Texas students deserve access to books that reflect their own lives, teach them about others’ lives, and inspire them to lead.
But some Texas politicians have targeted LGBTQ+, Black, and other marginalized students through book bans that prevent them from accessing lifesaving, life-changing books. Among the books removed from schools from July 2021 to June 2022, books featuring LGBTQ+ characters made up 41% of the list, books featuring characters of color made up 40%, and books tackling race and racism made up 21%.
This Pride month and beyond, we must celebrate the stories of LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized communities, and take action to support the freedom to learn.
Recommended Books
Kindergarten to 2nd Grade
Heather Has Two Mommies
Lesléa Newman, 1989
Banned in Libraries and Classrooms, Pennridge School District, PA, Dec 2021 (PEN America)
This Day in June
Gayle Pitman, 2014
Banned Pending Investigation, Walton County School District, FL, April 2022 (PEN America)
Best Best Colors
Eric Hoffman, 2002
Banned in Libraries, North East ISD, TX, Dec 2021 (PEN America)
Julián Is a Mermaid
Jessica Love, 2018
Banned in Classrooms, Central York School District, PA, Aug 2021 (PEN America)
3rd to 5th Grade
Hurricane Child
Kacen Callender, 2018
Banned in Libraries, Granbury ISD, TX, Dec 2021 (PEN America)
Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World
Ashley Herring Blake, 2018
Banned Pending Investigation, North East ISD, TX, Dec 2021 (PEN America)
Gracefully Grayson
Ami Polonsky, 2016
Banned In Libraries, North East ISD, TX, Dec 2021 (PEN America)
Melissa
Alex Gino, 2022 (republished)
Banned or Under Investigation in 11 school districts (PEN America)
The Breakaways
Cathy G. Johnson, 2019
Banned or Under Investigation in 9 school districts (PEN America)
6th to 8th Grade
The House You Pass On the Way
Jacqueline Woodson, 2010
Banned Pending Investigation, Northeast Independent School District, TX, Dec 2021 and Collierville Schools, TN, Feb 2022 (PEN America)
Queer, There and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World
Sarah Prager, 2017
Banned Pending Investigation, Granbury Independent School District, Jan 2022 (PEN America)
Rainbow Revolutions: Power, Pride and Protest in the Fight for Queer Rights
Jamie Lawson, 2020
Banned Pending Investigation, Granbury Independent School District, Dec 2021 (PEN America)
The Moon Within
Aida Salazar, 2019
Banned Pending Investigation, Granbury Independent School District, Jan 2022 and North East Indendent School District, Dec 2021 in TX (PEN America)
9th to 12th Grade
Cemetery Boys
Aiden Thomas, 2020
Banned Pending Investigation, Granbury Independent School District, Jan 2022 and North East Indendent School District, Dec 2021 in TX (PEN America)
Sister Outsider
Audre Lorde, 1984
Banned Pending Investigation, Collierville Schools, TN, Feb 2022 (PEN America)
Felix Ever After
Kacen Callender, 2020
Banned Pending Investigation, Granbury Independent School District, Jan 2022 and North East Indendent School District, Dec 2021 in TX (PEN America)
All Boys Aren’t Blue
George M. Johnson, 2020
Banned or Under Investigation in 29 school districts (PEN America)
Banned Book List Resources
- PEN America Banned Booklist Google Doc list
- The Reading Bug 2022 Banned and Challenged Books
- Evanston Public Library List