Utah added Different Seasons by Stephen King to its list of books banned from all public schools late Monday. The addition brings the total number of prohibited titles to 36. The move comes as the state continues to enforce its strict book removal law.
The state has banned more books in 2026 than in any previous year. Officials added the Stephen King title after it met the criteria set by House Bill 29, which requires removal statewide once a book is flagged in enough districts.
HB 29 took effect in July 2024 and allows parents to challenge material they consider sensitive. It mandates that books deemed pornographic or objectively sensitive by multiple districts must be removed everywhere. The law applies retroactively to titles already on shelves.
A lawsuit challenging the bans was filed in February and held its first hearing in May. Utah now leads the nation in state-sanctioned removals, ahead of South Carolina which maintains a list of 21 titles.
