The American Library Association has published its list of the most challenged books of 2025, featuring titles like *Sold* by Patricia McCormick and *Gender Queer: A Memoir* by Maia Kobabe. This annual list highlights books frequently targeted in libraries across the U.S.
Key points
American Library Association released its annual list of challenged books
Most frequently targeted books include *Sold* and *Gender Queer: A Memoir*
The list highlights challenges faced by libraries across the U.S.
Mentioned in this story
American Library AssociationPatricia McCormickStephen ChboskyMaia Kobabe
SoldThe Perks of Being a WallflowerGender Queer: A Memoir
The American Library Association's list of the most frequently challenged books of 2025 includes Sold by Patricia McCormick, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer: A Memoir.
The American Library Association's list of the most frequently challenged books of 2025 includes Sold by Patricia McCormick, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer: A Memoir.
American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association has released its annual list of the most commonly challenged books at libraries across the United States.
According to the ALA, the 11 most frequently targeted books include several tied titles. They are:
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
(tie) Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
(tie) Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
(tie) A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
(tie) Identical by Ellen Hopkins
(tie) Looking for Alaska by John Green
(tie) Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Many of these individual titles also appear on a 2024-25 report issued last October by PEN America, a separate group dedicated to free expression, which looked at book challenges and bans specifically within public schools.
Q&A
What are the most challenged books of 2025 according to the ALA?
The most challenged books of 2025 include *Sold* by Patricia McCormick, *The Perks of Being a Wallflower* by Stephen Chbosky, and *Gender Queer: A Memoir* by Maia Kobabe.
Why are books challenged in libraries?
Books are challenged in libraries for various reasons, often due to content that some individuals or groups find objectionable or inappropriate.
How does the American Library Association determine its list of challenged books?
The American Library Association compiles its list based on reports from libraries across the United States regarding books that have been challenged or banned.
What impact do challenged books have on libraries and communities?
Challenged books can lead to debates about censorship, intellectual freedom, and the role of libraries in providing diverse viewpoints to their communities.
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The ALA says that it documented 4,235 unique titles being challenged in 2025 – the second-highest year on record for library challenges. (The highest ever was in 2023, with 4,240 challenges documented – only five more than in this most recent year.)
According to the ALA, 40% of the materials challenged in 2025 were representations of LGBTQ+ people and those of people of color.
In all, the ALA documented 713 attempts across the United States in 2025 to censor library materials and services; 487 of those challenges targeted books.
According to the ALA, 92% of all book challenges to libraries came from "pressure groups," government officials and local decision makers. While 20.8% came from pressure groups such as Moms for Liberty (as the ALA cited in an email to NPR), 70.9% of challenges originated with government officials and other "decision makers," such as local board officials or administrators.
In a more detailed breakdown, the ALA notes that 31% of challenges came from elected government officials and and 40% from board members or administrators. In its full report, the ALA states that only 2.7% of such challenges originated with parents, and 1.4% with individual library users.
Fifty-one percent of challenges were attempted at public libraries, and 37% involved school libraries. The remaining challenges of 2025 targeted school curriculums and higher education.
The ALA defines a book "ban" as the removal of materials, including books, from a library. A "challenge," in this organization's definition, is an attempt to have a library resource removed, or access to it restricted.
The ALA is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to American libraries and librarians.
