BANNED

Yes, The Sun Is Also a Star Is Banned!

by Nicola Yoon · Delacorte Press · 2016

ISBN: 9780553496680

8 documented challenges

📖 Why You Should Read This Book

Yoon's novel about two teenagers who meet and fall in love in a single day in New York City is a love story built on the ticking clock of deportation.

The Sun Is Also a Star unfolds over the course of one day in New York City. Natasha Kingsley, a pragmatic Jamaican American teenager facing imminent deportation, crosses paths with Daniel Bae, a Korean American dreamer heading to a college interview his parents arranged. Over twelve hours, they fall for each other, wrestle with fate vs. free will, and confront the forces, immigration policy, family duty, racism, that threaten to pull them apart.

A National Book Award finalist and the basis for a Warner Bros. film, the novel has been challenged for sexual content, profanity, and its exploration of racial and immigration themes. It appears on PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans.

Why Was It Banned?

Where Was It Banned?

Texas Keller ISD 2022
Florida Escambia County School District 2023
Iowa Marion Independent School District 2023

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Sun Is Also a Star banned?

Yes, The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon has been banned or challenged in 8 documented instances across 3 states in the United States, including Texas, Florida, Iowa. It remains one of the most frequently challenged books in America.

Why was The Sun Is Also a Star banned?

The Sun Is Also a Star has been challenged and banned for the following reasons: Sexual Content, Profanity, Racial Themes. These challenges have come from school boards, libraries, and parent groups seeking to restrict access to the book.

Where is The Sun Is Also a Star banned?

As of 2025, The Sun Is Also a Star has been banned or challenged in Texas, Florida, Iowa. Notable bans include Keller ISD (2022), Escambia County School District (2023), Marion Independent School District (2023).