexually explicit content
