“Censorship Leaves Us in the Dark! Keep the Light On!” is the 2019 theme for Banned Books Week. “By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.”

The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom  compiles lists of challenged books as reported in the media and submitted by librarians and teachers across the country.

Of the 483 books challenged or banned in 2018, the Top 11 Most Challenged Books are:

1. George by Alex Gino
2. A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss, illustrated by EG Keller
3. Captain Underpants series written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey
4. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
5. Drama written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
6. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
7. This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
8. Skippyjon Jones series written and illustrated by Judy Schachner
9. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
10. This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman, illustrated by Kristyna Litten
11. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan