<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0v8Cs2_0vjbMIuK00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0v8Cs2_0vjbMIuK00" width="1200" height="628" ></figure>Melanie Borski-Howard holding up book #16 on the list of the Top 25 most challenged children’s titles. Photo by Jackie Sedley. Taken at the Boulder Public Library on Tues., Sept. 23, 2024. Library staff across the country are facing a growing number of attempts to get books off their shelves.In 2023 alone, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked over 1,200 efforts to censor books and other resources in libraries – that’s a 65% increase from the year before. Many of those books represent LGBTQ+ and BIPOC voices and experiences.That’s why Banned Books Week exists. Hosted by the American Library Association right now – it started on Sunday and runs through Saturday, the week is meant to uplift the books and themes under attack, and emphasize how much is at stake. This year’s theme is “Freed Between the Lines.”Melanie Borski-Howard is the Youth Services Specialist at the Boulder Public Library. She’s incredibly passionate about uplifting the stories and perspectives that are currently being threatened – especially when it comes to stories for children.We’ve talked about banned books quite a bit on KGNU before, with Borski-Howard, but just to keep it clear – when we say “banned” we mean challenged. None of the books you’re going to hear about are legally banned in the United States – in fact, very few are.This time, Borski-Howard and KGNU’s Jackie Sedley focused on the most targeted children’s books.Listen: Here is the list of the most targeted children’s titles. These are the top 25, from most challenges documented to the fewest challenges documented of all time*:<ol><li>It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris</li><li>Melissa (previously published as George) by Alex Gino</li><li>Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite</li><li>Harry Potter [series] by J.K. Rowling</li><li>And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell</li><li>Drama by Raina Telgemeier</li><li>I am Jazz by Jazz Jennings</li><li>Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson</li><li>More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz</li><li>Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman</li><li>Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz</li><li>Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love</li><li>My Brother Sam is Dead by Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier</li><li>The Giver by Lois Lowry</li><li>In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak</li><li>It Feels Good to Be Yourself by Theresa Thorn</li><li>The Breakaways by Cathy G. Johnson</li><li>When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff</li><li>Rick by Alex Gino</li><li>Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart</li><li>Prince &amp; Knight by Daniel Haack</li><li>Goosebumps by R.L. Stine</li><li>A Day in the Life of Marlon Brando by Jill Twiss</li><li>Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson</li><li>Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff || Scary Stories 3 by Alvin Schwartz (tied for 25th with 33 documented challenges each)</li></ol>In terms of the children’s titles that have been the most frequently targeted since the new organized book censorship movement began in 2021, here is the list through 2023*:<ol><li>Melissa (previously published as George) by Alex Gino</li><li>It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris</li><li>Drama by Raina Telgemeier</li><li>I am Jazz by Jazz Jennings</li><li>Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love</li><li>It Feels Good to be Yourself by Theresa Thorn</li><li>The Breakaways by Cathy G. Johnson</li><li>When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff</li><li>And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell</li><li>Rick by Alex Gino</li><li>Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart</li><li>Prince &amp; Knight by Daniel Haack</li><li>Anti-Racist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi</li><li>Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff</li><li>The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish by Lil Miss Hot Mess</li><li>Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness by Anastasia Higginbotham</li><li>The Pants Project by Cat Clarke</li><li>Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders</li><li>Being You: A First Conversation About Gender by Jessica Ralli and Megan Madison</li><li>This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell</li><li>Jack (Not Jackie) by Erica Silverman</li><li>New Kid by Jerry Craft</li><li>Fred Gets Dressed by Peter Brown</li><li>Stamped (for Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You by Sonja Cherry-Paul</li><li>A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramee</li></ol>* Citation: Eric Storshane, Assistant Director of Member Services at the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

A local librarian’s take on fear, censorship, and the importance of listening

Melanie Borski-Howard holding up book #16 on the list of the Top 25 most challenged children’s titles. Photo by Jackie Sedley. Taken at the Boulder Public Library on Tues., Sept. 23, 2024. Library staff across the country are facing a growing number of attempts to get books off their...