A local librarian’s take on fear, censorship, and the importance of listening

Library staff across the country are facing a growing number of attempts to get books off their shelves.

In 2023 alone, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked over 1,200 efforts to censor books and other resources in libraries – that’s a 65% increase from the year before. Many of those books represent LGBTQ+ and BIPOC voices and experiences.

That’s why Banned Books Week exists. Hosted by the American Library Association right now – it started on Sunday and runs through Saturday, the week is meant to uplift the books and themes under attack, and emphasize how much is at stake. This year’s theme is “Freed Between the Lines.”

Melanie Borski-Howard is the Youth Services Specialist at the Boulder Public Library. She’s incredibly passionate about uplifting the stories and perspectives that are currently being threatened – especially when it comes to stories for children.

We’ve talked about banned books quite a bit on KGNU before, with Borski-Howard, but just to keep it clear – when we say “banned” we mean challenged. None of the books you’re going to hear about are legally banned in the United States – in fact, very few are.

This time, Borski-Howard and KGNU’s Jackie Sedley focused on the most targeted children’s books.

Listen: 

Here is the list of the most targeted children’s titles. These are the top 25, from most challenges documented to the fewest challenges documented of all time*:

1. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris
2. Melissa (previously published as George) by Alex Gino
3. Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
4. Harry Potter [series] by J.K. Rowling
5. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
6. Drama by Raina Telgemeier
7. I am Jazz by Jazz Jennings
8. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
9. More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
10. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
11. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
12. Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
13. My Brother Sam is Dead by Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier
14. The Giver by Lois Lowry
15. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
16. It Feels Good to Be Yourself  by Theresa Thorn
17. The Breakaways by Cathy G. Johnson
18. When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff
19. Rick by Alex Gino
20. Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart
21. Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack
22. Goosebumps by R.L. Stine
23. A Day in the Life of Marlon Brando by Jill Twiss
24. Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
25. Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff || Scary Stories 3 by Alvin Schwartz (tied for 25th with 33 documented challenges each)

In terms of the children’s titles that have been the most frequently targeted since the new organized book censorship movement began in 2021, here is the list through 2023*:

1. Melissa (previously published as George) by Alex Gino
2. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris
3. Drama by Raina Telgemeier
4. I am Jazz by Jazz Jennings
5. Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
6. It Feels Good to be Yourself by Theresa Thorn
7. The Breakaways by Cathy G. Johnson
8. When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff
9. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
10. Rick by Alex Gino
11. Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart
12. Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack
13. Anti-Racist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi
14. Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff
15. The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish by Lil Miss Hot Mess
16. Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness by Anastasia Higginbotham
17. The Pants Project by Cat Clarke
18. Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders
19. Being You: A First Conversation About Gender by Jessica Ralli and Megan Madison
20. This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell
21. Jack (Not Jackie) by Erica Silverman
22. New Kid by Jerry Craft
23. Fred Gets Dressed by Peter Brown
24. Stamped (for Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You by Sonja Cherry-Paul
25. A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramee

* Citation: Eric Storshane, Assistant Director of Member Services at the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.