Patricia McCormick's Sold is named America's most challenged book
Updated
Updated · Reader's Digest · May 5
Patricia McCormick's Sold is named America's most challenged book
12 articles · Updated · Reader's Digest · May 5
The American Library Association said the 2006 young adult novel topped its 2025 list after ranking eighth in 2024 and 10th in 2023.
PEN America listed it as 2024's second-most-banned school book, while ALA said more than two-thirds of challenges last year ended in library bans.
McCormick said organised campaigns, including by Moms for Liberty, distort the book's anti-trafficking purpose and are chilling librarians, teachers and authors through funding threats and self-censorship.
With thousands of books now banned, are we silencing the next generation of authors from telling difficult truths?
Can banning a novel about trafficking inadvertently help predators by keeping teens ignorant of real-world dangers?
2025 Sees Unprecedented 5,668 Book Bans with *Sold* Named Most Challenged Title
Overview
In 2025, Patricia McCormick's novel *Sold* became the most challenged book in the US, reflecting a larger, politically-driven campaign targeting stories about LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities. This campaign, supported by vague state laws, led to over 4,000 titles being challenged and more than 22,000 books banned since 2021. These bans caused librarians to self-censor and reduced student access to diverse literature, harming education and silencing marginalized voices. In response, the American Library Association launched the Unite Against Book Bans campaign, while grassroots efforts grew to defend intellectual freedom and ensure libraries remain spaces for diverse stories and ideas.