Banned Books Week, September 25-October 2, 2010, 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.

Books such as Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby; Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men; Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises; and Jack London's The Call of the Wild are titles that have been banned or challenged.

Librarians, teachers, and booksellers across the country use Banned Books Week each year to teach the importance of our First Amendment Rights and the power of literature to draw attention to the danger that exists when restraints are imposed on the availability of information in a free society.

Go on board the Bookmobile during the first two weeks of October and guess the number of pumpkin seeds in the jar. You could be the winner of a giant pumpkin donated by Monte Vista Market. The winner will be notified on Saturday, October 16. You can pick up a copy of the Bookmobile schedule at the Library, or find it on our website at www.monterey.org/library and look under services.  Happy Halloween!