by Katherine Decker, Head of Circulation
It’s that time of year again. October 4-10, is ALA’s annual Banned Books Week. This year’s theme is “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read” Books are for everyone and should be read by anyone who wants to read them. Small groups of people try to use fear and misinformation to dictate what you or I should read. Why can’t they just let the books be?
For several years now, the American Library Association and Banned Books Week Coalition have spearheaded this campaign in an effort to combat the ever growing rhetoric that supports literary censorship and book bans.
Banned Books Week was established in 1982 after a surge of book challenges took place in schools, libraries and bookstores.
As part of Banned Books Week, ALA releases the list of the Top 11 Most Challenged Books of 2025 as part of the State of America’s Libraries Report. In 2025, the ALA documented 487 attempts to censor books for a variety of reasons, often stemming from misinformation and false claims. Nearly 92% of censorship attempts were tied to organized pressure campaigns. Of the 4,235 unique titles that were challenge or banned, below are the top 11 most frequently targeted. You can read about more information on banned books on the ALA website. Then, come stop by the Lynnfield Public Library to see our display in front of the main desk and consider checking one out (you might be surprised by how many you recognize).
The current list of top 11 banned books, according to the ALA:
1. Sold by Patricia McCormick
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
3. Gender Queer: A Memoir 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). Looking for Alaska by John Green
8 (Tie). A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
8. (Tie) Identical by Ellen Hopkins
8. (Tie) Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout