5 YA Books You Won’t Believe Were Banned

The library isn’t exactly the kind of place you’d expect to find drama, but there’s actually a lot of contention to be found between the bookshelves -- mostly regarding which books should and shouldn’t be available. Book banning has been a thing for literal centuries, especially when it comes to policing young readers. A lot of folks have made the argument that this kind of censorship is wrong, and some even argue that students should specifically seek out banned books.

Check out these young adult novels that have been banned or challenged. Then join our Box O' Books campaign to promote literacy in your community!

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Having sat at the top of the New York Times YA Bestsellers list for over 100 weeks, this novel from Angie Thomas is undeniably popular; some (like author John Green) would even argue it’s on its way to becoming a classic for our generation. Maybe it’s because of the way that the book explores issues of racial justice and police violence from the honest and inspiring perspective of a teen girl. But the very thing that makes The Hate U Give impactful -- its frank depiction of a community rocked by violence -- is what one Texas school district used to justify its ban.

Why It Was Challenged: Depictions of violence and drug use, perceived “anti-police” messages.

Passage That’ll Convince You to Read It Anyway: “Once upon a time there was a hazel-eyed boy with dimples. I called him Khalil. The world called him a thug. He lived, but not nearly long enough, and for the rest of my life I'll remember how he died. Fairy tale? No. But I'm not giving up on a better ending.”

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Stephen Chbosky first released this book two decades ago, but it’s experienced a bit of a revival following the success of its movie adaptation. It’s a sincere coming-of-age story that follows the protagonist’s freshman year of high school as he navigates mental illness, sexuality, and substance abuse. While many readers identified with these themes, others faulted them for being a little too candid. Parents from Connecticut to Iowa have labeled The Perks of Being a Wallflower obscene, calling for its removal from school libraries.

Why It Was Challenged: Depictions of drug and alcohol use, homosexuality, and sexual content.

Passage That’ll Convince You to Read It Anyway: “So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.”

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins surely couldn’t have imagined that her novel would incite a renaissance within dystopian fiction, the likes of which hadn’t been seen since the ‘60s. But with four books and five movies, the Hunger Games saga has captivated us with the tale of one teen girl who dares to stand up to a powerful regime. Readers are meant to feel outraged by the violence of the Hunger Games universe, but some parents have taken it a step further, landing the book on the American Library Association’s list of the most challenged books.

Why It Was Challenged: Depictions of violence, perceived “anti-family” messages.

Passage That’ll Convince You to Read It Anyway: “Tonight. After the reaping, everyone is supposed to celebrate. And a lot of people do, out of relief that their children have been spared for another year. But at least two families will pull their shutters, lock their doors, and try to figure out how they will survive the painful weeks to come.”

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

This series hardly needs an introduction, but just in case you’ve been out of the loop for the past 20 years, know that J.K. Rowling’s series about the wizarding boy wonder has been both wildly successful and unbelievably controversial. In fact, it actually changed the main focus of school book challenges altogether; because of Harry Potter, concern about inappropriate language and sexuality in books shifted to a denunciation of dark tones, violence, and occult imagery. Now that’s impressive.

Why It Was Challenged: Depictions of violence and the occult, religious opposition.

Passage That’ll Convince You to Read It Anyway: “If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn’t realize that love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves its own mark...to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever.”

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

As an author, John Green is no stranger to having his books banned. People have described his writing as “for youth, rather than to them,” and Green refuses to dumb down his work. His sixth novel is no exception. It’s narrated by a teen girl living with cancer and coming to terms with the very concept of mortality. However, one California school district thought this was a little too heavy for its middle school students, and a committee voted 6-1 to have it pulled from the library Green, meanwhile, had a pretty great response, saying:

I am happy because apparently young people in Riverside, California will never witness or experience mortality since they won’t be reading my book, which is great for them.



But I am also sad because I was really hoping I would be able to introduce the idea that human beings die to the children of Riverside, California and thereby crush their dreams of immortality.

Why It Was Challenged: Morbid plot, crude language, sexual content.

The Passage That’ll Convince You to Read It Anyway: “‘Without pain, how could we know joy?' This is an old argument in the field of thinking about suffering, and its stupidity and lack of sophistication could be plumbed for centuries, but suffice it to say that the existence of broccoli does not, in any way, affect the taste of chocolate.”