Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, winner of a National Book Award for young people's literature, has become one of the most challenged books in the U.S., according to the American Library Association.

The ALA released its annual list of challenged books on Monday, with And Tango Makes Three, the picture book about two male penguins raising a penguin chick, topping the list.

The list is based on the number of requests libraries get to remove a book from their shelves.

Alexie's 2007 novel — about a bullied teenager who is estranged both from the rich white kids at his high school and his fellow Indians on the Spokane Reservation — is the second most challenged book, cited for language, racism and sexual content.

Both And Tango Makes Three and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian are also on the Canadian list of the most controversial books of 2010, issued during Freedom to Read week in February.

"It almost makes me happy to hear books still have that kind of power," said Alexie, who often writes about the experience of being native in America.

"And there's nothing in my book that even compares to what kids can find on the internet," he said, dismissing any suggestion that the book could be harmful.

There have been dozens of attempts to remove And Tango Makes Three from school and public library shelves since its publication in 2006, because its depiction of a family with two d ads. Religious objections are frequently cited.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, a bestseller about young people who are forced to hunt and kill each other on live television, entered the list for the first time at No. 5. It was cited for violence and sexual content, although it is recommended for readers aged 12 and up.

Collins said it is not unreasonable to describe the book as violent as it is part of a war trilogy. She said she believes young readers must be ready emotionally to read such dystopian material.

"Emotional readiness and previous exposure to a similar type of subject matter — those seem like key elements to me in determining whether a young person can handle a book," she said.

Other popular series, such as the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Myer's Twilight novels have also made the list in the past. Twilight remains at No. 10 for the 2011 edition of the ALA list.

The Harry Potter series has faced numerous challenges from parents in Canada, with some citing religious objections and saying stories about wizardry and witchcraft were inappropriate for children. Neither The Hunger Games nor the Twilight series has been cited as challenged in Canada.

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Caption: Barbara Ehrenreich worked at Walmart and as a maid to write her book Nickel and Dimed. It has become a challenged book. (Associated Press)

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A long-established book that has emerged as controversial among U.S. parents is sci-fi classic Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, which is cited for its language, racism, sex education, violence and unsuitability for young readers.

Barbara M. Jones, director of the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom, says this book has become topical because of changes in technology. Huxley's book, published in 1932, anticipates controversial issues such as use of antidepressants and artificial fertilization.

The ALA firmly defends the presence of these books on library and school library shelves.

"While we firmly support the right of every reader to choose or reject a book for themselves or their families, those objecting to a particular book should not be given the power to restrict other readers' right to access and read that book," Jones said.

Other classics, such as perennially challenged To Kill a Mockingbird, The Color Purple and Catcher in the Rye, were not on the list this year.

One curious addition was Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich's non-fiction work about how difficult it is to live as a waitress, maid or Walmart worker. The book is cited for offensive language, drugs and as "inaccurate."

"The closer books come to things that are really happening in a lot of lives, the more they become a reminder of what people don't like to think about," Jones said.