It may be a new year, but the issue of book banning is still as prevalent as ever, and authors are finding innovative ways to discuss the issue, with the audience it affects most: children and teens. We’ve rounded up a selection of recent and forthcoming titles that offer young readers insight into book censorship.
Picture Books
Banned Book by Jonah Winter, illus. by Gary Kelley (Creative Editions, Aug. 2023, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-56846-394-0). Readers follow the confrontation between a school board and a group of censors leading to a book being banned from a school library.
The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale by Aya Khalil, illus. by Anait Semirdzhyan (Tilbury, Aug. 2023, $18.95; ISBN 978-0-88448-967-2). Kanzi and her classmates try to rally the support of their community when they host a bake sale to raise money to add more diverse books to their school library.
This Book Is Banned by Raj Haldar, illus. by Julia Patton (Sourcebooks Explore, Sept. 2023 $18.99 ISBN 978-1-72827-656-4). In this meta picture book, characters try to explain the process of book banning as they are removed from the story themselves. See our interview with Halder.
Story of a Roar by Beth Ferry, illus. by Andrew Joyner (S&S, Sept. 3 $18.99; ISBN 978-1-66594-055-9). Julius learns that books at his local library are being banned, leading him to use his voice to garner attention.
Novels
Attack of the Black Rectangles by A.S. King (Scholastic Press, 2022, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-338-68052-2). Middle schooler Mac and his friends are surprised to discover portions of a book in the classroom are blacked out. When their concerns aren’t taken seriously by the administration, they find new ways to make their voices heard.
Finally Seen by Kelly Yang (S&S, Feb. 2023, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-8833-5). A move to Los Angeles to reunite with her family leads to many struggles for 10-year-old Lina, including helping her teacher when their classroom book selection is under threat of removal.
Ink Girls by Marieke Nijkamp, illus. by Sylvia Bi (Greenwillow, Nov. 2023, $24.99; ISBN 978-0-06-302711-4). In this graphic novel fantasy, Cinzia enjoys learning how to spread truth under the tutelage of her mentor Mestra Arrone, but when Mesta is arrested for a piece they’ve written, Cinzia races to find a way to free her and spread the truth.
Miles Morales Suspended by Jason Reynolds, illus. by Zeke Peña (S&S/Dlouhy, May 2023, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-66591-846-6). Miles Morales puts his Spidey sense to use when his latest rival threatens literature sharing Black and brown history.
Mr. Lemoncello’s Fantabulous Finale by Chris Grabenstein (Random House, Nov. 5). In the series finale, a rival from the past returns to shut down the library and Kyle Keeley and his friends work together to save it.
Not Another Banned Book by Dana Alison Levy (Delacorte, Sept. 10). A group of students form a club to fight the onslaught of book banning at their school.
This Book Won’t Burn by Samira Ahmed (Little, Brown, May 7, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-316-54784-0). High school senior Noor takes a stand against book censorship after discovering that a new school board policy will result in the removal of hundreds of books from BIPOC authors.
