Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them. If parents and kids can talk together, we won't have as much censorship because we won't have as much fear.
Judy Blume
The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom found that in 2023 the number of challenges for unique titles increased by 65% from 2022. Over 4000 unique titles of which 47% represented LGBTQIA2S+ and BIPOC voices.
Luckily for us, the American Library Association keeps an archive of the top 10 most challenged books. They have lists all the way back to 1990.
This year’s list includes:
- Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
- All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
- This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
- Flamer by Mike Curato
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
- Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
- Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan
- Sold by Patricia McCormick