Oh MG News

The Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2024

Unfortunately, access to books is still under serious threat in the U.S. as the American Library Association’s (ALA) annual report on the state of the nation’s libraries makes all too clear. The ALA reports that in 2024, a staggering 2,452 unique book titles were challenged, which is the third-highest number ever documented by ALA. For comparison, from 2001-2020, the annual average books challenged was 273 unique titles.

Censorship of books by the numbers, according to the American Library Association

Publishers Weekly writes that “the most common reasons for challenges were claims of illegal obscenity for minors; inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters or themes; and dealing with topics of race, racism, inclusivity, equity and social justice.” The ALA says that the majority of book ban campaigns — nearly 3 out of 4 — are led by pressure groups or government sources.

For more insights, read the ALA’s State of American Libraries 2024 Snapshot and make your calendars for Banned Books Week 2025 October 5-11, 2025 to help support access to reading for all readers. 

The Top 10 most challenged books of 2024

1. All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson

2. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

3. (Tie) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

3. (Tie) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

5. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

Top 10 banned books of 2024

6. (Tie) Looking for Alaska by John Green

6. (Tie) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

8. (Tie) Crank by Ellen Hopkins

8. (Tie) Sold by Patricia McCormick

10. Flamer by Mike Curato

 

Celebrate School Library Month

AALS School Library Month Logo with OMG

The month of April is known for many things. It’s National Poetry Month, of course. And it’s also American Heart Month, National Garden Month, National Autism Awareness Month, and National Financial Literacy Month. But guess what else it is…. April is School Library Month, and the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) encourages us all to join them in both celebration and advocacy.

The idea for School Library Month originated in 1983 with Lucille Thomas, who was appointed to spearhead the School Library Month Committee by then AALS president, Judy King. The idea became a reality on April 1, 1985, which means that this year we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of School Library Month.

Our support for school libraries and librarians is more important now than ever. In many schools, libraries are under attack, librarians are being defamed, and books are being removed from shelves. It’s a critical time to be an advocate for the right to read, access to books, and the vital role played by school librarians.

AASL provides lots of free resources to help you promote School Library Month in your area. They offer an editable Canva infographic that allows you to share data from your own school library. They also provide access to proclamations made by various local officials that can be downloaded for use in your observance. 

Additionally, there are toolkits to assist administrators and other school library advocates in supporting their libraries and librarians. Administrators can learn about the AASL Standards and the strong correlation between school libraries and student achievement. Teachers, students, and parents can download templates for thank-you cards or read about ways to establish Secret Library Pals.

AASL also provides a downloadable copy of the Declaration for the Right to School Libraries. The first page identifies specific attributes of value that libraries contribute to our school communities – empowering individuals, supporting literacy, and preserving our nation’s cultural history, just to name a few. The second page allows space for school communities to create their own declarations.

Within the month of April, several related events are also identified on AASL site:

National Library Week is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.

For #RightToReadDay, we’re asked to celebrate — and defend — the freedoms that are found in our libraries!

NLWD is a day for library staff, users, administrators and Friends groups to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers.

National Library Outreach Day (formally National Bookmobile Day) celebrates library outreach and the dedicated library professionals who are meeting their patrons where they are.

Take Action for Libraries Day is a day to rally advocates to support libraries.

Now more than ever, it’s time to be an advocate for school libraries and school librarians. It’s easy to feel discouraged by book challenges and book bans. However, April delivers the opportunity to harness some springtime invigoration and show our support for school libraries and school librarians.

After all, in addition to being School Library Month, April is also the National Month of Hope.

Will ‘Young Teen Lit’ Catch On?

You’re not alone if you feel like there’s a gap in the middle-grade market. There are plenty of books for the younger and middle end of middle-grade readers, but where middle grade ends and YA begins? There’s a big ol’ hole, says middle school librarians Christina Chatel and Marcia Kochel in a guest article for School Library Journal.

They write:

We do not believe that 12- to 15- year old readers just need a few more books aimed at their interests and developmental level. We submit that young teens need their own publishing category and we propose to call this category Young Teen Lit.

What does young teen lit look like graphic

When you’ve aged out of books aimed at 4th-6th grade but you’re not quite ready for YA, you need more! In another guest essay, Kochel says:

I’m a middle school librarian and I just got the latest issue of Booklist in the mail. I’m looking for books for my middle school readers. I search through all of the reviews for youth and find almost no titles for seventh and eighth graders–not in Middle Readers or Older Readers or Youth Nonfiction or Graphic Novels. Almost every book for Older Readers is recommended for grades 9-12, and every single book for Middle Readers has a lower age range of grade 3, 4, or 5. Surely publishers don’t think that middle schoolers have the same interests and intellectual capacity as 8-10 year olds? Are there really no books being published for middle school students? Can this be true?

Making more room for upper middle grade, young teen lit, or whatever else publishers, educators, librarians, writers, and the readers themselves call it is something we’d love to see here, too. If you’ve got books that are perfect for 7th, 8th, and 9th graders, share them below.