Top Challenged Books | Overton High

1) Melissa's story

Author

Series

Thorndike Press large print striving reader collection

Notes

Challenged, banned, restricted, and hidden to avoid controversy; for LGBTQIA+ content and a transgender character; because schools and libraries should not “put books in a child’s hand that require discussion”; for sexual references; and for conflicting with a religious

Formats:

Book, CD audio book, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle, Playaway

Description

When people look at Melissa, they think they see a boy named George. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl. Melissa thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web . Melissa really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part... because she's a boy. With the help of her best friend, Kelly, Melissa comes...

2) Beyond magenta: transgender teens speak out

Author

Notes

Challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, for “its effect on any young people who would read it,” and for concerns that it was sexually explicit and biased

Formats:

Book, eBook, Kindle

Description

"Author and photographer Susan Kuklin met and interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults and used her considerable skills to represent them thoughtfully and respectfully before, during, and after their personal acknowledgment of gender preference. Portraits, family photographs, and candid images grace the pages, augmenting the emotional and physical journey each youth has taken. Each honest discussion and disclosure, whether joyful...

3) A day in the life of Marlon Bundo

Author

Notes

Challenged and vandalized for LGBTQIA+ content and political viewpoints, for concerns that it is “designed to pollute the morals of its readers,” and for not including a content warning.

Formats:

Book, eBook, Kindle

Description

"Meet Marlon Bundo, a lonely bunny who lives at the Naval Observatory with his Grandpa, the Vice President of the United States. But on this Very Special Day, Marlon's life is about to change forever ..."--Front dust jacket flap.

4) Sex is a funny word

Author

Silverberg, Cory

Notes

Challenged, banned, and relocated for LGBTQIA+ content; for discussing gender identity and sex education; and for concerns that the title and illustrations were “inappropriate”

Formats:

Comic, eBook, Kindle

Description

"A comic book for kids that includes children and families of all makeups, orientations, and gender identies, Sex Is a Funny Word is an essential resource about bodies, gender, and sexuality for children ages 8 to 10 as well as their parents and caregivers. Much more than the "facts of life" or "the birds and the bees," Sex Is a Funny Word opens up conversations between young people and their caregivers in a way that allows adults to convey their...

5) Prince & knight

Author

Series

Prince & knight volume 1

Notes

Challenged and restricted for featuring a gay marriage and LGBTQIA+ content; for being “a deliberate attempt to indoctrinate young children” with the potential to cause confusion, curiosity, and gender dysphoria; and for conflicting with a religious viewpoint.

Description

A prince and a knight in shining armor find true love in each other's embrace after fighting a dragon together.

Author

Herthel, Jessica

Notes

Challenged and relocated for LGBTQIA+ content, for a transgender character, and for confronting a topic that is “sensitive, controversial, and politically charged”

Formats:

Book, eBook, Kindle

Description

Presents the story of a transgender child who traces her early awareness that she is a girl in spite of male anatomy and the acceptance she finds through a wise doctor who explains her natural transgender status.

7) The handmaid's tale: The

Author

Series

Handmaid's tale volume 1

Notes

Banned and challenged for profanity and for “vulgarity and sexual overtones”

Description

"Margaret Atwood's best-loved novel has taken the world by storm again. Riding high on bestseller lists for months and the basis for Hulu's Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning smash hit series, The Handmaid's Tale is everywhere--and it's primed for a stunning new graphic novel adaptation. The story is iconic: In the Republic of Gilead, a Handmaid named Offred lives in the home of the Commander, to the purpose that she become pregnant with his child....

Author

Telgemeier, Raina

Series

Notes

Challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and for concerns that it goes against “family values/morals”

Formats:

Comic, eBook, eComic, Kindle

Description

Callie rides an emotional roller coaster while serving on the stage crew for a middle school production of Moon over Mississippi as various relationships start and end, and others never quite get going.

9) Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone

Author

Series

Harry Potter (Original series) volume 1

Notes

Entire series was banned and forbidden from discussion for referring to magic and witchcraft, for containing actual curses and spells, and for characters that use “nefarious means” to attain goals

Formats:

Book, CD audio book, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle, Playaway

Description

Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.

10) tango makes three

This entry no longer exists in the catalog

11) The adventures of Captain Underpants: an epic novel

Author

Series

Captain Underpants volume 1

Notes

Series was challenged because it was perceived as encouraging disruptive behavior, while Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot was challenged for including a same-sex couple

Formats:

Book, Comic, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle, Playaway, Talking Book

Description

When George and Harold hypnotize their principal into thinking that he is the superhero Captain Underpants, he leads them to the lair of the nefarious Dr. Diaper, where they must defeat his evil robot henchmen.

12) The hate u give

Author

Series

Thorndike Press large print African-American

Notes

Banned and challenged because it was deemed “anti-cop,” and for profanity, drug use, and sexual references

Formats:

Book, CD audio book, eAudiobook, eBook, Kit, Playaway

Description

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters...

13) Thirteen reasons why

Author

Notes

Banned, challenged, and restricted for addressing teen suicide

Formats:

Book, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle, Kit

Description

When high school student Clay Jenkins receives a box in the mail containing thirteen cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah, who committed suicide, he spends a bewildering and heartbreaking night crisscrossing their town, listening to Hannah's voice recounting the events leading up to her death.

14) This one summer

Author

Notes

Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and certain illustrations

Formats:

Comic, eBook, Kindle

Description

Rose and her parents have been going to Awago Beach since she was a little girl. It's her summer getaway, her refuge. Her friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had, completing her summer family. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and Rose and Windy have gotten tangled up in a tragedy-in-the-making in the small town of Awago Beach. It's a summer of secrets and heartache, and it's a good...

15) Skippyjon Jones in mummy trouble

Author

Schachner, Judith Byron

Series

Skippyjon Jones (Picture books) volume 3

Notes

Challenged for depicting stereotypes of Mexican culture

Formats:

Book, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle

Description

Skippyjon Jones, a Siamese kitten who thinks he's a Chihuahua, dreams of traveling to ancient Egypt with his gang of Chihuahua amigos.

16) The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian

Author

Alexie, Sherman

Notes

Banned and challenged for sexual references, profanity, violence, gambling, and underage drinking, and for its religious viewpoint

Formats:

Book, CD audio book, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle, Kit, Playaway

Description

Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.

17) This day in June

Author

Pitman, Gayle E

Notes

Challenged and BURNED for including LGBTQIA+ content

Description

"A picture book illustrating a Pride parade. The endmatter serves as a primer on LGBT history and culture and explains the references made in the story"--

18) Two boys kissing

Author

Levithan, David

Notes

Challenged and BURNED for including LGBTQIA+ content

Formats:

Book, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle

Description

A chorus of men who died of AIDS observes and yearns to help a cross-section of today's gay teens who navigate new love, long-term relationships, coming out, self-acceptance, and more in a society that has changed in many ways.

19) The kite runner

Author

Hosseini, Khaled

Notes

Challenged and banned because it includes sexual violence and was thought to “lead to terrorism” and “promote Islam.”

Formats:

Description

Amir and Hassan are good friends growing up together in Afghanistan, but when the Soviets invade the country, Amir and his family use their wealth and influence to flee to California. Hassan and his impoverished family, who are also a shunned ethnic minority, stay and suffer.

20) To kill a mockingbird

Author

Series

To kill a mockingbird volume 1

Notes

This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, considered an American classic, was challenged and banned because of violence and its use of the N-word.

Formats:

Book, CD audio book, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle

Description

Eight-year-old "Scout" Finch tells of life in a small Alabama town where her father is a lawyer.