Tag: book challenges

‘Gender Queer’ once again lands on the most challenged books list for 2025

The American Library Association shares the list of the most challenged books for last week as a part of National Library Week.

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe was the third most challenged book in libraries in 2025, according to the American Library Association.

The graphic novel, which was published by Oni Press in 2019, has appeared on the list for five of the last seven years. It topped the list in 2021-2023, and was the second most challenged book in 2024. An annotated edition is due out next month.

No other graphic novels were on the list for 2025, a year that saw the ALA track 4,235 unique title challenges, the second highest ever documented by the ALA. The highest ever documented was 4,240 in 2023.

And just like in previous years, the majority of these challenges aren’t being made by concerned parents — they’re being challenged as part of organized efforts.

“In 2025, book bans were not sparked by concerned parents, and they were not the result of local grassroots efforts,” said Sarah Lamdan, Executive Director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. “They were part of a well-funded, politically-driven campaign to suppress the stories and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals and communities.”

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Comics Lowdown | Texas school reverses ‘New Kid’ ban

Plus: Penguin Classics to publish Marvel classics, Joe Ollmann’s ‘Fictional Father’ nominated for Governor General’s award, and more!

Cover of New Kid by Jerry Craft

School administrators in Katy, Texas, have returned Jerry Craft’s New Kid to library shelves and rescheduled a video visit from the creator, according to NBC News. The district pulled the book and canceled the visit after a parent started a petition claiming that New Kid espoused critical race theory. The district told NBC that it had “determined the appropriateness” of the book, which was the first graphic novel to be awarded the Newbery Medal. In a statement last week, Craft said his intention was simply to portray children of color in a realistic setting: “Books aimed at kids like me seemed to deal only with history or misery. That’s why it has always been important to me to show kids of color as just regular kids, and to create iconic African American characters like Jordan Banks from ‘New Kid.’ I hope that readers of all ages will see the kindness and understanding that my characters exhibit and emulate those feelings in their day-to-day lives.” However, parent Bonnie Anderson, who started the petition, disagreed, saying, “The books don’t come out and say we want white children to feel like oppressors, but that is absolutely what they will do.”

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