FAQs about Teens' Top Ten Books (TTT)

1.  How do teens vote for Teens' Top Ten Books?
2.  The URL for the Teens’ Top Ten site is so long! Is there any way to shorten it for printing in library publicity?
3.  Who nominates the books?

4.  How can my teen group become a TTT nominating group?
5. What books are eligible for nomination?

6.  When are books nominated?
7.  Who votes for TTT books?
8. How can librarians and teachers involve teens in TTT online voting during Teen Read Week?

1. How do teens vote for Teens' Top Ten Books?

1. Read now.  Find the list of teen-nominated titles at the TTT site. Read as many books as possible to be ready to choose favorites.

2. Vote online during Teen Read Week (October 16-22, 2005), when a ballot containing all nominated titles will be available at the TTT Web site. Teens click its boxes to vote for their three favorite books. Any individual teen with access to the Internet can vote for TTT books, but only during Teen Read Week.

3. Watch for the list of ten winning books. In November, the national Teens' Top Ten Books will appear on the TTT Web site and on YALSA listservs and press releases.

2. The URL for the Teens’ Top Ten site is so long! Is there any way to shorten it for printing in library publicity?

Yes, http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teenreading/teenstopten/teenstopten.htm is indeed long so we now have a short, easy-to-remember URL http://ala.org/teenstopten/ - you can use either address to get to the latest TTT information

3. Who nominates the books?

Five teen book groups across the country have been appointed as official TTT nominating groups by YALSA’s YA Galley Committee. For 2005-2006, the groups come from school and public libraries in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

4. How can my teen group become a TTT nominating group?

Nominating groups change every two years. Applications for 2007-2008 will be considered by YALSA's YA Galley Committee in June 2006. Librarians who advise teen book groups may contact committee chair Diane Monnier at  dmonnier1@comcast.net for more information.

5. What books are eligible for nomination?

Eligible books are published in the current or past year, and cannot have been nominated previously for TTT. They include young adult and adult books judged as worthy according to criteria composed by teens.  These books must be selected and seconded by members of the TTT nominating groups.  Click here to see the  TTT Nomination Criteria.

6. When are books nominated?

New nominations appear on the TTT site each year between January and June. Nominations close on May 31.

7. Who votes for TTT books?

Any teen (ages twelve to eighteen) with access to the Internet can vote online through the ballot link on the  TTT page, when the ballot goes live each year during Teen Read Week in October. Votes should be cast only for books the teen has read and judged worthy of national distinction as a Teens' Top Ten Book.

8. How can librarians and teachers involve teens in TTT online voting during Teen Read Week?

• Make sure that your teens know how to find the  TTT nominations list.  Encourage them to start reading nominated titles early in preparation for the Teen Read Week vote. Add nominated titles to your YA collection.

• Link your library's or school’s Web site to the TTT nominations page. You can also reprint the nominations list directly on your site. A fine example of a teen library site that promotes TTT voting is from the City of Mesa Library in Arizona.

• Make a bulletin board or display of nominated TTT titles before Teen Read Week, with colorful signs directing teen readers to the nominations site. Hand out bookmarks or flyers listing nominated titles—and booktalk them.

• Make TTT promotion part of your library's teen summer reading program or school reading list. Consider rewarding teens who prepare for TTT voting during your program.

• During Teen Read Week, promote TTT voting within your library or classroom. Try these options or develop your own:

  • Dedicate one library computer terminal to TTT voting, marked with a big sign and decorations such as balloons or paper streamers.

  • Sponsor a TTT voting party on a certain day of Teen Read Week. Offer refreshments and other enticements to draw the teen crowd (games, prize drawings, etc.), keeping your designated voting computer busy all day with one voter after another.

  • Turn your voting party into a marathon. Ask your teen advisory council to choose a target number of voters or hours to keep the computer occupied with nonstop voting. Offer an incentive for achieving the goal, such as a prize drawing or field trip for voters who help to reach it.

Teens' Top Ten Books (TTT) is part of YA Galley, a project of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).