Just because a literary work achieves critical acclaim and commercial success doesn't mean it can't be yanked from bookshelves, the American Library Association (ALA) reports.

Working from a list of more than 5,000 complaints recorded by public schools and libraries during the 1990s, the ALA complied a list of the top 100 books that were most often asked to be removed. The most frequent reasons given for the complaints were that books featured sexual content, occult references, discussions of same-sex relationships or "anti-family values," the Associated Press reports.

Only about 5 percent of recorded complaints resulted in a book being removed, but ALA officials also state that the majority of complaints weren't formally recorded -- meaning that there may have been 25,000 challenges or more during the past decade.

The top 10 most often challenged books were: the "Scary Stories" series by Alvin Schwartz; "Daddy's Roommate" by Michael Willhoite; Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"; "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier; Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"; "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck; "Forever" by Judy Blume; "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson; "Heather Has Two Mommies" by Leslea Newton; and J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye."

One of the most significant catalysts for a book being banned -- or at least drawing complaints -- is that it is used by teachers in the classroom.

"The fact that teachers assign them is one of the reasons there's so much concern," said Judith Krug, director of the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom. "They deal with issues a lot of parents don't want to know about."

The list of 100 books was released in advance of the 20th annual Banned Books Week, Sept. 23-30. The event will feature displays of the most-challenged books and readings in libraries and bookstores around the country.

Banned Books Week is cosponsored by the American Booksellers Association,the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the Association of American Publishers,the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the National Association of College Stores.

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