On May 5, Utah added Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen to its official list of banned books in public schools, bringing the total number of prohibited titles to 18. The 2006 novel joins a growing collection of literature labelled “sensitive material” under Utah’s controversial House Bill 29 (HB 29).
Enacted in July 2024, HB 29 allows parents to challenge books they find objectionable. Once a book is removed from three public school districts—or two districts and five charter schools—it is automatically banned from every public school in the state. The law also applies retroactively, meaning older challenges count towards the threshold.
Any school that removes a book under this law must report it to the State Board of Education. Once a book qualifies, all schools are notified and must purge it from their shelves.
Of the 18 titles now banned across Utah’s public schools, 16 are authored by women, and the average publication year is 2011. Many of these books have circulated in classrooms and libraries for years without incident—until now.
Here is the full list of banned books in Utah public schools:
Blankets by Craig Thompson(2003)
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas (2018)
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (2016)
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas (2021)
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (2015)
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (2017)
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas (2016)
Fallout by Ellen Hopkins (2010)
Forever by Judy Blume (1975)
Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur (2014)
Oryx & Crake by Margaret Atwood (2003)
Tilt by Ellen Hopkins (2012)
What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold (2017)
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott (2008)
Damsel by Elana K. Arnold (2018)
Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian (2019)
Tricks by Ellen Hopkins (2009)
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (2006)
Despite claims that HB 29 supports “local control,” the law overrides local decision-making. With 42 public school districts in Utah, just two—Davis and Washington—have been responsible for nearly 80% of the book bans.
Water for Elephants was banned in Davis, Cache, and Tooele school districts, pushing it over the threshold for statewide removal.
In January 2025, Utah’s State Board of Education went further, clarifying that students may not even bring their own copies of banned books onto school grounds. This includes personal copies or books borrowed from public libraries. Schools are given guidance on how to handle students in possession of the prohibited titles.
Utah is not alone in enacting sweeping book bans. South Carolina has its own statewide banned book list. In fact, just a day after Utah banned Water for Elephants, South Carolina banned 10 additional titles, currently making it the most aggressive state for school book censorship. Tennessee has similar legal structures in place but has not yet created a statewide list.
Notably, these bans do not apply to private or home education settings—a loophole critics say underscores the ideological motives behind the legislation.
With book removals continuing and the law being enforced retroactively, more titles are expected to join the list in the coming weeks.
