Every year, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles a list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books in order to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools. The lists are based on information from confidential reports filed by library professionals and community members, as well as news stories published throughout the United States.
Because many book challenges are not reported to the ALA or covered by the press, the data compiled by ALA represents only a snapshot of censorship attempts in libraries.
The 2025 data reported to ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) shows that the majority of book censorship attempts continue to originate from organized movements. In 2025, 92% of all book challenges were initiated by pressure groups, government officials, and decision makers, up from 72% in 2024. Less than 3% of challenges originated from individual parents.
The most common justifications for censorship provided by complainants were false claims of illegal obscenity for minors; inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters or themes; and covering topics of race, racism, equity, and social justice.
Since 2021, ALA has tracked a sharp spike in censorship attempts in libraries. OIF tracked 4,235 unique titles challenged in 2025, the second highest ever documented by ALA. The highest ever documented was 4,240 in 2023. Of the unique titles challenged in 2025, 1,671 (40%) represent the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people and people of color.
OIF documented 5,668 books banned from libraries (66% of the total challenged) in 2025. An additional 920 books were censored through access restrictions such as relocation or requiring parental permission. This is both the highest number of titles censored in one year and the highest rate of challenges resulting in censorship from 1990–2025. (text from the ALA website)
The American Library Association’s website is a fantastic resource on this subject matter. There you will find:
A place to report attempts of censorship.
As always, here are the top challenged books of 2025:
1. Sold by Patricia McCormick
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
3. Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
4. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
5. (TIE) Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
5. (TIE) Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
7. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
8. (TIE) A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
8. (TIE) Identical by Ellen Hopkins
8. (TIE) Looking for Alaska by John Green
8. (TIE) Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout
And also, as always, you can shop this list on my Bookshop!
(This is an affiliate link to my Bookshop, which supports independent bookstores throughout the United States. If you use this link to purchase the book, I will make a small commission at no additional cost to you.)
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