Stephen King, Ellen Hopkins, Sarah J. Maas, Jodi Picoult, and Yūsei Matsui were the authors whose works were most frequently removed from U.S. schools during the last academic year, according to a new analysis.
PEN America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting freedom of expression, documented 6,870 instances of book bans in the 2024-2025 school year, spanning 23 states and 87 public school districts. While this represents a decrease from the over 10,000 instances recorded in the previous year, the number remains significantly higher than in past years. Since July 2021, PEN America has recorded nearly 23,000 instances of book bans across 45 states and 451 public school districts.
“Censorship pressures have grown in scope and intensity, taking on various forms—including laws, directives, guidance that create uncertainty, lists of books wrongly labeled as ‘explicit’ materials, and ‘do not buy’ lists,” stated Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program, in a press release. “A troubling ‘everyday banning’ and the normalization of censorship have worsened and spread over the past four years, resulting in an unprecedented situation.”
The majority of book bans in the 2024-2025 school year were concentrated in three states: Florida, with 2,304; Texas, with 1,781; and Missouri, with 1,622. These states have implemented laws that permit the removal of books deemed “inappropriate” by some, often due to concerns about “sexual conduct.”
In contrast, PEN America found no instances of book bans in several other states, including Maine, New York, and California.
Here’s a closer look at the five most banned authors.
Stephen King
The bestselling horror author, known for titles such as Carrie, It, and The Shining, was the most banned author in the 2024-2025 school year. Eighty-seven of his books were banned a total of 206 times.
King has been a vocal opponent of book bans. He recently commented on social media about being “the most banned author” in the country, suggesting that people read his books to “see what all the pissing & moaning is about.”
“Self-righteous book banners don’t always get to have their way,” he stated in the post. “This is still America, dammit.”
Ellen Hopkins
Ellen Hopkins, a writer of young adult fiction, was the second most banned author, with her books being banned 167 times during the last school year. Eighteen of her titles were banned.
Hopkins has written over a dozen young adult novels, including the Crank, Burned, and Impulse series, along with two novels for middle grade readers and several for adults. Like King, she has actively criticized book bans.
In a 2023 interview with the ACLU of South Carolina, Hopkins addressed the reasons why her books are targeted, noting that some of her characters are LGBTQ+ or people of color, and that some of her young adult books contain sexual situations, including assault, abuse, and young love, though she emphasized that they “never approach” explicit content. The most common reason cited for banning her books, she said, is “sexual explicitness.”
“I write where my readers live, and teens experience those things every day. I write truthfully because I respect their intellect, curiosity, and sophistication,” she said. “My goals, always, have been to bring broader perspective to their relatively narrow view. To show possible outcomes to choices they’ll likely face and help them make more informed decisions. And, for those who’ve already taken wrong turns, or had all choice stolen from them, to bring hope and give them a voice.”
“It’s unthinkable that a handful of people have been allowed to remove any books from library shelves, to decide for everyone else what is or isn’t appropriate reading material,” she continued. “As for protecting our kids, I often say ignorance is no armor. Knowledge is their absolute best weapon, and books are among the safest spaces to gather information.”
Sarah J. Maas
Fantasy author Sarah J. Maas was the next most banned author, with 21 of her titles banned a total of 162 times. Maas is best known for her Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses series.
Six of Maas’s books, including all the books in the latter series, were included on a list of more than a dozen books that the Utah State Board of Education said last summer would be removed from all the public schools in the state.
Jodi Picoult
The fourth most banned author was Jodi Picoult, the bestselling author of books such as My Sister’s Keeper and The Book of Two Ways. Twenty-three of Picoult’s books were banned 62 times overall.
Picoult has also been a long-time critic of book bans. Speaking at a festival last year, she stated that having her books banned from schools was “not a badge of honor,” and that “the loss of free speech is a very, very slippery slope.” While she acknowledged her own fortunate position due to readers accessing her books from various sources, she expressed concern for authors “whose livelihood is writing for middle grade and young adult readers,” saying that “they are suffering greatly” from book bans.
Yũsei Matsui
Yũsei Matsui, a Japanese manga artist, became one of the top five most banned authors for the first time last school year, with 22 of his titles being banned a total of 54 times. Matsui is the creator of the manga series Assassination Classroom, among other titles.
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