Underlined is committed to standing against censorship. This week, we’re highlighting some recently banned and challenged YA books in honor of Banned Books Week.
For more resources to support banned and challenged books, and to learn about more of these titles click here.
Here is a list of just some of the many classic and powerful YA books that have been challenged or banned:
19 Love Songs
The New York Times bestselling author of Every Day, Someday, and Two Boys Kissing is back with a short story collection about love!
A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl
Josie, Nicolette, and Aviva all get mixed up with a senior boy–a cool, slick, sexy boy who can talk them into doing almost anything he wants. In a blur of high school hormones and personal doubt, each girl struggles with how much to give up and what ultimately to keep for herself.
All the Bright Places
The New York Times bestselling love story about two teens who find each other while standing on the edge.
Almost Perfect
This winner of the first Stonewall Award for Children’s & Young Adult Literature will make you marvel at the beauty of human connection and the irrepressible nature of love.
Anatomy of a Boyfriend
An unflinching account of love, sex, and heartbreak—this generation’s answer to Judy Blume’s Forever.
Another Day
Celebrate all the ways love makes us who we are with this enthralling and poignant follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Every Day—now a major motion picture.
Before We Were Free
From renowned author Julia Alvarez comes an unforgettable story about adolescence, perseverance, and one girl’s struggle to be free while living in the Dominican Republic under the rule of a dictator.
Being Jazz
Celebrate Pride every day with the teen advocate, trailblazer, and reality show star Jazz Jennings—one of Time Magazine’s “25 Most Influential Teens” of the year. In this groundbreaking memoir, she inspires people to accept the differences in others while they embrace their own truths through sharing her very public transgender journey.
Boy Meets Boy
This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance.
Breathless
Spend your summer with an unforgettable novel about falling in love for the first time from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places.
Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
Now a Netflix original series starring Austin Abrams and Midori Francis! A whirlwind holiday season romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist.
Date Me, Bryson Keller
What If It’s Us meets To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before in this upbeat and heartfelt boy-meets-boy romance that feels like a modern twist on a ’90s rom-com!
Dear Justyce
The stunning sequel to the critically acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestseller Dear Martin. An incarcerated teen writes letters to his best friend about his experiences in the American juvenile justice system.
Dear Martin
Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning #1 New York Times bestselling debut, a William C. Morris Award Finalist.
Discovering Wes Moore
From the governor-elect of Maryland comes a story of two fatherless boys from Baltimore, both named Wes Moore. One is in prison, serving a life sentence for murder. The other is a Rhodes Scholar, an army veteran, and an author whose book is being turned into a movie produced by Oprah Winfrey.
Every Day
Celebrate all the ways love makes us who we are with the romance that Entertainment Weekly calls “wise, wildly unique”—from the bestselling co-author of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist—about a teen who wakes up every morning in a different body, living a different life. Now a major motion picture!
Everything, Everything
What if you couldn’t touch anything in the outside world? Never breathe in the fresh air, feel the sun warm your face . . . or kiss the boy next door? In Everything, Everything, Maddy is a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world, and Olly is the boy who moves in next door . . . and becomes the greatest risk she’s ever taken.
Family of Liars: Deluxe Edition
The addictive prequel to the TikTok phenomenon We Were Liars: the story of another summer, another generation, and the secrets that will haunt them for decades to come—with gorgeous sprayed edges and all-new in-depth exclusive content by E. Lockhart.
Field Notes on Love
Two teens are thrown together on a cross-country train trip that will teach them about love, each other, and the futures they can build for themselves in this meet-cute romance from the bestselling author of Windfall and The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight.
Fly on the Wall
From E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars—the New York Times bestselling phenomenon—and the uproarious and heartwarming Ruby Oliver books, comes a fast-paced and hysterically funny novel that answers the question: What would it be like to be a fly on the wall in the boy’s locker room?
Fresh Ink
All it takes to rewrite the rules is a little fresh ink in this remarkable YA collection from thirteen of the most recognizable diverse authors writing today including Nicola Yoon, Jason Reynolds, Melissa de la Cruz, and many more, and published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books.
Full Disclosure
The uplifting story of an HIV-positive teen, falling in love and learning to live her truth.
Girl Crushed
Leah on the Offbeat meets We Are Okay in this pitch-perfect queer romance about falling in love and never quite falling out of it—heartbreak, unexpected new crushes, and all.
Girl in Pieces Deluxe Edition
Experience #1 New York Times bestselling author Kathleen Glasgow’s devastating and uplifting novel like never before with this special collector’s edition, featuring a lined journal in the back with prompts designed by the author for reflection after reading, as well as a new, larger trim size!
Going Bovine
From the author of the Gemma Doyle trilogy and The Diviners series, this groundbreaking New York Times bestseller and winner of the Michael L. Printz Award for literary excellence is “smart, funny, and layered,” raves Entertainment Weekly.
Holding Up the Universe
From the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Bright Places comes a heart-wrenching story about what it means to see someone—and love someone—for who they truly are.
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
A “stunning” (America Ferrera) YA novel about a teenager coming to terms with losing her sister and finding herself amid the pressures, expectations, and stereotypes of growing up in a Mexican American home.
The Inheritance Cycle 4-Book Trade Paperback Boxed Set
One boy, one dragon, and a world of adventure come together in this four-book boxed set collection that makes a perfect gift for fantasy fans.
Instructions for Dancing
In this romantic page-turner from the author of Everything, Everything and The Sun is Also a Star, Evie has the power to see other people’s romantic fates—what will happen when she finally sees her own?
Mastiff
A New York Times bestseller from the fantasy author who is legend herself: Tamora Pierce. In the final book in the Beka Cooper Trilogy, Beka uses her unique magic and street smarts to crack the case that will change an empire!
Mexican WhiteBoy
Newbery Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Matt de la Peña’s Mexican WhiteBoy is a story of friendship, acceptance, and the struggle to find your identity in a world of definitions.
My Awesome/Awful Popularity Plan
Seth Rudetsky’s first novel for young adults is endearingly human, and laugh-out-loud funny, and any kid who ever aspired to Cool U will find Justin a welcome ally in the fight for popularity.
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
The New York Times bestselling he-said/she-said rock n’ roll romance that inspired the motion picture starring Michael Cera (Juno, Arrested Development) and Kat Dennings (Thor, TV’s 2 Broke Girls)!
Now I Rise
The second novel in the And I Darken series that reads like HBO’s Game of Thrones . . . if it were set in the Ottoman Empire—”absolutely devastating in the best way” (Kirkus, starred review) by #1 New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White.
Odd One Out
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin comes an honest and touching depiction of friendship, first love, and everything in between. Perfect for fans of Love, Simon and What If It’s Us.
One of Us Is Next
There’s a new mystery to solve at Bayview High, and there’s a whole new set of rules. The highly anticipated sequel to One of Us Is Lying!
Pet
A genre-defying novel from the award-winning author NPR describes as “like [Madeline] L’Engle . . . glorious.” A singular book that explores themes of identity and justice. Pet is here to hunt a monster. Are you brave enough to look?
Rage: A Love Story
In the precarious place where attraction and need collide, a teenager experiences the dark side of a first love, and struggles to find her way into a new light.
Real Live Boyfriends
From E. Lockhart, author of the highly acclaimed, New York Times bestseller We Were Liars, which John Green called “utterly unforgettable,” comes Real Live Boyfriends, the fourth book in the uproarious and heartwarming Ruby Oliver novels that finds Ruby Oliver as hyperverbal as ever as she interviews her friends for a documentary on love and popularity and while doing so turns up some uncomfortable truths.
Someday
Celebrate all the ways love makes us who we are with the sequel to the New York Times bestseller Every Day, now a major motion picture.
Tell Me Three Things
With the perfect mix of comedy and tragedy, love and loss, and pain and elation, the characters in Julie Buxbaum’s Tell Me Three Things come to feel like old friends who make any day better. This YA novel is sure to appeal to fans of Rainbow Rowell, Jennifer Niven, and E. Lockhart.
The Chocolate War
One of the most controversial YA novels of all time, The Chocolate War is a modern masterpiece that speaks to fans of S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders and John Knowles’s A Separate Peace.
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein
A stunning and dark reimagining of Frankenstein told from the point-of-view of Elizabeth Lavenza, who is taken in by the Frankenstein family.
The Face on the Milk Carton
A psychological thriller about a teenager who sees her own face staring back at her from a missing children’s notice on the back of a milk carton. An emotionally evocative and chilling read that seamlessly blends mystery and suspense for fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and We Were Liars.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth
When a teen girl’s world is thrown into chaos, she must venture into the deadly Forest of Hands and Teeth in this post-apocalyptic New York Times bestseller perfect for fans of The Last of Us.
The Magic Fish
Tiến loves his family and his friends . . . but Tiến has a secret he’s been keeping from them, and it might change everything. An amazing YA graphic novel that deals with the complexity of family and how stories can bring us together.
The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh
Discover the dark side of Charles Lindbergh—one of America’s most celebrated heroes and complicated men—in this riveting biography from the acclaimed author of The Family Romanov.
The Sun Is Also a Star Movie Tie-in Edition
The #1 New York Times bestseller and National Book Award Finalist from the author of Everything, Everything is now a major motion picture starring Yara Shahidi and Charles Melton! This movie tie-in edition features key movie cover art and a photo insert.
This Is My America
The Hate U Give meets Just Mercy in this unflinching yet uplifting first novel that explores the racist injustices in the American justice system.
Trickster's Queen
The stage is set for revolution. Legends will rise in this dramatic New York Times and USA Today bestselling conclusion to Trickster’s Choice, the spy adventure from the fantasy author who is legend herself: Tamora Pierce!
Two Boys Kissing
From the New York Times bestselling author of Every Day, this love story of shared humanity and history Hypable calls “an interconnecting web that will leave you emotionally exhausted and absolutely thrilled to have read something so beautiful and unique.”
Two Can Keep a Secret
The “must-read YA thriller” (Bustle) from #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying about a small town with deadly secrets.
Wide Awake
The New York Times bestselling author of Every Day delivers an emotional and politically charged novel that’s perfect reading for an election year—and for every year—but most especially for those times when the very democratic process is called into question and basic rights are at risk.
You'd Be Home Now
From the critically acclaimed author of Girl in Pieces comes a stunning novel that Vanity Fair calls “impossibly moving” and “suffused with light”. In this raw, deeply personal story, a teenaged girl struggles to find herself amidst the fallout of her brother’s addiction in a town ravaged by the opioid crisis.
For more information on why these books were challenged or banned, click here. Test your knowledge of banned and challenged books with this quiz and join the Banned Books Week conversation with us at @GetUnderlined!