The American Library Association’s Banned Books Week kicks off tomorrow. Here to tell us a little bit more about this annual celebration is Scholastic’s own Director of Library and Education Marketing, John Mason.

The last week of September each year, the American Library Association holds Banned Books Week (this year it’s September 24 – October 1), celebrating the importance of the freedom to read in an open, democratic society. Banned Books Week is co-sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, the Association of American Publishers, the National Council of Teachers of English, and other groups. In conjunction with them, Scholastic supports the right of anyone to choose what to read, and to decide what is appropriate for one’s own children to read – but not to impose that decision on others by removing titles.

During Banned Books Week, the ALA releases a list of the “Top Ten Most Challenged Books of the Year”—the novels that have most frequently been the target of attempted bannings. Well-known Scholastic titles on the list include The Hunger Games, which first appeared on the 2010 list in the #5 spot, and the Harry Potter series, which has made many appearances on the list, making it the most challenged book of the decade from 2000-2009. We’ve put together a slideshow of the Scholastic titles that have been banned over the years. Tell us — are you surprised by some of these titles?

You can learn more about Banned Books Week and see the complete list of Challenged Books by visiting the ALA website. There are also lots of conversations happening on Twitter.

Banned books can be a controversial topic. Readers, what are your thoughts on banned books? Teachers or librarians, how do you handle them in your classrooms? Parents, what do you do when your child wants to read one? Let us know in the comments.