This week is Banned Books Week.

I am perpetually intrigued by the books that land on the banned list. It should come as no surprise when a seemingly innocuous book like “Captain Underpants” tops the list, but I have come to expect unexpected titles.

According to BannedBooksWeek.org, the top 10 “controversial” books of 2013 are:

Banned titles such as “50 Shades of Grey” don’t surprise me as much as books like “Captain Underpants” or “The Hunger Games.”

However, I always remain perplexed at the concept of the few trying to block the flow of ideas and information to the masses.

As a children’s writer, I understand the literary market teems with material unsuitable for all ages. I also understand when I am a parent, it is my responsibility — not society’s job — to filter the content my children consume.

It is never my job to dictate what another person’s child can or cannot read. It is not society’s job to ban a book.

In the spirit of Banned Books Week, swing by your local bookstore or library and pick up one of 2013’s most challenged titles. Or, for good measure, grab one of the top 10 banned books, as cited by ShortList.com:

1. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
2. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
3. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
4. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
5. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky
7. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
8. American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis
9. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
10. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov