The American Library Association kicked off National Library Week 2025 with its annual report on the state of the nation’s libraries, including the top 10 most challenged books of 2024. All Boys Aren’t Blue, George M. Johnson’s YA memoir about growing up Black and queer, surpassed Maia Kobabe’s Gender-Queer, which had topped the list two years in a row, as the most challenged title of last year.

The list, wrote Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, was once again dominated by “books addressing the lives, experiences, and concerns of LGBTQIA+ persons, or...Black persons, Indigenous persons, and persons of color.” She added: “We are witnessing an effort to eliminate entire genres and categories of books from library shelves in pursuit of a larger goal of placing politics and religion over the well-being and education of young people and everyone’s right to access and find information in our libraries.”

The State of America’s Libraries report coincides with National Library Week, which runs April 6–12 and has taken on extra political urgency amid the Trump administration’s recent gutting of the federal agency responsible for distributing federal funding to libraries. Ahead of its annual Take Action for Libraries Day, slated for April 10, the ALA stressed the new stakes, in a statement: “This year, as library funding is under attack, ALA encourages every library advocate to Show Up for Our Libraries by telling Congress to protect federal support for libraries.”

In its report, the ALA documented 821 attempts to censor materials and services at libraries, schools, and universities in 2024—a notable drop from the 1,247 attempts recorded in 2023. Moreover, the ALA 2,452 unique titles that were challenged or banned last year, marking a decrease from the record-breaking 4,240 titles targeted in 2023.

However, Caldwell-Stone noted that while the trend is a positive one, 2024 still marked “the third-highest number of book challenges recorded by ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom since it began documenting library censorship in 1990.” She added that the data is just one part of the picture.

“Not reflected in these numbers are the relentless attacks on library workers, educators, and community members who stand up to the censors and defend the freedom to read,” Caldwell-Stone wrote. “These attacks are creating an environment of fear in which library workers are afraid to buy books or report censorship.”

According to the report, the most common reasons for challenges were claims of illegal obscenity for minors; inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters or themes; and dealing with topics of race, racism, inclusivity, equity and social justice. These challenges, Caldwell-Stone wrote, “are not the result of any grassroots or popular sentiment” but rather “well-funded, organized groups and movements long dedicated to curbing access to information and ideas.”

In ore encouraging news, the report also cited newly adopted legislation in California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Washington aimed at “protecting the freedom to read and the library workers who defend that freedom for their communities.” Caldwell-Stone added that 16 additional state legislatures now considering similar legislation.

The Most Challenged Books of 2024

1. All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson

2. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

3. (Tie) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

3. (Tie) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

5. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

6. (Tie) Looking for Alaska by John Green

6. (Tie) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

8. (Tie) Crank by Ellen Hopkins

8. (Tie) Sold by Patricia McCormick

10. Flamer by Mike Curato

This week’s National Library Week is being held under the theme “Drawn to the Library.” It runs through April 12 and includes Right to Read Day, held today, April 7; National Library Workers Day, on April 8; National Library Outreach Day, on April 9, and Take Action for Libraries Day, on April 10.