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The Giver (Lois Lowry)
Challenged in U.S. schools since 1994 over infanticide, euthanasia, suicide and puberty themes. Some districts pulled or limited it, but there is no national ban and it is still widely taught.
- Status
- Restricted
- Country
- USA
- Category
- Books
- Banned since
- 1994
- Last checked
- 25/10/2026
Status: Restricted (local school level), not banned nationally. The Giver by Lois Lowry has been challenged in U.S. school districts since 1994. Some districts removed it for a time or limited it to older grades, but there is no state or federal ban on the book in 2026.
The Giver Ban Status Card
| Country | United States |
| Ban level | School district only |
| Active since | 1994 |
| Type of action | Challenges, temporary removals, parent-permission rules, grade limits |
| ALA decade rank | #11 (1990s), #23 (2000s) |
| Current status (2026) | Available in most U.S. schools and public libraries |
Where The Giver Was Banned or Restricted
The book was never pulled across a whole state. Each case was a local school decision, and the results were different in each place:
- California: Temporarily banned in the Bonita Unified School District in 1994. Parents in the Mt. Diablo district (Concord) pushed to remove it again in 2007.
- Kansas: Pulled from school libraries in Franklin County in 1995, but teachers could still assign it. Challenged and kept in the Seaman district in 2006 and 2007.
- Montana: Kept in Columbia Falls schools in the mid-1990s, but younger students needed a signed parent permission slip, according to Great Falls College MSU’s Montana challenges list.
- Oklahoma: Kept by a review committee, but no longer allowed for elementary school assignments.
- Missouri: Challenged in Johnson County and again in Blue Springs (2005) as an 8th grade suggested reading.
- New York: Challenged by a parent in Sidney.
- Colorado, Ohio and Florida: Challenges reported (Colorado in 2001 over violence), with no confirmed removal.
What “Restricted” Means for This Book
For The Giver, restricted usually means one of three things: the book is moved out of elementary libraries, students need written parent consent, or it is removed from a required list but kept as optional reading. That is why it can be “banned” in news headlines while still being taught in thousands of classrooms.
Why It Keeps Getting Challenged
Most complaints come down to age suitability. Parents point to the release of a newborn and the elderly, a suicide and the “Stirrings” pills. We break down every scene behind these objections in our full explainer on why The Giver was banned.
Can Students Still Read It?
Yes. In 2026 most districts treat it as a core grade 6–8 novel. If your child’s school has a permission rule, a signed form is usually all it takes. Public libraries are not bound by school decisions, so the book is easy to borrow.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Giver a banned book in the US?
It is a frequently challenged book, but it is not banned nationally. Bans and limits have happened only in individual school districts.
Which states have banned The Giver?
No state has banned it. District-level challenges or limits have been recorded in California, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, New York and Oklahoma, with more reported in Colorado, Ohio and Florida.
Is The Giver still banned in schools today?
Not widely. Most past restrictions were lifted or softened, and it remains one of the most assigned middle school novels in America.