Books on On Censorship & Book Banning for Kids, Middle Grades, & Teens
1. Kids
Arthur and the Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club
by Marc Brown
When a parent group bans a series of scary books from the local public library, Arthur and his friends devise a plan to get their favorite books returned.
Banned Book
by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Gary Kelley. Creative Editions, 2023.
Picture book about the censoring of books to prevent kids from being able to read them.
Book Comes Home: A Banned Book’s Journey
by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Micah Player. Random House, 2025
The story of how sad a book was when it was banned and what happened after it was rescued (with the help of kids who wanted it.
Roar for Reading
by Beth Ferry; illustrated by Andrew Joyner
Libraries and lions have a history so long no one's quite sure how it began--maybe because books were once rare and needed fierce protectors? Still, it's been a very long time since lions had to roar in the name of books. But when young Julius finds out that books are being banned at his local library, he becomes so filled with emotion that he ROARS! Not all lions are librarians, but all librarians are lions in this inspiring tale of protecting the stories that connect us and defending books that hold ideas that can change the world.
The Book Tree
by Paul Czajak; illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh
When young Arlo accidentally drops a book on the Mayor’s head, the Mayor decides books are dangerous and destroys all the books in town! But thanks to Arlo’s imagination and perseverance, the Mayor finds that suppressing stories cannot stop them from blossoming more beautifully than ever.
The Sad Little Fact
by Jonah Winter; illustrated by Pete Oswald
Follow a sad little fact that is locked away for telling the truth. In its underground prison, it meets other facts, all hidden away because they could not lie. Finally, with the help of a few skillful fact finders, the facts are able to spread truth--something that ultimately can't be denied. Though some people continue to ignore them, the facts are out in the world, ready for anyone who wants to hear, because "a fact is a fact," and that's that.
This Book Is Banned
by Raj Haldar; illustrated by Julia Patton
This is a book about dinosaurs. No it's not. Dinosaurs are not allowed. Oh. This is now a book about avocados! Sorry. We deleted those too. FINE. This book is about—nope! Forbidden! Maybe you shouldn't even try reading this book…But what could possibly be inside? Discover just what can happen when ideas are erased instead of expressed with this hilarious picture book romp that kids (and grown-ups) will want to read over and over again.