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
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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?