Freedom to Read Week

A collection of some of the most challenged/banned books, all available at our libraries!

Books come from lists created by the American Librarian Association, PEN America, and the Freedom to Read Week organization.

Updated February 17, 2026
Newfoundland & Labrador Public Libraries Newfoundland & Labrador Public Libraries
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Freedom to Read Week

A collection of some of the most challenged/banned books, all available at our libraries!

Books come from lists created by the American Librarian Association, PEN America, and the Freedom to Read Week organization.

Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
Pink, blue, and you! : questions for kids about gender and stereotypes
Gravel, Elise
Paper Book
Simple, accessible, and direct, this picture book is perfect for kids and parents or teachers to read together, opening the door to conversations about gender stereotypes and everyone's right to be their true selves. Is it okay for boys to cry? Can girls be strong? Should...
Last night at the Telegraph Club
Lo, Malinda.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD AND STONEWALL BOOK AWARD * From acclaimed author Malinda Lo comes a gripping, tender coming-of-age novel exploring identity, queerness, and historical upheaval set in San Francisco's Chinatown during the 1950s. ...
Breathless
Niven, Jennifer
Paper Book
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places comes a compulsively readable novel about a teen girl determined to write her own story--sex, heartbreak, family dramas, and all. "A coming-of-age story that will make your heart ache...
Gender queer
Kobabe, Maia.
Paper Book
2020 ALA Alex Award Winner 2020 Stonewall -- Israel Fishman Non-fiction Award Honor Book In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. At the time, it was...
Bridge of Clay
Zusak, Markus
Paper Book
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY * THE WALL STREET JOURNAL The unforgettable, New York Times bestselling family saga from Markus Zusak, the storyteller who gave us the extraordinary bestseller THE...
A day in the life of Marlon Bundo
Bundo, Marlon
Ebook
HBO's Emmy-winning Last Week Tonight with John Oliver presents a children's book about a Very Special boy bunny who falls in love with another boy bunny. Meet Marlon Bundo, a lonely bunny who lives with his Grampa Mike Pence, the former Vice President of the United States. But on...
The hate u give
Thomas, Angie
Paper Book
8 starred reviews · Goodreads Choice Awards Best of the Best · William C. Morris Award Winner · National Book Award Longlist · Printz Honor Book · Coretta Scott King Honor Book · #1 New York Times Bestseller! "Absolutely riveting!" --Jason Reynolds ...
Boy erased : a memoir of identity, faith, and family
Conley, Garrard
Paper Book
The New York Times bestselling memoir about identity, love and understanding. Now a major motion picture starring Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, and Lucas Hedges, directed by Joel Edgerton. "Every sentence of the story will stir your soul" (O Magazine).  <...
Princess Princess ever after
O'Neill, Kay (Cartoonist)
Paper Book
A sweet and positive fairy tale in which two princesses meet and embark on an adventure to overcome their own personal obstacles.  2014 Cybils Awards Finalist 2014 Autostraddle Comic Art Award for Favorite Graphic Novel 2017 ALA Rainbow Book List Top...
A court of thorns and roses
Maas, Sarah J
Paper Book
The sexy, action-packed first book in the #1 bestselling Court of Thorns and Roses series from global phenomenon Sarah J. Maas. When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a...
Dumplin'
Murphy, Julie
Paper Book
Now a Netflix feature film, starring Jennifer Aniston, Danielle Macdonald, and Dove Cameron, as well as a soundtrack from Dolly Parton! The #1 New York Times bestseller and feel-good YA of the year--about Willowdean Dixon, the fearless, funny, and totally unforgettable heroine who...
We are all made of molecules
Nielsen-Fernlund, Susin
Paper Book
 *"This savvy, insightful take on the modern family makes for nearly nonstop laughs."--Kirkus Reviews, Starred Stewart, 13: Socially clueless genius. Ashley, 14: Popular with everyone but her teachers   Ashley's and Stewart's worlds...
Melissa
Gino, Alex
Paper Book
  Formally titled George, this is the unforgettable debut from Alex Gino "Allow me to introduce you to a remarkable book, full of love, wonder, hope, and the importance of getting to be who you were meant to be. You must read this."- David Levithan, author of Every Day and...
Sex is a funny word : a book about bodies, feelings, and YOU
Silverberg, Cory
Paper Book
A comic book for kids that includes children and families of all makeups, orientations, and gender identities; 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,'...
This book is gay
Dawson, James (Young adult fiction writer)
Paper Book
A funny and pertinent book about being lesbian, bisexual, gay, queer, transgender or just curious - for everybody, no matter their gender or sexuality
Beyond magenta : transgender teens speak out
Kuklin, Susan.
Paper Book
A 2015 Stonewall Honor Book A groundbreaking work of LGBT literature takes an honest look at the life, love, and struggles of transgender teens. Author and photographer Susan Kuklin met and interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults and used...
This one summer
Tamaki, Mariko
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller A 2015 Caldecott Honor Book A 2015 Michael L. Printz Honor Book An Eisner Award Winner Rose is always excited for summer. It means the lake house with her parents, but most importantly, it means she gets to spend the summer with...
I am Jazz!
Herthel, Jessica
Paper Book
The story of a transgender child based on the real-life experience of Jazz Jennings, who has become a spokesperson for transkids everywhere "This is an essential tool for parents and teachers to share with children whether those kids identify as trans or not. I wish I had had a...
Jacob's new dress
Hoffman, Sarah
Paper Book
Jacob loves playing dress-up, when he can be anything he wants to be. Some kids at school say he can't wear "girl" clothes, but Jacob wants to wear a dress to school. Can he convince his parents to let him wear what he wants? This heartwarming story speaks to the unique challenges faced by...
The adventures of Super Diaper Baby : the first graphic novel by George Beard and Harold Hutchins
Beard, George
Paper Book
The first epic novel by George and Harold, the co-stars of Dav Pilkey's mega-bestselling Captain Underpants series. Oh, no! It's not enough that George and Harold have invented Captain Underpants, the greatest superhero of all time, and that they've also saved the world FIVE times! They...
This day in June
Pitman, Gayle E.
Paper Book
"The pride primer." --The New Yorker This Stonewall Book Award winner is an excellent tool for teaching respect, acceptance, and understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. This day in June . . . Parade starts soon . . . Rainbow arches . . . Joyful marches! ...
Eleanor & Park
Rowell, Rainbow.
Paper Book
#1 New York Times Best Seller! "Eleanor & Park reminded me not just what it's like to be young and in love with a girl, but also what it's like to be young and in love with a book."-John Green, The New York Times Book Review Bono met his...
Saga. Volume one
Vaughan, Brian K.
Paper Book
Winner of the 2013 Hugo award for Best Graphic Story! When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall inlove, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous olduniverse. From New York Times bestselling writer Brian K. Vaughan (...
Me and Earl and the dying girl
Andrews, Jesse
Paper Book
The New York Times bestselling novel that inspired the hit film! Fiercely funny, honest, heart-breaking--this is an unforgettable novel from a bright talent, and a film that critics called "a touchstone for its generation" and "an instant classic."
Drama
Telgemeier, Raina
Paper Book
From Raina Telgemeier, the #1 New York Times bestselling, multiple Eisner Award-winning author of Smile and Sisters!Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school's production of Moon over Mississippi, she can't really sing....
Habibi
Thompson, Craig
Paper Book
From the internationally acclaimed author of Blankets comes a love story of astounding resonance: a parable about our relationship to the natural world, the cultural divide between the first and third worlds, the common heritage of Christianity and Islam, and, most potently, the magic of...
Fifty shades of Grey
James, E. L.
Paper Book
MORE THAN 150 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE When literature student Anastasia Steele interviews successful entrepreneur Christian Grey, she finds him very attractive and deeply intimidating. Convinced that their meeting went badly, she tries to put him out of her...
The Duff
Keplinger, Kody
Paper Book
An irreverent and irresistible New York Times bestselling romance between the so-called Designated Ugly Fat Friend and the Hot Jock. Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper may not be the prettiest girl in her high school, but she has a loyal group of friends, a...
It's a book
Smith, Lane.
Paper Book
Playful and lighthearted with a subversive twist that is signature Lane Smith, It's a Book is a delightful manifesto on behalf of print in the digital age. This satisfying, perfectly executed picture book has something to say to readers of all stripes and all ages.
Fade
McMann, Lisa
Paper Book
SOME NIGHTMARES NEVER END. For Janie and Cabel, real life is getting tougher than the dreams. They're just trying to carve out a little (secret) time together, but no such luck. Disturbing things are happening at Fieldridge High, yet nobody's talking. When...
It's perfectly normal : a book about changing bodies, growing up, sex, and sexual health
Harris, Robie H.
Paper Book
When young people have questions about sex, real answers can be hard to find. Providing accurate, unbiased answers to nearly every imaginable question, from conception and puberty to birth control and AIDS, IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL offers young people the information they need now more than ever to...
My princess boy
Kilodavis, Cheryl
Paper Book
A nonfiction picture book about acceptance. With words and illustrations even the youngest of children can understand, My Princess Boy tells the tale of a four-year-old boy who happily expresses his authentic self by dressing up in dresses, and enjoying traditional girl things such as jewelry and...
Marked
Cast, P. C.
Paper Book
Enter the dark, magical world of the House of Night series by bestselling authors P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, a world very much like our own, except here vampyres have always existed. One minute, sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird is a normal teenager dealing with everyday high...
The Hunger Games
Collins, Suzanne.
Paper Book
The first novel in the worldwide bestselling series by Suzanne Collins! Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun. . . . In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve...
The graveyard book
Gaiman, Neil.
Paper Book
Discover the bewitching, classic children's novel The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, featuring spellbinding illustrations from Chris RiddellWINNER of the 2010 CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL and the 2009 JOHN NEWBERY MEDAL. ONE OF BBC'S HUNDRED GREATEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF ALL TIME...
Th1rteen r3asons why : a novel
Asher, Jay
Paper Book
THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES AND INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER **THE BOOK THAT STARTED IT ALL, NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES** "Eerie, beautiful, and devastating." --Chicago Tribune "A stealthy hit with staying power. . . . thriller-like pacing."...
Nineteen minutes : a novel
Picoult, Jodi
Paper Book
Jodi Picoult, bestselling author of My Sister's Keeper and Small Great Things, pens her most riveting book yet with a startling and poignant story about the devastating aftermath of a small-town tragedy. Sterling is an ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever...
The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian
Alexie, Sherman
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller--over a million copies sold!   A National Book Award winner A Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winner Bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the...
Fun home a family tragicomic
Bechdel, Alison
Paper Book
DISCOVER the BESTSELLING GRAPHIC MEMOIR behind the Olivier Award nominated musical. 'A sapphic graphic treat' The Times A moving and darkly humorous family tale, pitch-perfectly illustrated with Alison Bechdel's gothic...
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Safran Foer, Jonathan.
Paper Book
Nine-year-old Oskar Schell is an inventor, amateur entomologist, Francophile, letter writer, pacifist, natural historian, percussionist, romantic, Great Explorer, jeweller, detective, vegan, and collector of butterflies. When his father is killed in the September 11th attacks on the...
Looking for Alaska : a novel
Green, John
Paper Book
The award-winning, genre-defining debut from John Green, the #1 bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and The Fault in Our StarsWinner of the Michael L. Printz Award * A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist * A New York Times...
The glass castle : a memoir
Walls, Jeannette
Paper Book
In the tradition of Mary Karr's The Liars' Club and Rick Bragg's All Over But the Shouting, Walls has written a stunning and life-affirming memoir about surviving a willfully impoverished, eccentric, and severely misguided family.
And Tango makes three
Richardson, Justin
Paper Book
And Tango Makes Three is the bestselling, heartwarming true story of two penguins who create a nontraditional family. At the penguin house at the Central Park Zoo, two penguins named Roy and Silo were a little bit different from the others. But their desire for a family...
The librarian of Basra : a true story from Iraq
Winter, Jeanette.
Paper Book
*ALA Notable Children's book 2006 * Celebrated author-illustrator Jeanette Winter weaves a hopeful tale of one woman's courageous book rescue. In the Spring of 2003, Alia Muhammad Baker was the city of Basra's real-life librarian....
Three wishes : Palestinian and Israeli children speak
Ellis, Deborah
Paper Book
Deborah Ellis's enormously popular Breadwinner trilogy recounted the experiences of children living in Afghanistan; now Ellis turns her attention to the young people of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After visiting the region to conduct interviews, she presents their stories here in...
The kite runner
Hosseini, Khaled
Paper Book
The #1 New York Times bestselling novel beloved by millions of readers the world over. "A vivid and engaging story that reminds us how long his people [of Afghanistan] have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violence--forces that continue to threaten them even today...
Persepolis
Satrapi, Marjane
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Wise, funny, and heartbreaking, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi's acclaimed graphic memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. "A wholly original achievement.... Satrapi evokes herself and her schoolmates coming of age in a...
Blankets
Thompson, Craig
Paper Book
Named one of Time's top 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time! "...A rarity: a first-love story so well remembered and honest that it reminds you what falling in love feels like. ...achingly beautiful." - Time magazine Wrapped in the landscape of a blustery Wisconsin...
The family book
Parr, Todd
Paper Book
This beloved classic celebrating all kinds of families is a perfect entry into the world of New York Times bestselling author Todd Parr. With his colorful illustrations, playful humor, and inclusive storytelling, beloved author Todd Parr has long...
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time
Haddon, Mark
Paper Book
OVER TEN MILLION COPIES SOLD The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a murder mystery novel like no other. The detective, and narrator, is Christopher Boone. Christopher is fifteen and has Asperger's Syndrome. He knows a very great deal about...
Gossip Girl 1 - TV tie-in edition
Von Ziegesar, Cecily.
Ebook
The #1 New York Times bestselling series returns with a fresh new cover in time for the highly anticipated HBO MAX series reboot. 'Welcome to New York City's Upper East Side, where my friends and I live and go to school and play and sleep - sometimes with each other. We're smart, we...
Year of wonders
Brooks, Geraldine.
Paper Book
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 'March' and 'People of the Book'. A young woman's struggle to save her family and her soul during the extraordinary year of 1666, when plague suddenly struck a small Derbyshire village. In 1666, plague swept through London,...
Speak
Anderson, Laurie Halse
Paper Book
The groundbreaking National Book Award Finalist and Michael L. Printz Honor Book with more than 3.5 million copies sold, Speak is a bestselling modern classic about consent, healing, and finding your voice. "Speak up for yourself--we want to know what you have to say."...
The perks of being a wallflower
Chbosky, Stephen.
Paper Book
"A timeless story for every young person who needs to understand that they are not alone." --Judy Blume "Once in a while, a novel comes along that becomes a generational touchstone. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of those books." --R. J. Palacio, #1 New York...
Go ask Alice
Paper Book
Have you ever kept a diary? This is the diary of a young girl growing up in sixties America - an honest account of teenage life. But as well as discovering new friends, dating and going to parties, the author of this diary discovers something else- drugs. It is the era of free love and...
The adventures of Captain Underpants
Pilkey, Dav
Paper Book
Fourth graders George Beard and Harold Hutchins invent the wedgie-powered superhero Captain Underpants in the first book in this #1 New York Times bestselling series by Dav Pilkey, the author and illustrator of Dog Man!George and Harold are a couple of class clowns. The only thing they enjoy...
Wicked: [Movie Tie-In]: The Inspiration For The Smash-Hit Musical And The Upcoming Major Motion Picture
Maguire, Gregory.
Paper Book
The global bestseller that inspired the hit musical phenomenon. Now two major movies and a record-breaking box office sensation. 💚 💗 In this classic tale of good and evil, what if we weren't told the whole story? Long...
A child called 'it'
Pelzer, David J.
Paper Book
A harrowing, yet inspiring true story of a young boy's abusive childhood, from internationally bestselling author Dave Pelzer. Dave Pelzer was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother, a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games - games that...
Northern lights
Pullman, Philip
Paper Book
Lyra Belacqua and her animal daemon live half-wild and carefree among scholars of Jordan College, Oxford. The destiny that awaits her will take her to the frozen lands of the Arctic, where witch-clans reign and ice-bears fight. Her extraordinary journey will have immeasurable consequences far beyond...
I know why the caged bird sings
Angelou, Maya.
Paper Book
Maya Angelou's debut memoir is a modern American classic beloved worldwide. Her life story is told in the documentary film And Still I Rise, as seen on PBS's American Masters. Here is a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as childhood itself....
The diary of a young girl
Frank, Anne
Paper Book
'June, 1942- I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support.' In Amsterdam, in the summer of 1942, the Nazis forced teenager Anne Frank and her family into hiding. For over...
The giver
Lowry, Lois.
Paper Book
The Giver, the 1994 Newbery Medal winner, has become one of the most influential novels of our time. The haunting story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the...
The haunted mask
Stine, R. L.
Paper Book
A young girl buys the most frighteningly life-like Halloween mask ever--only to discover that she can't take it off.
Draw me a star
Carle, Eric.
Paper Book
This is a story of an artist who, from his earliest years, draws. The artist draws a star! Then, the tree, house, flowers, clouds, rainbow, and night. In drawing, he discovers not only his art, but his life. Holding on to his star, he creates a world of light and possibility.
Bone : out from Boneville
Smith, Jeff
Paper Book
Jeff Smith's New York Times and USA Today bestselling, award-winning BONE books are one of the most popular graphic novel series of all time. Read the first book in this thrilling adventure! After being run out of Boneville, the three Bone cousins -- Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and...
Heather has two mommies
Newman, Lesléa
Paper Book
Illustrated by Diana Souza Tenth Anniversary re-issue of the classic children's story that tells the simple and straightforward tale of a little girl called Heather and her upbringing by two lesbian mothers. Originally published in 1990 to considerable controversy, it has now established itself as...
The handmaid's tale
Atwood, Margaret
Paper Book
One of the most powerful and most widely read novels of our time in display-worthy hardcover: A gripping vision of our society radically overturned by a theocratic revolution--from "the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction" (The New York Times) The sixth and final season...
Maus : a survivor's tale, my father bleeds history
Spiegelman, Art.
Paper Book
The definitive edition of the graphic novel acclaimed as "the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the Holocaust" (Wall Street Journal) and "the first masterpiece in comic book history" (The New Yorker) * PULITZER PRIZE WINNER * One of Variety's "Banned and...
Of mice and men
Steinbeck, John
Paper Book
Drifters in search of work, George and his simple-minded friend Lennie, have nothing in the world except each other - and a dream. A dream that one day they will have some land of their own. Eventually they find work on a ranch, but their hopes are doomed as Lennie - struggling against extreme...
The house of the spirits : a novel
Allende, Isabel
Paper Book
Soon to be an original series on Prime Video! This "spectacular...absorbing and distinguished work...is a unique achievement, both personal witness and possible allegory of the past, present, and future of Latin America" (The New York Times Book Review).
Book Club kete. Brave new world
Huxley, Aldous
Paper Book
Welcome to New London. Everybody is happy here. INTRODUCED BY MARGARET ATWOOD Our perfect society achieves peace and stability by dispensing with monogamy, privacy, money, family and history itself. Now everyone belongs. You can be happy too. All you need to...
The color purple
Walker, Alice
Paper Book
Scary stories to tell in the dark : collected from folklore
Schwartz, Alvin
Paper Book
The iconic anthology series of horror tales that's now a feature film! A classic collection of chillingly scary tales, collected and retold by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by renowned artist Brett Helquist (illustrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and more!). Scary...
Ender's game
Card, Orson Scott
Paper Book
From New York Times bestselling author Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game--adapted to film in 2013 starring Asa Butterfield and Harrison Ford--is the classic Hugo and Nebula award-winning science fiction novel of a young boy's recruitment into the midst of an...
The diviners
Laurence, Margaret
Paper Book
Morag Gunn, now in her mid-forties, lives in a riverside farmhouse in Eastern Ontario. Through a series of flashbacks she reviews the painful and exhilarating moments of her earlier life: her childhood on the social margins of the small prairie town of Manawaka; her escape from a demeaning marriage...
The apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
Richler, Mordecai
Paper Book
The dazzling tale of a clever young rogue who makes good (or at least makes money), The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz established Mordecai Richler as one of the great comic writers of the twentieth century. Determined to claw his way out of Montrealas Jewish ghetto, young Duddy takes to heart his...
Lives of girls and women
Munro, Alice
Paper Book
The debut novel from Nobel Prize-winning author Alice Munro, "one of the most eloquent and gifted writers of contemporary fiction" (The New York Times). "Munro has an unerring talent for uncovering the extraordinary in the ordinary."--Newsweek  
A jest of God
Laurence, Margaret
Ebook
'An almost perfect book' MARGARET ATWOOD. Whenever I find myself thinking in a brooding way, I must simply turn it off and think of something else. God forbid that I should turn into an eccentric. Rachel Cameron is a shy, retiring schoolmistress, tethered to her overbearing...
A clockwork orange
Burgess, Anthony.
Ebook
To kill a mockingbird
Lee, Harper
Paper Book
"Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel--a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and...
Nineteen eighty-four
Orwell, George
Paper Book
One of the BBC's '100 Novels that Shaped the World' 'Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past' Hidden away in the Record Department of the sprawling Ministry of Truth, Winston Smith skilfully rewrites the past to suit...
The catcher in the rye
Salinger, J. D.
Paper Book
The "brilliant, funny, meaningful novel" (The New Yorker) that established J. D. Salinger as a leading voice in American literature--and that has instilled in millions of readers around the world a lifelong love of books. "If you really want to hear about...
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