Banned Books Week 2026

Stories help us understand ourselves, one another, and the world around us. When books are removed from schools and libraries, readers lose more than access to books. They lose the opportunity to see their lives reflected, encounter new perspectives, explore important ideas, and decide for themselves what to read. This Banned Books Week (October 4th-10th),

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New Reader’s Guide for Ordinary People: 50th Anniversary Edition by Judith Guest

We are pleased to share a new reader’s guide for the 50th-anniversary edition of Ordinary People by Judith Guest, featuring a new foreword by psychoanalyst and New York Times bestselling novelist and memoirist Amy Bloom. A Penguin Classic, Ordinary People introduced an original American voice when it was first published in 1976. The novel follows

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Mapping Book Banning Resistance: Working Together: Building Coalitions to Resist Book-Banning (Part 2)

By Dr. Jason J. Griffith (Penn State University) and Dr. Stephanie F. Reid (University of Cincinnati)  As former English teachers and current teacher educators alarmed by widespread upticks in book-banning, we wondered how best to support educators in resisting censorship and preserving students’ right to read. We decided to visualize acts of resistance as reported

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Mapping Book Banning Resistance: Who is involved and what are they doing? (Part 1)

By Dr. Jason J. Griffith (Penn State University) and Dr. Stephanie F. Reid (University of Cincinnati)  As former English teachers and current teacher educators alarmed by widespread upticks in book-banning, we wondered how best to support educators in resisting censorship and preserving students’ right to read. We decided to visualize acts of resistance as reported

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Remembering Marjane Satrapi

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Marjane Satrapi (1969-2026). Her beloved graphic memoir Persepolis transformed a childhood shaped by revolution and exile into a universal story of freedom and dignity that has reached nearly 3.5 million readers in the U.S. alone. Through her work in comics, art, and film, she has helped readers

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2026 Middle and High School Collections

The Penguin Random House Education Middle School and High School Digital Collections feature outstanding fiction and nonfiction from the children’s, adult, DK, and Grupo Editorial divisions, as well as publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Peruse online or download these valuable resources to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: English Language Arts,

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Congratulations to the U.S. Creative Writing Award Winners

  We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Creative Writing Awards, including the inaugural winner of the Chinua Achebe Award for Freedom of Expression. The Chinua Achebe Award for Freedom of Expression is a new creative writing prize honoring the celebrated author’s powerful legacy. Open to public high school students, the award invites applicants

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