Lawn Boy’s graphic sexual scenes and profanity have sparked a controversy regarding its censorship in school libraries. According to the Washington Post, Lawn Boy’s placement in libraries has been challenged in at least 35 school districts. Districts in 12 states have removed the book. According to the Post, 63 percent of those school districts eventually returned the book to the shelves. Lawn Boy was number two on the American Library Association’s Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021 list. Jonathan Evison said he wrote the book for an adult audience and never intended it to be included in school libraries. (Natanson, Hannah. “A mom wrongly said the book showed pedophilia. School libraries banned it.” The Washington Post, 2022)

In an interview with the Young Adult Library Association’s teen collection blog, Evison said that although the book was intended for adults, it also appeals to a younger audience because of the Alex Award from the Young Adult Library Association. The fact that the protagonist is a 22-year-old man supports the labeling of the story as an adult novel.

Some parents have objected to a scene in the book that depicts the protagonist reflecting back on his childhood and remembering when he was 10 years old and had a sexual encounter with another fourth-grade boy.