Banned Books Week 2026: Censored books by Local AuthorsLike this list

17 items

• Love in the Library

  Tokuda-Hall, Maggie,

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  Maggie Tokuda-Hall, co-creator of Authors Against Book Bans, made headlines when Scholastic attempted to censor her picture book to repackage it for their book fairs. This author’s love letter to her grandparents, set in a Japanese incarceration…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Eyes That Kiss in the Corners

  Ho, Joanna,

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• Strong

  Kearney, Rob, 1991-

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  The illustrator of this book, Nidhi Chanani, announced that the book had been challenged as part of the ongoing bans zeroing in on LGBTQ+ titles. Especially between 2022-2025, books have been copied and pasted from known LGBTQ awards, such as the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Civil War of Amos Abernathy

  Leali, Michael,

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  Michael Leali's tender exploration of a queer youth looking for others like him in history was initially removed from shelves in Alabama for being "sexualized" despite having no sexual content whatsoever. Although it was returned to shelves, it was…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Drew Leclair Gets a Clue

  Bury, Katryn,

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  Drew Leclair Gets a Clue has been challenged in four states, and was briefly removed from shelves in Florida but has been restored. Book Banners have cited that the book contains "sexual content" and even "pornography" when the author has pushed…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Good Kind of Trouble

  Ramée, Lisa Moore,

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• Drama

  Telgemeier, Raina,

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  Raina Telgemeier's Drama has been among the most challenged books in the last decade or so. Critics claim the book is "sexually explicit" and "against family values," but the book is nearly always restored as explicit scenes aren't found in the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I'll Give You the Sun

  Nelson, Jandy,

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  Jandy Nelson's book has been challenged and formally banned in many states, a move that many attribute to its LGBTQ+ content. Despite these claims, Nelson's book is a Printz-award winning story that captures young adults due to its themes of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Last Night at the Telegraph Club

  Lo, Malinda,

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  Malinda Lo's award-winning historical fiction title has been challenged and even banned due to LGBTQ+ themes and sexual content. When Lo won the National Book Award in 2021, she said: "During the acceptance speech, Lo talked about the “pressure to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• We Are Okay

  a Novel

  LaCour, Nina

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  LaCour's book, We Are Not Okay, has received widespread critical acclaim for its themes about grief and identity. While book banners suggest that this book "promotes" or "pushes" an agenda by including LGBTQ characters, the book merely contains…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• It's Not Like It's a Secret

  Sugiura, Misa,

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  Sugiura's debut book about a young teen falling in love and learning from mistakes has been targeted in Florida and Texas due to laws that represent the presence of LGBTQ+ relationships as "pornography."

• The 57 Bus

  a True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives

  Slater, Dashka,

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  Dashka Slater's even-handed and thoroughly researched exploration of a violent attack against a nonbinary teen (and its impact on both the victim AND perpetrator) has been challenged and/or banned in multiple states, allegedly for "obscene" content…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Messy Roots

  a Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American

  Gao, Laura,

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• There There

  a Novel

  Orange, Tommy, 1982-

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  Information is limited about why Tommy Orange's critically acclaimed novel was challenged and/or banned but it has been featured in several banned books discussions nationwide. Possible reasons could include the exploration of Native identity, as…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Gender Queer

  a Memoir

  Kobabe, Maia,

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• The House of the Spirits

  a Novel

  Allende, Isabel,

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  Allende's book has been challenged in several states, most recently briefly pulled from shelves in Orange County, Florida. Critics cite "explicit" scenes and language, but Allende's books have received widespread acclaim for their themes of family,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Turning Japanese

  MariNaomi,

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  MariNaomi has spoken out about challenges to their books that explore themes of queerness and racial identity. While details of the challenges are limited, their books do fall under the scope of books frequently targeted by bans in the last five…Read moreRead more of this annotation