Censorship

Once again books with LGBTQIA+ characters and themes are the most challenged titles across the country.

Office for Intellectual Freedom's Deborah Caldwell-Stone says the list of most challenged books in 2021 illustrates the efforts of organized organizations to exclude LGBTQIA and Black voices from school and public libraries.

In response to new legislation and customer requests, Follett was working on optional features that would allow parents to request to be notified what book their child has checked out of the library and limit their access to materials. They will no longer be creating those options.

Is it unconstitutional to ban books from a school library? Pico didn't provide an easy answer, but the ACLU and a couple of  Missouri students are suing arguing that the removal of books from the Wentzville R-IV district is a violation of their First Amendment rights.

In our May issue, you’ll find an 18-by-24-inch poster promoting the freedom to read. Famed artist Rafael López created the warm, hopeful image, which ­conveys the power of reading to open minds and hearts.

A look at some of the latest news in censorship attempts around the country. In this installment, read about what's happening in districts in Kansas, North Carolina, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.

Alongside a national rise in censorship, we've received queries about our review process. For readers experiencing a challenge to a book or anticipating one, SLJ reviews editor Shelley Diaz and a panel covered the ins and outs of what we do.  

An elementary librarian feels unprepared for challenges; a Texas librarian is told to purge titles; a principal forbids students to write to their governor protesting book removal push.

The two challenged titles will remain in the library, but will have content labels, at Waltham (MA) High School; school board members move books, require parental purchase at Scholastic Book Fair in Minnesota; and more in SLJ's latest look at censorship attempts across the country.