Banned Books Kids Should Read
Banned books often deal with subjects that are realistic, timely, and topical. Young people may find a character going through exactly what they are, which makes it a powerful reading experience and helps the reader sort out thorny issues like grief, divorce, sexual assault, bullying, prejudice, and sexual identity.
Charlotte's Web
by E. B. White
If you haven’t read this story about humble, radiant Wilbur (a.k.a. Some Pig) then you’re in for a treat. Although a group of concerned parents disagreed in 2006. They tried to have this book banned from classrooms because they found the book’s talking animals to be disrespectful to God.
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
By C. S. Lewis
Magical wardrobes, talking lions and evil queens: Narnia’s got dibs on some of the best fantasy elements ever written. But the first book in this popular series was first banned in 1990 because adults were concerned by its “graphic violence, mysticism and gore.” Then in 2005, a group focused on the separation of church and state tried banning the book from Florida’s public schools after then-Governor, Jeb Bush, promoted it in a statewide reading contest.
The Giver
by Lois Lowry
When it comes to dystopian novels, tweens, and teens just can't get enough of them. And Lois Lowry's Newbery Award-winning classic continues the trend. But parents in Blue Springs, Missouri grew concerned over "twisted" and "lewd" content in the book and tried to have it removed from an eighth-grade reading list in 2003. The good news is, the compelling story is continued on in three more books in the series.
Bridge to Terabithia
By Katherine Paterson
Another Newbery Award-winner, this story of friendship and loss is a definite tearjerker. But it wasn’t the tragic death of a friend that led the New Brighton Area School District in Pennsylvania to remove it from their 5th-grade classrooms. They were concerned about the disrespect, foul language and confusion that could be created when kids read about Terabithia, the fantasy world dreamed up by BFFs Jesse and Leslie.
A Wrinkle in Time
By Madeleine L'Engle
This Newbery Award winner’s been challenged a few times for undermining religious beliefs, and in 1985 it was challenged at a Florida elementary school for promoting witchcraft, crystal balls and demons.
The Witches
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl is no stranger to the banned book list. James and the Giant Peach is on there. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is too. But it’s his classic tale of a boy-turned-mouse and his cigar-smoking grandmother who fight against witches that continues to find its way onto the list again and again and again. It was challenged at least ten times in the late 1980s and early 1990s for things like “being too sophisticated” and “not teaching moral values.”
The Harry Potter Series
By J. K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has been translated into 68 different languages, distributed in over 200 different territories worldwide, and has sold over 450 million copies at last count. And the number of challenges and bans on this series, usually for depicting witchcraft and wizardry and promoting anti-family themes, is also impressive. By 2000, it had been challenged about 650 different times.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Looking for Alaska
By John Green
Named the most challenged book of 2015, John Green’s debut novel centers on a teen seeking new adventure and happiness through his self-destructive yet alluring classmate. BANNED AND CHALLENGED FOR: sex, profanity, homosexuality, undermining religious beliefs
The Outsiders
By S. E. Hinton
S. E. Hinton’s groundbreaking classic centers on two rival groups of teen boys, the Greasers and the Socs, who are divided by unassailable class differences in 1965 Tulsa, Oklahoma. CHALLENGED FOR: conflict, crime, death of a character
The Hate u Give
By Angie Thomas
Starr is the sole witness of the murder of her childhood friend by a white police officer in this transformative and gripping YA novel. Despite winning multiple awards, it was challenged in school libraries because of drug use, profanity, and offensive language. An engaging narrator and storyline encourage students to connect their reading to real-world contexts and develop critical consciousness of a crucial issue affecting many Americans today.