Stephen King Book Banned in All Utah Public Schools

This isn’t the first novel by Maine’s most famous author to be banned from certain outlets—just the latest.

Both in his personal life and throughout his career, the Maine-born author has never been far from controversy.

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Stephen King is the latest author to have one of his books banned in Utah schools, as his 1998 horror novel Bag of Bones was added to the state’s prohibited list.

The decision, announced on Friday, February 13th, 2026, brings the total number of titles banned from Utah public schools to 23.

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Utah first released its list of banned book titles in August 2024, following a law passed by the Utah Legislature earlier that year.

The law requires a book to be removed from all public schools statewide if at least three school districts—or two districts and five charter schools—determine it contains ‘objective sensitive material,’ as defined by Utah code.

‘Bag of Bones’ was officially banned on Friday after the Davis, Granite, Jordan, and Tooele County school districts removed the novel from their shelves.

The decision comes just over a month after a group of bestselling authors filed a lawsuit against the state, arguing the sensitive materials law used to ban the books is unconstitutional.

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And there you have it! Stephen King’s ‘Bag of Bones’ has been added to the growing list of titles now prohibited in Utah public schools.

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