Banned Books Week, September 24 - October 1, 2011

"Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment.  Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States" (ala.org).

Celebrating Banned Books Week with students is always something that I look forward to. Simply sharing a list of banned books with students always sparks interest among young readers.

Here are a few of my favorite "banned and challenged" classics.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Did you know that these books have been "banned and/or challenge?"
Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling
The Gossip Girl series Cecily von Ziegesar
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey
Goosebumps series by R.L Stine
The Witches by Roald Dahl
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

For more information about Intellectual Freedom and Banned Books Week visit http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/