It’s Banned Books Week! From The American Library Association’s website: “Every year, the Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles a list of the Top Ten Most Challenged Books in order to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools. The lists are based on information from media stories and voluntary challenge reports sent to OIF from communities across the United States.” This year's theme is "Banning Books Silences Stories. Speak out!" — especially important to keep in mind given that books by and about people from marginalized communities are disproportionately challenged. Look for Banned Books Week events in your area to get involved.

Based on 416 challenges, here are the top ten most challenged books of 2017.

1. Thirteen Reasons Why written by Jay Asher
   Originally published in 2007, this New York Times bestseller has resurfaced as a controversial book after Netflix aired a TV series by the same name. This YA novel was challenged and banned in multiple school districts because it discusses suicide.


2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian written by Sherman Alexie
   Consistently challenged since its publication in 2007 for acknowledging issues such as poverty, alcoholism, and sexuality, this National Book Award winner was challenged in school curriculums because of profanity and situations that were deemed sexually explicit.


3. Drama written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
   This Stonewall Honor Award-winning, 2012 graphic novel from an acclaimed cartoonist was challenged and banned in school libraries because it includes LGBT characters and was considered “confusing.”


4. The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini
   This critically acclaimed, multigenerational novel was challenged and banned because it includes sexual violence and was thought to “lead to terrorism” and “promote Islam.”


5. George written by Alex Gino
   Written for elementary-age children, this Lambda Literary Award winner was challenged and banned because it includes a transgender child.


6. Sex is a Funny Word written by Cory Silverberg and illustrated by Fiona Smyth
   This 2015 informational children’s book written by a certified sex educator was challenged because it addresses sex education and is believed to lead children to “want to have sex or ask questions about sex.”


7. To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee
   This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, considered an American classic, was challenged and banned because of violence and its use of the N-word.


8. The Hate U Give written by Angie Thomas
   Despite winning multiple awards and being the most searched-for book on Goodreads during its debut year, this YA novel was challenged and banned in school libraries and curriculums because it was considered “pervasively vulgar” and because of drug use, profanity, and offensive language.


9. And Tango Makes Three written by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson and illustrated by Henry Cole
   Returning after a brief hiatus from the Top Ten Most Challenged list, this ALA Notable Children’s Book, published in 2005, was challenged and labeled because it features a same-sex relationship.


10. I Am Jazz written by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings and illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas
    This autobiographical picture book co-written by the 13-year-old protagonist was challenged because it addresses gender identity.

Here’s how the Horn Book reviewed 2017's most challenged children’s and young adult books.

Thirteen Reasons Why
by Jay Asher
Middle School, High School     Penguin/Razorbill     288 pp.
10/07     978-1-59514-171-2     $16.99

After classmate Hannah's suicide, Clay receives a box of cassettes she recorded, each side relating the story of a person who figured into her decision. Clay, though he's not sure why, is one of those people. Told through the voices of angry Hannah and anguished Clay, this quietly suspenseful novel believably conveys their pain, perhaps inspiring readers to self-reflection. RACHEL L. SMITH
reviewed in the Spring 2008 issue of The Horn Book Guide

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
by Sherman Alexie; illus. by Ellen Forney
Middle School, High School     Little     232 pp.
9/07     978-0-316-01368-0     $16.99     g

The line between dramatic monologue, verse novel, and standup comedy gets unequivocally — and hilariously and  triumphantly — bent in this novel about coming of age on the rez. Urged on by a math teacher whose nose he has just  broken, Junior, fourteen, decides to make the iffy commute from his Spokane Indian reservation to attend high school in Reardan, a small town twenty miles away. He’s tired of his impoverished circumstances (“Adam and Eve covered their  privates with fig leaves; the first Indians covered their privates with their tiny hands”), but while he hopes his new school will offer him a better education, he knows the odds aren’t exactly with him: “What was I doing at Reardan, whose mascot was an Indian, thereby making me the only other Indian in town?” But he makes friends (most notably the class dork Gordy), gets a girlfriend, and even (though short, nearsighted, and slightly disabled from birth defects) lands a spot on the varsity basketball team, which inevitably leads to a showdown with his own home team, led by his former best friend Rowdy. Junior’s narration is intensely alive and rat-a-tat-tat with short paragraphs and one-liners (“If God hadn’t wanted us to masturbate, then God wouldn’t have given us thumbs”). The dominant mode of the novel is comic, even though  there’s plenty of sadness, as when Junior’s sister manages to shake off depression long enough to elope — only to die,  passed out from drinking, in a fire. Junior’s spirit, though, is unquenchable, and his style inimitable, not least in the take-no-prisoners cartoons he draws (as expertly depicted by comics artist Forney) from his bicultural experience. ROGER SUTTON
reviewed in the September/October 2007 issue of The Horn Book Magazine

Drama
by Raina Telgemeier; illus. by the author; color by Gurihiru
Intermediate, Middle School     Graphix/Scholastic     238 pp.
9/12     978-0-545-32698-8     $23.99
Paper ed. 978-0-545-32699-5     $10.99     g

Like Telgemeier’s previous graphic novel, Smile (a 2010 Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor Book), this new one will appeal to a wide range of readers. Seventh-grader Callie Marin loves musical theater, and though she isn’t much of a singer (which she good-naturedly proves to all in a hilarious scene), she expresses and fulfills her passion by working as a set designer for the school drama club. Her second year on stage crew turns out to be fraught with drama, on and off the set. Not only is the musical a love story, but in real life Callie has a crush on eighth-grader Greg, whose younger brother (and fellow stage-crew member) has a secret crush on Callie. Greg, however, is dating Bonnie, who dumps him for her costar in the play, West, who eventually dumps her for the boy whom Callie has just begun to like. Then Greg asks Callie out. Phew! But Telgemeier handles it all with aplomb and, despite the romantic drama, nothing happens beyond a few innocent kisses. She gets her middle-school characters just right — from kids who, like Justin, are gay and know it (“Gay? You can say it! I don’t mind”) to those who, like Callie, wouldn’t recognize a gay guy if he clasped his hands and squee-ed over musical auditions, as Justin does when they first meet. As in Smile, Telgemeier’s graphic artist skills make this novel a pleasure to read and re-read; of special note is her thoughtful use of the page turn — for surprise, for a pause, for emotional effect. JENNIFER M. BRABANDER
reviewed in the September/October 2012 issue of The Horn Book Magazine

George
by Alex Gino
Intermediate    Scholastic    198 pp.
9/15    978-0-545-81254-2    $16.99    g
e-book ed.  978-0-545-81258-0    $16.99

George is, outwardly, a boy. But inside, she is a girl, and now that she is ten, that disconnect is becoming impossible to endure. She tries to tell her (single) mother, but Mom doesn’t seem ready for that conversation. Desperate, George decides to try out for the part of Charlotte in the school production of Charlotte’s Web: maybe if Mom sees her playing a girl’s part, Mom will be able to see who she really is. There are setbacks along the way (the teacher refuses to let a boy audition for Charlotte; Mom discovers and confiscates George’s cache of girls’ magazines; bullies harass her), but with the help of a few supportive allies, particularly best friend Kelly, George prevails. By the last chapter, George has become “Melissa” — all girl, at least for one perfect day on an outing with Kelly, and clearly a preview of what life has in store for her. George isn’t without flaws: the mother’s sudden about-face is too sudden, and author Gino can employ a heavy hand (Mom’s response to one of George’s early overtures: “You will always be my little boy, and that will never change. Even when you grow up to be an old man, I will still love you as my son”). But the heart of this novel — for slightly younger readers than Ami Polonski’s similarly themed and plotted Gracefully Grayson (rev. 11/14) — is George’s achingly poignant struggle to be herself, and that heart beats strong and true. MARTHA V. PARRAVANO
reviewed in the September/October 2015 issue of The Horn Book Magazine

The Hate U Give
by Angie Thomas
High School    Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins    453 pp.
2/17    978-0-06-249853-3    $17.99

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter lives a life many African American teenagers can relate to: a life of double consciousness. Caught between her rough, predominantly black neighborhood and the “proper,” predominantly white prep school she attends, Starr has learned how to “speak with two different voices and only say certain things around certain people.” This precarious balance is broken when Starr witnesses the shooting of her (unarmed) childhood friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. What follows is a gut-wrenching chain of events that alters all Starr holds dear. New relationships are forged, old ones are severed, and adversaries arise as Starr’s family, friends, school, and neighborhood react to Khalil’s death, including questioning who Khalil was, and whether his death was justified. Between her neighborhood’s “no-snitching” code and inaccurate media portrayals, Starr must decide whether or not to speak out — and her decision could endanger her life. With a title taken from rapper Tupac Shakur’s acronym THUG LIFE (“The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody”), the novel introduces numerous components of the urban experience, “thug life” included. From drug addicts to police officers, most characters are multifaceted, proving that Starr’s world is not all black or white (or black vs. white, for that matter). The story, with so many issues addressed, can feel overwhelming at times, but then again, so can the life of an African American teen. Debut author Thomas is adept at capturing the voices of multiple characters, and she ultimately succeeds in restoring Starr’s true voice. Thomas has penned a powerful, in-your-face novel that will similarly galvanize fans of Kekla Magoon’s How It Went Down (rev. 11/14) and Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely’s All American Boys (rev. 11/15).
reviewed in the March/April 2017 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

And Tango Makes Three
by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson; illus. by Henry Cole
Preschool, Primary     Simon     32 pp.
06/05     0-689-87845-1     $14.95

Two male penguins at the Central Park Zoo court, build a nest, and raise their (adopted) daughter Tango. Highly anthropomorphized to maximize the sentimental but noteworthy lesson on family diversity, the story gains depth from the biological reality of same-sex penguin partnering. Gentle illustrations of the smiling penguin family add appeal, if not scientific accuracy, to this book based on a true story. DANIELLE J. FORD
reviewed in the Fall 2005 issue of The Horn Book Guide

I Am Jazz
by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings; illus. by Shelagh McNicholas
Preschool, Primary     Dial     24 pp.
8/14     978-0-8037-4107-2     $17.99

A little girl describes how she was born with "a girl brain but a boy body" and that once her parents talked to a doctor to understand more about it, they let her be herself. There is little plot, but the straightforward text and friendly, pastel-hued watercolors fairly successfully simplify the issue of gender identity for a young audience and their caregivers. MAEVE VISSER KNOTH
reviewed in the Spring 2015 issue of The Horn Book Guide

Don't miss Pat Scales's "What Makes a Good Banned Book?" (from the September/October 2009 Horn Book Magazine). We've also got review roundups of previous years' most frequently challenged books.

Which banned books are you reading this week?