It is no secret that, over the past couple years in the United States, books are being banned at an increasing rate. As part of raising awareness about banned books, the American Library Association publishes a list every year that features the top most challenged books. This list is based on information from reports which come from library professionals, the community, and news stories throughout the U.S., and so the list provides "only a snapshot of book challenges," as opposed to a comprehensive one.

Still, this list is a great resourse and a useful look at what is happening right now, as more school districts move to ban books at a faster rate than we've seen in recent history. Probably to very little surprise, there are a few key graphic novels appearing on this list, namely Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer and Mike Curato's Flamer.

Here is the list of the 13most challenged books in the United States, as reported by the ALA.

1. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

2. All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

3. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

4. Flamer by Mike Curato

5. (tie) Looking for Alaska by John Green

5. (tie) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

7. Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison

8. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

9. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez

10. (tie) A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

10. (tie) Crank by Ellen Hopkins

10. (tie) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

10. (tie) This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson

To read more about this list and the work the American Library Association is doing, check out the ALA website.

To read more about book bans in the United States, read the articles below:

Comics are under attack. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund shows us how to fight back.

CBLDF: The book ban movement is aiming to demonize the 'graphic' in 'graphic novel'

Oni-Lion Forge is being sued for obscenity related to Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer. This is their response.

Why banned books are the books your children should be reading