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 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
The unforgettable, New York Times bestselling family saga from Markus Zusak, the storyteller who gave us the extraordinary bestseller THE BOOK THIEF, lauded by the New York Times as "the kind of book that can be life-changing." NAMED ONE OF THE BEST...
A day in the life of Marlon Bundo
Bundo, Marlon (Rabbit)
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 ...
A court of thorns and roses
Maas, Sarah J.
Paper Book
THE INSTANTNEW YORK TIMESBESTSELLER Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R.R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down! When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like...
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
BE WHO YOU ARE. 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....
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, Juno
Paper Book
The bestselling young adult non-fiction book on sexuality and gender! Lesbian. Gay. Bisexual. Transgender. Queer. Intersex. Straight. Curious. This book is for everyone, regardless of gender or sexual preference. This book is for anyone who's ever dared to wonder. This book is for YOU. ...
Beyond magenta : transgender teens speak out
Kuklin, Susan.
Paper 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 her considerable ski
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 Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It's their getaway, their refuge. Rosie's friend Windy is always...
The adventures of Super Diaper Baby : the first graphic novel by George Beard and Harold Hutchins
Beard, George
Paper Book
In this new and outrageous comic novel, Dav Pilkey creates a hilarious l28-page book "by George Beard and Harold Hutchins," the fourth-grade stars of Pilkey's bestselling Captain Underpants series.Oh, no! It's not enough that George and Harold have invented Captain Underpants, the greatest superhero...
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!   This is the funniest book you'll ever read about death.   It is a universally acknowledged truth that high school sucks. But on the first day of his...
Drama
Telgemeier, Raina
Paper Book
Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school's production of Moon Over Mississippi, she's a terrible singer. Instead she's the set designer for the stage crew, and this year she's determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget. But how can...
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
Relive the sensuality, the romance and the drama of Fifty Shades Freed through the thoughts, reflections and dreams of Christian Grey. Look for FREED: Fifty Shades as Told by Christian, available for pre-order now. MORE THAN 150 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE Now in hardcover, with a...
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
An updated, fifteenth anniversary edition of the definitive book on kids’ sexual health brings this trusted resource into the twenty-first century. Now offering a brand-new chapter focusing on safe Internet use — one of parents’ key concerns — this...
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
The original hardcover edition of a perennial favorite, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, which has sold more than one million copies and is the only novel to win both the Newbery Medal and the Carnegie Medal.  Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place--he's the only living...
Th1rteen r3asons why
Asher, Jay
Ebook
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."...
The book of negroes
Hill, Lawrence
Paper Book
Abducted from Africa as a child and enslaved in South Carolina, Aminata Diallo thinks only of freedom--and of the knowledge she needs to get home. Sold to an indigo trader who recognizes her intelligence, Aminata is torn from her husband and child and thrown into the chaos of the Revolutionary War....
Nineteen minutes
Picoult, Jodi
Paper Book
In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five....In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it. In...
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
A fresh and brilliantly told memoir from a cult favorite comic artist, marked by gothic twists, a family funeral home, sexual angst, and great books. This breakout book by Alison Bechdel is a darkly funny family tale, pitch-perfectly illustrated with Bechdel's sweetly gothic...
Extremely loud & incredibly close
Foer, Jonathan Safran
Paper Book
ANew York Times Bestseller * NamedA Best Book of the Year by the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post Book World, Chicago Tribune, St. Louis Post-Dispatch,andRocky Mountain News   Nine-year-old Oskar Schell has embarked on an...
Looking for Alaska
Green, John
Paper Book
A gorgeous collector's edition of the critically acclaimed debut novel by John Green, #1 bestselling author of Turtles All the Way Down and The Fault in Our Stars A perfect gift for every fan, this deluxe hardcover features a stunning special edition jacket and...
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....
Crank
Hopkins, Ellen
Paper Book
An average teen's life spins out of control after she becomes addicted to crystal meth in this #1 New York Times bestselling novel in verse, the first in the Crank trilogy from master poet Ellen Hopkins. Life was good before I met ...
Three wishes : Palestinian and Israeli children speak
Ellis, Deborah
Paper Book
Deborah Ellis presents the stories of children of the war-torn Middle East, based on interviews with Israeli and Palestinian children. In a rehabilitation center for disabled children, twelve-year-old Nora says she loves the color pink and chewing gum and explains that the wheels of her...
The kite runner
Hosseini, Khaled
Paper Book
The New York Times bestseller and international classic loved by millions of readers. The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father's servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in...
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 A brand-new, hardcover edition, re-sized and with a...
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 been a...
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time
Haddon, Mark
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A modern classic--both poignant and funny--about a boy with autism who sets out to solve the murder of a neighbor's dog and discovers unexpected truths about himself and the world. "Disorienting and reorienting the reader to devastating effect.......
Gossip girl
Von Ziegesar, Cecily.
Paper Book
Serena van der Woodsen is back from boarding school -- but is she still the Upper East Side's It Girl? The wickedly funny first book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series that inspired the original hit CW show and the HBO Max series. Welcome to...
Year of wonders : a novel of the Plague
Brooks, Geraldine
Paper Book
"Plague stories remind us that we cannot manage without community . . . Year of Wonders is a testament to that very notion." - The Washington Post An unforgettable tale, set in 17th century England, of a village that quarantines itself to...
Speak
Anderson, Laurie Halse
Paper Book
A special 20th anniversary edition of 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-...
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
The acclaimed, bestselling first-person account of a teen girl's harrowing descent into drug addiction--a cautionary tale as heart-wrenching, shocking, and timely as ever. January 24th After you've had it, there isn't even life without drugs... It...
The adventures of Captain Underpants : the first epic novel
Pilkey, Dav
Paper Book
Celebrate the 25th and a half anniversary of THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS with a special edition featuring a BRAND NEW 32-page DOG MAN comic! George and Harold are best friends who enjoy making their own comic books. Together they've created the greatest superhero in the...
Wicked : the life and times of the wicked witch of the West
Maguire, Gregory.
Paper Book
This is the book that started it all! The basis for the smash hit Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, Gregory Maguire's breathtakingNew York Times bestseller
A child called "it" : one child's courage to survive
Pelzer, David J.
Paper Book
This book chronicles the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of Dave Pelzer, who was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games--games that left him...
The golden compass
Pullman, Philip
Paper Book
The modern fantasy classic that Entertainment Weekly named an "All-Time Greatest Novel" and Newsweek hailed as a "Top 100 Book of All Time." Philip Pullman takes readers to a world where humans have animal familiars and where parallel universes are within reach. ...
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
THE DEFINITIVE EDITION * Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, the remarkable diary that has become a world classic--a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit. Updated for the 75th Anniversary of the...
The giver
Lowry, Lois
Paper Book
Celebrate Lois Lowry's Newbery Medal-winning classic story of a young boy discovering the dark secrets behind his seemingly ideal world in this 25th Anniversary Edition of The Giver. Includes a new afterword from Lois Lowry, as well as her Newbery acceptance speech.
The haunted mask
Stine, R. L.
Paper Book
Goosebumps now on Disney+!How ugly is Carly Beth's Halloween mask? It's so ugly that it almost scared her little brother to death. So terrifying that even her friends are totally freaked out by it. It's the best Halloween mask ever. With yellow-green skin and long animal fangs, the mask...
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. This is the first book in a thrilling adventure! After being run out of Boneville, the three Bone cousins -- Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and...
Heather has two mommies
Newman, Lesl ea
Paper Book
Candlewick relaunches a modern classic for this generation with a beautifully illustrated edition. Heather's favorite number is two. She has two arms, two legs, and two pets. And she also has two mommies. When Heather goes to school for the first time, someone asks her about her...
The handmaid's tale
Atwood, Margaret Eleanor
Paper Book
Now a Hulu series starring Elizabeth Moss. The Handmaid's Tale is an instant classic and eerily prescient cultural phenomenon, from "the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction" (New York Times) The Handmaid's Tale is a novel of such power that the reader will be unable to forget its...
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
A controversial tale of friendship and tragedy during the Great Depression "A thriller, a gripping tale . . . that you will not set down until it is finished. Steinbeck has touched the quick." --The New York Times John Steinbeck's classic novella follows an...
The house of the spirits
Allende, Isabel
Paper Book
Here, in an astonishing debut by a gifted storyteller, is the magnificent saga of proud and passionate men and women and the turbulent times through which they suffer and triumph. They are the Truebas. And theirs is a world you will not want to leave, and one you will not forget. ...
Brave new world
Huxley, Aldous.
Paper Book
Now more than ever: Aldous Huxley's enduring masterwork must be read and understood by anyone concerned with preserving the human spirit "A masterpiece. . . . One of the most prophetic dystopian works." --Wall Street Journal  Aldous Huxley's...
The color purple
Walker, Alice
Paper Book
Read the original inspiration for the new, boldly reimagined film from producers Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, starring Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, and Fantasia Barrino. Celebrating its fortieth anniversary, The Color Purple writes a message of healing,...
Scary stories to tell in the dark
Schwartz, Alvin
Paper Book
Welcome to a macabre world of scary stories, where a folklorist offers up some of the most alarming tales of horror, dark revenge and supernatural events of all time, in a 25th anniversary edition of extraordinarily chilling tales enhanced by all-new
Ender's game
Card, Orson Scott
Paper Book
Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic...
A clockwork orange
Burgess, Anthony
Paper Book
A vicious fifteen-year-old droog is the central character of this 1963 classic. In Anthony Burgess's nightmare vision of the future, where the criminals take over after dark, the story is told by the central character, Alex, who talks in a brutal invented slang that brilliantly renders his and his...
To kill a mockingbird
Lee, Harper
Paper Book
Look for The Land of Sweet Forever, a posthumous collection of newly discovered short stories and previously published essays and magazine pieces by Harper Lee, coming October 21, 2025. Voted America's Best-Loved Novel in PBS's The Great American Read Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize...
Nineteen eighty-four
Orwell, George
Paper Book
Written 75 years ago, 1984 was George Orwell's chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, his dystopian vision of a government that will do anything to control the narrative is timelier than ever... This 75th Anniversary Edition includes: *...
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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