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August 9, 2019
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August 21, 2019Banned Books Week Wanted Posters
Banned Books Week!
Banned Books Week 2019, will be held on during the last week of September, the 22nd through the 28th. This year’s theme is “Censorship Leaves Us in the Dark. Keep the Light On!”In celebration of Banned Books Week, we made some special “Wanted” posters to remind you of the dangers of reading… okay, maybe it’s to remind you of the dangers of censoring. Download and print these posters for your library and help us fight for our right to read!
Download the free Banned Books Poster below!
History of Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week is an annual celebration to promote the freedom to read. Launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in banned books in schools, bookstores, and libraries. Across the country, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.During this week, come together with the community to share the support of the freedom to seek and express ideas, even ideas some consider unpopular or unconventional.
Visit Banned Books Week Website for updates, resources, and news!
Top 11 Challenged Books of 2018
The American Library Association (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom announces each year a list of books that were frequently banned or challenged in schools and libraries in the past year. In 2018, 483 books were challenged.This year, ALA has chosen eleven books this year, since books 10 and 11 were tied. Additionally, both books were burned by a religious activist in protest of a Pride event.
Here are the top 11 Challenge Books of 2018:
1| George by Alex Gino
Reasons: banned, challenged, and relocated because it was believed to encourage children to clear browser history and change their bodies using hormones, and for mentioning “dirty magazines,” describing male anatomy, “creating confusion,” and including a transgender character
2| A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss, illustrated by EG Keller
Reasons: banned and challenged for including LGBTQIA+ content, and for political and religious viewpoints
3| Captain Underpants series written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey
Reasons: series was challenged because it was perceived as encouraging disruptive behavior, while Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot was challenged for including a same-sex couple
4| The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Reasons: banned and challenged because it was deemed “anti-cop,” and for profanity, drug use, and sexual references
5| Drama written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
Reasons: banned and challenged for including LGBTQIA+ characters and themes
6| Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Reasons: banned, challenged, and restricted for addressing teen suicide
7| This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
Reasons: banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and certain illustrations
8| Skippyjon Jones series written and illustrated by Judy Schachner
Reason: challenged for depicting stereotypes of Mexican culture
9| The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: banned and challenged for sexual references, profanity, violence, gambling, and underage drinking, and for its religious viewpoint
10| This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman, illustrated by Kristyna Litten
Reason: challenged and burned for including LGBTQIA+ content
11| Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
Reason: challenged and burned for including LGBTQIA+ content
Reasons: banned, challenged, and relocated because it was believed to encourage children to clear browser history and change their bodies using hormones, and for mentioning “dirty magazines,” describing male anatomy, “creating confusion,” and including a transgender character
2| A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss, illustrated by EG Keller
Reasons: banned and challenged for including LGBTQIA+ content, and for political and religious viewpoints
3| Captain Underpants series written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey
Reasons: series was challenged because it was perceived as encouraging disruptive behavior, while Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot was challenged for including a same-sex couple
4| The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Reasons: banned and challenged because it was deemed “anti-cop,” and for profanity, drug use, and sexual references
5| Drama written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
Reasons: banned and challenged for including LGBTQIA+ characters and themes
6| Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Reasons: banned, challenged, and restricted for addressing teen suicide
7| This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
Reasons: banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and certain illustrations
8| Skippyjon Jones series written and illustrated by Judy Schachner
Reason: challenged for depicting stereotypes of Mexican culture
9| The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: banned and challenged for sexual references, profanity, violence, gambling, and underage drinking, and for its religious viewpoint
10| This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman, illustrated by Kristyna Litten
Reason: challenged and burned for including LGBTQIA+ content
11| Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
Reason: challenged and burned for including LGBTQIA+ content
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17 Comments
These are awesome but I couldn’t get them to load after I downloaded them. Any info on how to access them would be appreciated.
Never mind- I was able to get them on the 2nd try. Thank you so much!
Glad the second try worked! And you are so welcome.
Is there anyway yo could make one for To Kill a Mockingbird?? It’s super relevant right now, again, after all these years.
Thank you for the suggestion, Melanie! We might not be able to make a To Kill a Mockingbird poster for this year’s Banned Books Week, but we will definitely add it to the collection for next year.
These posters are awesome! They have created such a buzz with my K-5 students. Thank you!
Thank you! We are so glad your students like them too.
These are beautiful! Thank you for creating them and sharing them for free! They will be used in my display in my HS library!
You are welcome! We’d love to see pictures of how they turned out in your library.
Hello! I love these posters and want to use them for our library Banned Books display this year. Is there possibly a blank template that we could use to add other banned books to our display as well? Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth! Unfortunately there isn’t a template, but if you have suggestions for more posters we’d love to hear them! Please use our contact form and we’ll get right back to you. Thanks!
Can I use this free in my library?
You sure can!
Hello! Are there other posters besides the ones shown?
Yes there are two others. Please download them here: https://www.goalexandria.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/12thNight_ps-1-scaled.jpg
https://www.goalexandria.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/LilRed_ps-1-scaled.jpg
Can we use these in a public service video about banning books that my students are making at school?
Of course!