Banned YA books and challenged books are books that should be celebrated and shared widely. There is nothing more frustrating than discovering a fantastic YA novel has been deemed inappropriate due to the topics raised in the book. Themes such as offensive language, sexuality, racism, politics, and religion often face censorship. So many of my favourite books have been targeted by book bans and this post is my way of showing support to the authors and the YA books that have been banned or challenged. Open your book tracking app and get ready to add a few of these YA banned books to your TBR.

Last Updated: September 19, 2023

Banned Young Adult Books

1. Looking for Alaska by John Green

2. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

6. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

7. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

8. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

9. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

10. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

11. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

12. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

13. The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

14. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

15. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

16. Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu

17. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

18. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder is one of my favourite books and I just can’t imagine anyone wanting to remove this one from shelves. It is such an empowering novel that should be on anyone’s reading list. Check out the book trailer to learn more.

19. You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

20. Scythe by Neal Shusterman

21. Dear Martin by Nic Stone

22. Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar

23. The Giver by Lois Lowry

24. Me, and Earl, and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

25. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

26. The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle

27. We Are the Ants by Shun David Hutchinson

28. The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu

29. The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater

30. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

31. More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

32. Crank by Ellen Hopkins

33. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

34. Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin

35. This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson

36. Feed by M.T. Anderson

37. Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez

38. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

39. The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa

40. Lush by Natasha Friend

41. Lawn Boy Jonathan Evison

42. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

43. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

44. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

45. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

46. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

47. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

48. Flamer by Mike Curato

49. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez

50. All American Boys by Jason Reynolds

51. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

52. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

53. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Meyers

54. What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones

55. 1984 by George Orwell

56. A Bad Boy Can be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone

57. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher

58. The Call of the Wild by Jack London

59. Stamped by Jason Reynolds

60. Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher

61. We All Fall Down by Nic Sheff

62. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene

63. Forever by Judy Blume

64. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

65. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

66. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume

67. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck

68. I Know Why the Caged bird Sings by Maya Angelou

69. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

70. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

71. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

72. This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki

73. Lord of the Flies by WIlliam Golding

74. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden

75. Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher

76. The Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susann Cokal

77. A Separate Peace by John Knowles

78. Deenie by Judy Blume

79. Daughters of Eve by Lois Duncan

80. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

Banned YA Books

Banned YA books and YA books that are being challenged are books that need to be supported and celebrated. This banned books week I will be reading some of the books on this list as my way to help draw attention to the freedom to read. There are quite a few lists on Goodreads as well that feature banned and challenged books. What YA banned books will you read?