PEN America released its yearly count on Monday and found 11,982 book bans in the 2025-26 school year, the most in its five years of tracking. The bans covered 7,370 titles across 114 school districts, and PEN had not indexed more than 4,500 of those titles before. Texas had more than 8,100 of them and Florida more than 3,200, so Texas passed Florida, which had led for three years. Patricia McCormick's Sold was the most-banned book, and Stephen King was the most-banned author. PEN counts temporary removals as bans. The American Library Association counts only permanent removals.

1. Vague Laws and Crude AI Tools Are Pushing Districts to Pull Books (PEN America's Kasey Meehan and Philomena Polefrone)

PEN America says districts are overreacting to new state laws, and students are the ones who lose.

Districts are pulling books because they're afraid. PEN's Philomena Polefrone, a senior manager, says, "Unsure how to comply, districts are removing books en masse, sometimes with the 'help' of crude AI tools that only make the problem worse." PEN says Texas's 2025 law, SB 13, started this.

Most districts PEN tracked had bans tied to state law. PEN found the figure was 72%, counting revised policies, required committees, and direct citations of statutes.

The AI tools just search for commonly banned titles. PEN says they copy from those lists and ignore nuance, context, and intent, and that snowballs while districts ignore what librarians know.

Kids are losing books they'd want to read. Kasey Meehan, PEN's Freedom to Read director, says schools should be "doing everything possible to connect kids with reading by introducing them to engaging stories." PEN says the newly targeted titles include Jane Eyre and Lessons in Chemistry.

2. Sexually Explicit Books Don't Belong in School Libraries, and the Law Says So (Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Sen. Angela Paxton)

Texas Republican leaders say they're enforcing the law.

Schools have to follow the law. On Aug. 19, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said, "We're coming for the books," and "It's the law and we expect you to follow the law." He proposed dropping a school's state rating by a full letter grade for a single inappropriate library book.

Books already on the shelves can be removed too. Sen. Angela Paxton, a Republican from McKinney who wrote SB 13, said in December, "If a parent brings a challenge to a book that is in the current library catalog that doesn't meet guidelines, it must be removed."

Parents and activists want these titles out. Stephen Lara of Turning Point USA's Lubbock chapter says, "According to Senate Bill 13, it is the school board's responsibility to keep these harmful books out of our schools." Activists at the event pointed to titles including Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.

Taxpayers shouldn't pay for them. Patrick says, "We do not take taxpayer money and buy these books for our schools."

3. Taking a Book Off a School Shelf Isn't a Ban (Dave Seminara and the Fordham Institute)

Critics say a school library is a curated collection and the books are still for sale.

Critics say nobody has been stopped from reading anything. Patrick says, "There are no books banned in America," and adds that people can buy any book they want.

Critics say the books are still in public libraries. Dave Seminara, a writer and former diplomat, tested six "banned" books in Florida for City Journal in 2023 and found all six at his public library. He says "banned" should mean prohibited by legal means, as Merriam-Webster defines it, and that the American Library Association uses a broader definition.

Schools always choose which books to stock. A Fordham Institute commentary says these fights are "an inevitable, even healthy argument that boils down to which books, for which reason, at what age, and in what venue." Seminara says the question should be age-appropriateness, like movie ratings.

Where This Lands

PEN America says a vague Texas law and crude AI tools pushed districts to pull a record number of books. Patrick and Paxton say the law requires removals and parents are right to demand them. Critics of the word "ban" say a school library is a curated collection and the books are still for sale. The Texas Library Association says SB 13 doesn't require districts to review or remove existing books bought under approved policies. Paxton says a challenged book already in the catalog has to go.

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