# Banned books in Wisconsin schools

**55** titles reported as banned, removed, or formally challenged by at least one Wisconsin 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:** Wisconsin  ·  **Reported titles:** 55
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/banned-books/wisconsin
**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/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10
**Wisconsin Department of Education:** https://dpi.wi.gov/

## Books reported as banned or challenged in Wisconsin schools

- [Anna and the Swallow Man](https://readinglist.school/book/anna-and-the-swallow-man) by Gavriel Savit _(Grades 3–10 · pub 2016)_
- [Beloved](https://readinglist.school/book/beloved) by Toni Morrison _(870L · Grades 11–12 · pub 1987)_
- [Blended](https://readinglist.school/book/blended) by Sharon M. Draper _(610L · Grades 3–7 · pub 2018)_
- [Brave New World](https://readinglist.school/book/brave-new-world) by Aldous Huxley _(870L · Grades 11–12 · pub 1932)_
- [City of Bones](https://readinglist.school/book/city-of-bones) by Cassandra Clare _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2007)_
- [Clap When You Land](https://readinglist.school/book/clap-when-you-land) by Elizabeth Acevedo _(Grades 3–10 · pub 2020)_
- [Class Act](https://readinglist.school/book/class-act) by Jerry Craft _(Grades 4–8 · pub 2020)_
- [Dear Martin](https://readinglist.school/book/dear-martin) by Nic Stone _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2018)_
- [Gabi, a Girl in Pieces](https://readinglist.school/book/gabi-a-girl-in-pieces) by Isabel Quintero _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2014)_
- [Ghost Boys](https://readinglist.school/book/ghost-boys) by Jewell Parker Rhodes _(360L · Grades 4–7 · pub 2018)_
- [Girls Like Us](https://readinglist.school/book/girls-like-us-gail-giles) by Gail Giles _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2015)_
- [Graceling](https://readinglist.school/book/graceling) by Kristin Cashore _(Grades 5–12 · pub 2009)_
- [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)_
- [I'll Give You the Sun](https://readinglist.school/book/ill-give-you-the-sun) by Jandy Nelson _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2014)_
- [In Darkness](https://readinglist.school/book/in-darkness) by Nick Lake _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2012)_
- [Last Night at the Telegraph Club](https://readinglist.school/book/last-night-at-the-telegraph-club) by Malinda Lo _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2021)_
- [Life of Pi](https://readinglist.school/book/life-of-pi) by Yann Martel _(830L · Grades 9–12 · pub 2001)_
- [Long Way Down](https://readinglist.school/book/long-way-down) by Jason Reynolds _(720L · Grades 7–12 · pub 2017)_
- [Looking for Alaska](https://readinglist.school/book/looking-for-alaska) by John Green _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2005)_
- [Lord of the Flies](https://readinglist.school/book/lord-of-the-flies) by William Golding _(770L · Grades 9–12 · pub 1954)_
- [Mockingjay (Deluxe Edition) (Hunger Games, Book Three)](https://readinglist.school/book/mockingjay) by Suzanne Collins _(Grades 5–12 · pub 2025)_
- [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)_
- [Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood](https://readinglist.school/book/persepolis) by Marjane Satrapi _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2000)_
- [Redwood and Ponytail](https://readinglist.school/book/redwood-and-ponytail) by K.A. Holt _(Grades 3–10 · pub 2019)_
- [Roller Girl](https://readinglist.school/book/roller-girl) by Victoria Jamieson _(440L · Grades 4–7 · pub 2015)_
- [Rose Under Fire](https://readinglist.school/book/rose-under-fire) by Elizabeth Wein _(Grades 8–12 · pub 2013)_
- [Shiver (Shiver, Book 1)](https://readinglist.school/book/shiver) by Maggie Stiefvater _(Grades 9–12 · 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)_
- [Surviving the Applewhites](https://readinglist.school/book/surviving-the-applewhites) by Stephanie S. Tolan _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2009)_
- [The 5th Wave](https://readinglist.school/book/the-5th-wave) by Rick Yancey _(Grades 6–9 · pub 2013)_
- [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 Bluest Eye](https://readinglist.school/book/the-bluest-eye) by Toni Morrison _(920L · Grades 11–12 · pub 1970)_
- [The Carnival at Bray](https://readinglist.school/book/the-carnival-at-bray) by Jessie Ann Foley _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2014)_
- [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 Fault in Our Stars](https://readinglist.school/book/the-fault-in-our-stars) by John Green _(850L · Grades 9–12 · pub 2012)_
- [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 Handmaid's Tale](https://readinglist.school/book/the-handmaids-tale) by Margaret Atwood _(750L · Grades 11–12 · pub 1985)_
- [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 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 Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants](https://readinglist.school/book/the-sisterhood-of-the-traveling-pants) by Ann Brashares _(Grades 7–10 · pub 2001)_
- [The Things They Carried](https://readinglist.school/book/the-things-they-carried) by Tim O'Brien _(880L · Grades 11–12 · pub 1990)_
- [The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B](https://readinglist.school/book/the-unlikely-hero-of-room-13b) by Teresa Toten _(Grades 8–12 · pub 2013)_
- [Tiger Eyes](https://readinglist.school/book/tiger-eyes) by Judy Blume _(Grades 4–8)_
- [Unwind](https://readinglist.school/book/unwind) by Neal Shusterman _(Grades 8–12 · pub 2007)_
- [What Girls Are Made Of](https://readinglist.school/book/what-girls-are-made-of) by Elana K. Arnold _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2017)_
- [When Stars Are Scattered](https://readinglist.school/book/when-stars-are-scattered) by Victoria Jamieson _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2020)_
- [Where Things Come Back](https://readinglist.school/book/where-things-come-back) by John Corey Whaley _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2012)_

## How book challenges work in Wisconsin

Wisconsin has 55 titles on file as banned, restricted, or formally challenged by at least one Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin is plausibly larger than this list reflects.

Book challenges in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 55 Wisconsin 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: Anna and the Swallow Man; Beloved; Blended. Each title's detail page lists the specific Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin district residents. Wisconsin'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/wisconsin._