The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom released the top ten most frequently challenged books list of 2013 as part of the State of America’s Libraries Report on Monday, April 15. Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants series ranked #1 for the second year in a row. The series had been challenged for “offensive language,” “unsuited to age group,” and “violence” and had also appeared on the Top Ten lists in 2002, 2004, 2005.

New to this year’s list are The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison; The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins;  A Bad Boy Can Be Good for A Girl, by Tanya Lee Stone; The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky; Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya, and Bone by Jeff Smith.

Out of 307 challenges as reported by the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom:

1)      Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey

Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group, violence

2)      The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison

Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence

3)      The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

4)      Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James

Reasons: Nudity, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

5)      The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

Reasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group

6)      A Bad Boy Can Be Good for A Girl, by Tanya Lee Stone
Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit

7)      Looking for Alaska, by John Green

Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

8)      The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky

Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

9)      Bless Me Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya

Reasons: Occult/Satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit

10)  Bone (series), by Jeff Smith

Reasons: Political viewpoint, racism, violence