What happens when schools restrict Sold?

Patricia McCormick wrote a novel about a girl being trafficked. In the United States, the book has become a frequent target of school censorship.

Sold follows a 13-year-old Nepali girl trafficked into sexual exploitation. McCormick researched the novel in Nepal and India and interviewed women and girls affected by the sex trade. The book was a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. It is fiction informed by research, rather than a transcript of any one person's testimony. National Book Foundation

Two records, two different measures

The American Library Association ranked Sold first on its list of books most frequently challenged in 2025. It logged 36 challenges. A challenge is an attempt to restrict access; the number does not mean the book was removed 36 times. The ALA gathers reports from library professionals, community members and news coverage, so its list is a documented snapshot rather than every challenge in the country. ALA's 2025 list and methodology

PEN America separately recorded 25 school ban instances for Sold in the 2025-26 school year, the highest count for a single title in its new report. Its index counts cases where access in a U.S. school library or classroom was restricted or diminished. The ALA and PEN numbers cover different time periods and use different definitions, so they should not be added together. PEN's interview and count · PEN's counting method

These are restrictions in particular schools or districts. Sold is not prohibited throughout the United States. That distinction matters to a reader trying to understand both the scale of the problem and the choices made by local institutions.

What the author says

In an October 2026 interview with PEN America, McCormick said she was angry on behalf of the women she interviewed. She objected to their accounts being labelled pornographic. Her concern is about how the people behind her research are treated when the book is challenged. That is her stated view, rather than a claim about the motive of every person who has challenged it. Read the full interview

“We lose the opportunities to understand each other.”

Patricia McCormick, PEN America interview, 8 October 2026

McCormick has also written Cut and Never Fall Down, and co-authored the young readers' edition of I Am Malala. Her books often ask readers to face difficult experiences through a young person's perspective. Read the author's biography

A question worth keeping open

Books about exploitation call for thoughtful reading, especially with young readers. Families and educators can discuss suitability and context. A school restriction changes which students can encounter the book at all. The debate over Sold asks who gets to make that choice, and whose experiences remain visible when access narrows.

Content note: This article discusses child trafficking and sexual violence without graphic detail. The quote is from McCormick's interview, not from the novel or the women she interviewed. The artwork is original typography, not a book cover or archive evidence.