# Banned books in Texas schools

**86** titles reported as banned, removed, or formally challenged by at least one Texas public-school district. This is a state-aggregated view — the specific district and policy vary per title. Sourced from PEN America's Index of School Book Bans and the American Library Association (ALA) most-challenged list.

**State:** Texas  ·  **Reported titles:** 86
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/banned-books/texas
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.
**Primary source — PEN America:** https://pen.org/banned-book-list/
**Primary source — ALA most-challenged:** https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks
**Texas Department of Education:** https://tea.texas.gov/

## Books reported as banned or challenged in Texas schools

- [A Separate Peace](https://readinglist.school/book/a-separate-peace) by John Knowles _(1110L · Grades 9–11 · pub 1959)_
- [A Tale of Two Cities](https://readinglist.school/book/a-tale-of-two-cities) by Charles Dickens _(1170L · Grades 9–12 · pub 1859)_
- [Ace of Spades](https://readinglist.school/book/ace-of-spades) by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2021)_
- [All My Rage](https://readinglist.school/book/all-my-rage) by Sabaa Tahir _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2022)_
- [Animal Farm](https://readinglist.school/book/animal-farm) by George Orwell _(1170L · Grades 7–10 · pub 1945)_
- [Antigone](https://readinglist.school/book/antigone) by Sophocles _(Grades 9–12 · pub -441)_
- [Beloved](https://readinglist.school/book/beloved) by Toni Morrison _(870L · Grades 11–12 · pub 1987)_
- [Bone Gap](https://readinglist.school/book/bone-gap) by Laura Ruby _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2016)_
- [Brave New World](https://readinglist.school/book/brave-new-world) by Aldous Huxley _(870L · Grades 11–12 · pub 1932)_
- [Bridge to Terabithia](https://readinglist.school/book/bridge-to-terabithia) by Katherine Paterson _(810L · Grades 4–6 · pub 1977)_
- [Burn Down, Rise Up](https://readinglist.school/book/burn-down-rise-up) by Vincent Tirado _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2022)_
- [Chaos Theory](https://readinglist.school/book/chaos-theory) by Nic Stone _(Grades 9–12)_
- [Claudette Colvin](https://readinglist.school/book/claudette-colvin-twice-toward-justice) by Phillip Hoose _(Grades 6–10 · pub 2009)_
- [Daughter of Smoke and Bone](https://readinglist.school/book/daughter-of-smoke-and-bone) by Laini Taylor _(Grades 5–12 · pub 2011)_
- [Death of a Salesman](https://readinglist.school/book/death-of-a-salesman) by Arthur Miller _(Grades 11–12 · pub 1949)_
- [Drama](https://readinglist.school/book/drama) by Raina Telgemeier _(Grades 5–9 · pub 2012)_
- [Every Day](https://readinglist.school/book/every-day) by David Levithan _(Grades 5–12 · pub 2012)_
- [Fahrenheit 451](https://readinglist.school/book/fahrenheit-451) by Ray Bradbury _(890L · Grades 9–12 · pub 1953)_
- [Fences](https://readinglist.school/book/fences) by August Wilson _(Grades 9–12 · pub 1985)_
- [Flowers for Algernon](https://readinglist.school/book/flowers-for-algernon) by Daniel Keyes _(910L · Grades 8–11 · pub 1966)_
- [Flush](https://readinglist.school/book/flush) by Carl Hiaasen _(Grades 3–5 · pub 2005)_
- [Frankenstein](https://readinglist.school/book/frankenstein) by Mary Shelley _(1170L · Grades 9–12 · pub 1818)_
- [Frankly in Love](https://readinglist.school/book/frankly-in-love) by David Yoon _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2019)_
- [Girls Like Her](https://readinglist.school/book/girls-like-her) by Melanie Sumrow _(Grades 3–10 · pub 2024)_
- [Great Expectations](https://readinglist.school/book/great-expectations) by Charles Dickens _(1150L · Grades 9–12 · pub 1861)_
- [Hamlet](https://readinglist.school/book/hamlet) by William Shakespeare _(Grades 11–12 · pub 1603)_
- [Heart of Darkness](https://readinglist.school/book/heart-of-darkness) by Joseph Conrad _(1070L · Grades 11–12 · pub 1899)_
- [Hold Still](https://readinglist.school/book/hold-still) by Nina LaCour _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2009)_
- [Hoot](https://readinglist.school/book/hoot) by Carl Hiaasen _(760L · Grades 4–7 · pub 2002)_
- [How to Survive Your Murder](https://readinglist.school/book/how-to-survive-your-murder) by Danielle Valentine _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2022)_
- [I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings](https://readinglist.school/book/i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings) by Maya Angelou _(1070L · Grades 10–12 · pub 1969)_
- [Invisible Man](https://readinglist.school/book/invisible-man) by Ralph Ellison _(950L · Grades 11–12 · pub 1952)_
- [Jane Eyre](https://readinglist.school/book/jane-eyre) by Charlotte Brontë _(890L · Grades 10–12 · pub 1847)_
- [King Lear](https://readinglist.school/book/king-lear) by William Shakespeare _(Grades 11–12 · pub 1606)_
- [Little Women](https://readinglist.school/book/little-women) by Louisa May Alcott _(1300L · Grades 7–10 · pub 1868)_
- [Lord of the Flies](https://readinglist.school/book/lord-of-the-flies) by William Golding _(770L · Grades 9–12 · pub 1954)_
- [Macbeth](https://readinglist.school/book/macbeth) by William Shakespeare _(Grades 9–12 · pub 1623)_
- [Maus: A Survivor's Tale](https://readinglist.school/book/maus) by Art Spiegelman _(Grades 9–12 · pub 1986)_
- [Monster](https://readinglist.school/book/monster) by Walter Dean Myers _(670L · Grades 8–11 · pub 1999)_
- [My Ántonia](https://readinglist.school/book/my-antonia) by Willa Cather _(1010L · Grades 10–12 · pub 1918)_
- [New Kid](https://readinglist.school/book/new-kid) by Jerry Craft _(Grades 4–8 · pub 2019)_
- [Nimona](https://readinglist.school/book/nimona) by ND Stevenson _(Grades 5–12 · pub 2015)_
- [Of Mice and Men](https://readinglist.school/book/of-mice-and-men) by John Steinbeck _(630L · Grades 8–11 · pub 1937)_
- [Othello](https://readinglist.school/book/othello) by William Shakespeare _(Grades 10–12 · pub 1603)_
- [Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood](https://readinglist.school/book/persepolis) by Marjane Satrapi _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2000)_
- [Pride and Prejudice](https://readinglist.school/book/pride-and-prejudice) by Jane Austen _(1100L · Grades 10–12 · pub 1813)_
- [Romeo and Juliet](https://readinglist.school/book/romeo-and-juliet) by William Shakespeare _(Grades 8–10 · pub 1597)_
- [Scat](https://readinglist.school/book/scat) by Carl Hiaasen _(Grades 2–8 · pub 2009)_
- [Slaughterhouse-Five](https://readinglist.school/book/slaughterhouse-five) by Kurt Vonnegut _(850L · Grades 11–12 · pub 1969)_
- [Speak](https://readinglist.school/book/speak) by Laurie Halse Anderson _(690L · Grades 8–10 · pub 1999)_
- [Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You](https://readinglist.school/book/stamped-racism-antiracism-and-you) by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi _(1000L · Grades 7–12 · pub 2020)_
- [The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian](https://readinglist.school/book/the-absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indian) by Sherman Alexie _(600L · Grades 7–10 · pub 2007)_
- [The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn](https://readinglist.school/book/the-adventures-of-huckleberry-finn) by Mark Twain _(980L · Grades 10–12 · pub 1884)_
- [The Adventures of Tom Sawyer](https://readinglist.school/book/the-adventures-of-tom-sawyer) by Mark Twain _(950L · Grades 5–8 · pub 1876)_
- [The Awakening](https://readinglist.school/book/the-awakening) by Kate Chopin _(960L · Grades 11–12 · pub 1899)_
- [The Bluest Eye](https://readinglist.school/book/the-bluest-eye) by Toni Morrison _(920L · Grades 11–12 · pub 1970)_
- [The Call of the Wild](https://readinglist.school/book/the-call-of-the-wild) by Jack London _(1120L · Grades 6–10 · pub 1903)_
- [The Catcher in the Rye](https://readinglist.school/book/the-catcher-in-the-rye) by J.D. Salinger _(790L · Grades 9–12 · pub 1951)_
- [The Coldest Girl in Coldtown](https://readinglist.school/book/the-coldest-girl-in-coldtown) by Holly Black _(Grades 5–12 · pub 2013)_
- [The Color Purple](https://readinglist.school/book/the-color-purple) by Alice Walker _(670L · Grades 9–12 · pub 1982)_
- [The Color of a Lie](https://readinglist.school/book/the-color-of-a-lie) by Kim Johnson _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2024)_
- [The Crucible](https://readinglist.school/book/the-crucible) by Arthur Miller _(Grades 10–12 · pub 1953)_
- [The Diary of a Young Girl](https://readinglist.school/book/the-diary-of-a-young-girl) by Anne Frank _(1080L · Grades 7–10 · pub 1947)_
- [The Giver](https://readinglist.school/book/the-giver) by Lois Lowry _(760L · Grades 6–8 · pub 1993)_
- [The Glass Menagerie](https://readinglist.school/book/the-glass-menagerie) by Tennessee Williams _(Grades 11–12 · pub 1944)_
- [The Grapes of Wrath](https://readinglist.school/book/the-grapes-of-wrath) by John Steinbeck _(680L · Grades 10–12 · pub 1939)_
- [The Graveyard Book](https://readinglist.school/book/the-graveyard-book) by Neil Gaiman _(820L · Grades 5–8 · pub 2008)_
- [The Great Gatsby](https://readinglist.school/book/the-great-gatsby) by F. Scott Fitzgerald _(1070L · Grades 10–12 · pub 1925)_
- [The Hate U Give](https://readinglist.school/book/the-hate-u-give) by Angie Thomas _(590L · Grades 9–12 · pub 2017)_
- [The House on Mango Street](https://readinglist.school/book/the-house-on-mango-street) by Sandra Cisneros _(870L · Grades 7–10 · pub 1984)_
- [The Hunger Games](https://readinglist.school/book/the-hunger-games) by Suzanne Collins _(810L · Grades 6–9 · pub 2008)_
- [The Kite Runner](https://readinglist.school/book/the-kite-runner) by Khaled Hosseini _(840L · Grades 10–12 · pub 2003)_
- [The Odyssey](https://readinglist.school/book/the-odyssey) by Homer _(1130L · Grades 9–12 · pub -700)_
- [The Pearl](https://readinglist.school/book/the-pearl) by John Steinbeck _(1010L · Grades 6–9 · pub 1947)_
- [The Perks of Being a Wallflower](https://readinglist.school/book/the-perks-of-being-a-wallflower) by Stephen Chbosky _(720L · Grades 9–12 · pub 1999)_
- [The Poet X](https://readinglist.school/book/the-poet-x) by Elizabeth Acevedo _(800L · Grades 8–12 · pub 2018)_
- [The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly](https://readinglist.school/book/the-sacred-lies-of-minnow-bly) by Stephanie Oakes _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2015)_
- [The Summer of Bitter and Sweet](https://readinglist.school/book/the-summer-of-bitter-and-sweet) by Jen Ferguson _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2022)_
- [The Tempest](https://readinglist.school/book/the-tempest) by William Shakespeare _(Grades 9–12 · pub 1611)_
- [The Underground Railroad](https://readinglist.school/book/the-underground-railroad) by Colson Whitehead _(Grades 11–12 · pub 2000)_
- [The Words We Keep](https://readinglist.school/book/the-words-we-keep) by Erin Stewart _(Grades 8–12 · pub 2022)_
- [To Kill a Mockingbird](https://readinglist.school/book/to-kill-a-mockingbird) by Harper Lee _(870L · Grades 7–10 · pub 1960)_
- [Under the Same Stars](https://readinglist.school/book/under-the-same-stars) by Libba Bray _(Grades 9–12)_
- [Under the Surface](https://readinglist.school/book/under-the-surface) by Diana Urban _(Grades 7–12 · pub 2024)_
- [Warrior Girl Unearthed](https://readinglist.school/book/warrior-girl-unearthed) by Angeline Boulley _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2023)_
- [When We Collided](https://readinglist.school/book/when-we-collided) by Emery Lord _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2016)_

## How book challenges work in Texas

Texas has 86 titles on file as banned, restricted, or formally challenged by at least one Texas public-school district in the public sources ReadingList aggregates from (PEN America's Index of School Book Bans and the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom most-challenged list). These tracked numbers represent FORMAL challenges that reached district board minutes, ALA OIF reporting, or PEN America's quarterly index — quieter classroom-level removals that never reached those national trackers are not captured here, so the actual scope of restriction in Texas is plausibly larger than this list reflects.

Book challenges in Texas typically follow a layered process: a parent, board member, or community member files a written request for reconsideration of an assigned title with a specific school or district; the district convenes a review committee (usually comprising teachers, librarians, administrators, and sometimes parent representatives); the committee reads the book, evaluates it against the district's selection criteria and against Texas ELA standards, holds at least one public comment session, and votes to retain, restrict (e.g., grade-level limits or parental consent), or remove the title from the approved curriculum. Decisions are typically appealable to the state board of education within a defined window.

Common challenge bases across the 86 Texas titles tracked here mirror the national pattern: sexual content (most common), LGBTQ+ themes, race and racism, profanity or violence, religion and political content, and depictions of substance abuse. Tracked titles include: A Separate Peace; A Tale of Two Cities; Ace of Spades. Each title's detail page lists the specific Texas district that initiated the challenge, the date, and (when published) the formal challenge basis recorded in district minutes. For deeper context on national patterns, the linked PEN America and ALA pages publish quarterly and annual reports.

For parents, teachers, librarians, and students in Texas navigating this landscape: the practical paths forward depend on role. Parents who object to a specific assigned title can typically request an alternative assignment from the teacher directly without initiating a formal challenge — most Texas districts have informal opt-out paths well before the formal reconsideration process kicks in. Librarians and teachers facing pressure to remove a title can document the formal selection criteria the book met, gather student-reader testimonials (with FERPA-compliant consent), and align with the National Coalition Against Censorship for advisory support. Students directly affected by a book removal can speak at the school board meeting where the decision is reviewed — public comment is open to all Texas district residents. Texas's Department of Education publishes the formal procedural framework — the source link is in the sources block above.

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_Aggregated from PEN America + ALA public reporting. A statewide ban is rare; most removals are at the district or individual-school level, and many challenged titles remain available elsewhere in the state. HTML view: https://readinglist.school/banned-books/texas._