About

Illustration of an open book wrapped in yellow caution tape taht reads "Banned Books Week."

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in libraries, bookstores, and schools. Held in the last week of September or first week of October, the annual event highlights the value of free and open access to information and brings together the entire book community — librarians, educators, authors, publishers, booksellers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas. 

The next Banned Books Week will be held October 4–10, 2026. The theme of this year’s event is Let Books Be — Protect the Freedom to Read.

By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles lists of challenged books as reported in the media and submitted by librarians and teachers across the country. 

Below are the Top 11 Most Challenged Books of 2025:

  1. Sold by Patricia McCormick
    Why this book matters: bit.ly/soldBR
  1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
    Why this book matters: bit.ly/wallflowerBR
  1. Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
    Why this book matters: bit.ly/genderBR
  1. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
    Why this book matters: bit.ly/empireofstormsBR
  1. (TIE) Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
    Why this book matters: bit.ly/telegraphclubBR
  1. (TIE) Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
    Why this book matters: bit.ly/tricksBR
  1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
    Why this book matters: bit.ly/thornsBR
  1. (TIE) A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
    Why this book matters: bit.ly/clockworkorangeBR
  1. (TIE) Identical by Ellen Hopkins
    Why this book matters: bit.ly/identicalBR
  1. (TIE) Looking for Alaska by John Green
    Why this book matters: bit.ly/alaskaBR
  1. (TIE) Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout
    Why this book matters: bit.ly/stormBR

The most common justifications for censorship provided by complainants were false claims of illegal obscenity for minors; inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters or themes; and covering topics of race, racism, equity, and social justice.

Shareable social media assets for the Most Challenged Books list and censorship data are available here.

The Most Challenged Books list is announced during National Library Week, which takes place annually during April. The 2026 list will be announced in April 2027.

Banned Books Week is ® American Library Association.

Questions about bannedbooksweek.org?

This website is maintained and updated by the Banned Books Week Coordinator and the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom in partnership with the Banned Books Week Coalition. For questions concerning the website, please e-mail coordinator@bannedbooksweek.org