Banned Books Week 2026
Banned Books Week 2026 runs from October 4th through the 10th. Each year, Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read, spreads awareness, and provides education on the frequency of book censorship attempts and unique titles being challenged.
In April, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) released the book censorship data for 2025. Data is showing a concerning pattern over the last few years in which censorship attempts and successes are on the rise. In 2025, 4,235 unique titles were challenged in the 713 distinct reported censorship attempts across public, school, and academic libraries. 824 of those titles were challenged within public libraries, resulting in 92 bans across the country.
Book censorship attempts continue to largely be initiated by government officials and pressure groups, with very few coming from parents or individual library users. Pressure groups include those like Moms for Liberty and the Heritage Foundation.
A new trend is occurring within censorship attempts with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI). When people use AI chat bots to review books, they will often use biased or skewed prompts that support their claim. Chat bots are typically centered around user engagement, and will therefore search public posts and websites, finding claims to support the given prompt. This cycle will continue to add fuel to the ever growing fire that is book challenges and censorship.
Why is Banned Books Week so important?
In America, the First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees citizens the right to write, read, and speak freely. When books are challenged and banned, access to those titles becomes more difficult, ultimately infringing on the First Amendment. Organizations like the American Library Association, Freedom to Read Foundation, and Unite Against Book Bans are committed to helping libraries and librarians across the country protect these rights, particularly through access to books. Libraries represent all members of the community to which they serve, and therefore, it is imperative that they offer equal access to materials that represent all of the members of their community.
The 2026 Banned Books Week theme is “Let Books Be,” highlighting the importance of access to books, the stories they tell, and the information they hold. There will never be a “one size fits all” policy for book recommendations and age ratings, so the best course of action is to protect equal access to materials, allowing individuals and families to make their own decision on when, or when not to, read a particular book.
What books are being challenged?
The American Library Association has identified the top books challenged in 2025. Those titles include:
Sold by Patricia McCormick
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Melinda Lo
Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Identical by Ellen Hopkins
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Storms and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout
All censorship data and information shared in this post can be found on the American Library Association’s website at https://www.ala.org/sites/default/files/2026-04/state-of-americas-libraries-report-2026-WEB-acc-4.pdf
