海角大神

The American Library Association鈥檚 of the 10 most challenged books of 2012 featured some new titles this time around.

There were 464 challenges in total in 2012, according to the Office of Intellectual Freedom, an increase from 2011 when 326 were reported.

The 鈥�Captain Underpants鈥� series by Dav Pilkey are the No. 1 most challenged books for the year, with those who challenged the series claiming that these books are inappropriate for their target audience and have 鈥渙ffensive language.鈥� The "Captain Underpants" books (the first of which was published in 1997) didn't appear in the Top 10 of last year's list and, in fact, have not appeared on any such list since 2005.聽

The No. 2 most-challenged title on the 2012 list is 鈥淭he Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian鈥� by Sherman Alexie, which was the fifth-most challenged title in 2011 and the second-most in 2010. Those who filed complaints against the book called it inappropriate for its age group and said that it had 鈥渙ffensive language, racism, [and was] sexually explicit.鈥�

Behind Alexie's novel at No. 3 is 鈥淭hirteen Reasons Why鈥� by Jay Asher. The novel was released in 2011 and follows a boy named Clay who is left a series of tapes by his classmate, Hannah, who had committed suicide weeks earlier. In addition to complaints that this book is inappropriate for its age group, 鈥淭hirteen Reasons Why鈥� is also said to have content discussing 鈥渄rugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, suicide.鈥�

Another newcomer to the list is the notoriously raunchy 鈥�Fifty Shades of Grey鈥� series by EL James. (Because the ALA includes any "formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school鈥� in its criteria for compiling this list, the presence of 鈥淔ifty Shades of Grey鈥� in the No. 4 slot does not necessarily mean that the book is being stocked in school libraries.聽 Complaints may well have come from readers who object to seeing the book their local library.)

Long-time "most-challenged book" list staple 鈥�And Tango Makes Three鈥� by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson 鈥� a picture book about two male penguins who adopt a baby 鈥� reappeared this year in fifth place after being completely absent from the list in 2011.

No. 6 on the 2012 list is 鈥�The Kite Runner鈥� by Khaled Hosseini, which had been missing from the list since 2008, when it ranked ninth. No. 8 is 鈥淪cary Stories鈥� series by Alvin Schmidt, which reappeared on the 2012 list after last coming in at No. 4 in 2008

Meanwhile, the books that ranked No. 7 (鈥淟ooking for Alaska鈥� by John Green) and No. 9 (鈥淭he Glass Castle鈥� by Jeanette Walls) were both first-timers on the list. 鈥淟ooking for Alaska鈥� follows a boy named Miles who goes to boarding school and falls in love with a girl named Alaska. 鈥淟ooking for Alaska鈥� contains 鈥渙ffensive language, sexually explicit [content]鈥� in addition to being unsuitable for its target audience, according to complaints. 鈥淭he Glass Castle,鈥� a bestselling memoir that describes the early lives of Walls and her brother, was charged with 鈥渟exually explicit鈥� and 鈥渙ffensive" language.

No. 10, 鈥淏eloved鈥� by Toni Morrison, last appeared on the list in 2006, when it came in ninth.

Titles missing from the list this year included the No. 1 most-challenged series for 2011, the 鈥渢tyl鈥� books by Lauren Myracle. The 鈥淐olor of Earth鈥� series by Kim Dong Hwa, which ranked second last year, also fell off the list, as did last year's No. 3, 鈥�The Hunger Games鈥� by Suzanne Collins, and last year's No. 4, 鈥淢y Mom鈥檚 Having A Baby!鈥�