Stephen King is the most banned author in U.S. public schools, according to a report by the literary nonprofit organization PEN America.
The horror author’s books were banned in schools 206 times during the 2024-2025 school year, the group said. Ellen Hopkins, the author of young adult novels including Crank, Burned, and Tricks, saw her books banned 167 times. She was followed closely by Sarah J. Maas, author of the romantasy series Court of Thorns and Roses, whose work was challenged 162 times.
Rounding out the top five most banned authors were novelist Jodi Picoult, with 62 bans, and Japanese manga artist Yūsei Matsui, with 54.
The most banned book during the 2024-2025 school year was Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange, followed by Patricia McCormick’s Sold, Jennifer Niven’s Breathless, Malinda Lo’s Last Night at the Telegraph Club, and Maas’ A Court of Mist and Fury.
There were 6,870 book bans during the school year, with Florida—for the third consecutive year—leading the nation with 2,304 bans, followed by Texas (1,781 bans), and Tennessee (1,622).
Kasey Meehan, the director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program, said, “Censorship pressures have expanded and escalated, taking on different forms—laws, directives, guidance that sow confusion, lists of books mislabeled as ‘explicit’ materials, and ‘do not buy’ lists. A disturbing ‘everyday banning’ and normalization of censorship has worsened and spread over the last four years. The result is unprecedented.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
