Teens' Top Ten

The Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year!

Teens' Top Ten

Important Note: The calendar for Teens' Top Ten has changed as of 2024!

The Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in fifteen school and public libraries around the country. Readers ages twelve to eighteen then vote online for the top 10.

2025 Teens' Top Ten:

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: No Brainer by Jeff Kinney

If Only I Had Told Her by Laura Nowlin

The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Glass Girl by Karen Glasgow

The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

Six Truths and a Lie by Ream Shukairy

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth

Additional Information

2023 Teens' Top Ten

2023 Teens' Top 25

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir. Razorbill.
Alone Out Here by Riley Redgate. Disney Hiperion.
Blackwater by Jeanette Arroyo and Ren Graham. Henry Holt and Co.
Crumbs by Danie Stirling. Clarion Books.
Dig Two Graves by Gretchen McNeil. Disney Hyperion.
Don't Look Back: A Memoir of War, Survival, and My Journey from Sudan to America by Achut Deng and Keely Hutton. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
Five Survive by Holly Jackson. Electric Monkey.
Gallant by VE Schwab. Greenwillow Books.
Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh. Feiwel & Friends.
Gleanings: Stories from Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman. Simon &Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Gold Mountain by Betty Yee. Carolrhoda.
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys. Penguin.
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace. Pig and Bear Publishing.
The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman. Clarion Books.
Lakelore by Anna-Maria McLemore. Feiwel & Friends.
Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes. Balzer + Bray.
Lia and Beckett's Abracadabra by Amy Noelle Parks. Harry N. Abrams.
Lightlark by Alex Aster. Harry N. Adams.
Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of an Wuhanese American by Laura Gao. Balzer + Bray.
A Million Quiet Revolutions by Robin Gow. Farrar, Strauss & Giroux.
My Sister's Big Fat Indian Wedding by Sajni Patel. Harry N. Adams.
Nothings Burns as Bright as You by Ashley Woodfolk. Versify.
Nothing More to Tell by Karen McManus. Delacorte Press.
The Rumor Game by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra. Disney.
Some Mistakes Were Made by Kristin Dwyer. HarperTeen.

Download the full list with annotations.

How many advanced reading copies (ARCs) do groups receive?

Groups receive over 300 different titles a year. Each group receives between 2-4 copies of each title (depending on the size of the group) which means that you could receive anywhere from 600 to 1200 copies of ARCs a year.

What can we do with the ARCs once the year is over?

Once the year is over, the advanced reading copies are yours to use as you like. However, they may not be sold or added to your library collection. They are not finished copies of books so cannot be treated as such. You can give them to teens or use them as prizes.

How many reviews do my teens need to complete for each ARC received?

While not every title will appeal to every teen in your group, you should do your best to have a couple of teens review every galley you receive.

Do students have to give feedback to publishers for every book that they read?

Students are expected to give feedback on every ARC that is sent to the group. While not every title will appeal to every teen in your group, you should do your best to have a couple of teens review every galley you receive. Students do not need to send feedback to publishers for books that they read that are not sent to them as part of the program.

How do teens vote for Teens' Top Ten Books?

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. Use the lists in your summer reading program.
Vote online Teens will vote online in August, September, and October at http://www.ala.org/yalsa/teenstopten for their favorite books. The winners of the 2016 Teens' Top Ten will be announced the week after Teen Read Week. Tell your book group, youth organizations you work with, and any other groups you know that work with teens to come to http://www.ala.org/yalsa/teenstopten in August, September, and October and vote, 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 the voting period.
Watch for the list of ten winning books! During Teen Read Week, the winners will be named. The national Teens' Top Ten Books will appear on the TTT Web site and on YALSA electronic discussion lists and press releases.

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

Yes, it is! We now have a short, easy-to-remember URL: http://www.ala.org/yalsa/teenstopten — you can use either address to get to the latest TTT information

Who nominates the books?

Any teen across can suggest a book for TTT by filling out the public nomination form. Fifteen book groups across the country, all of which participate in YALSA’s Teens' Top Ten/YA Galley Project. They nominate titles throughout the year and vote on their nominations and the nominations from the public to determine the 25 official TTT nominations. Every two years, applications are accepted for new book groups.

How can my teen group become a TTT nominating group?

Groups change every two years. Any YALSA member is eligible to apply to participate. The next time applications will be available will be in August of 2018. If you want to receive an mail when applications are available, fill out this form.

What books are eligible for nomination?

Any book of teen interest, fiction or nonfiction, adult or young adult, published during the previous year is eligible for the Teens’ Top Ten. (January 1 through December 31). Teens are expected to read widely throughout the year to nominate titles. Teens should be reading more than the advanced reading copies that are sent to them to nominate titles.

When are books nominated?

The TTT groups read and nominate all year to determine the list of the 25 (approximately) official TTT nominations. Nominations are posted on the Thursday of National Library Week in April each year.

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 in August until it closes in October (on the last day of Teen Read Week). Votes should be cast only for books the teen has read and judged worthy of national distinction as a Teens' Top Ten Book.

How can librarians and teachers involve teens in TTT online voting?

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 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.
Make a bulletin board or display of nominated TTT titles before voting opens, 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.
Promote TTT voting within your library or classroom. Use the Teens' Top Ten Toolkit (Word doc) or visit our guide to promoting TTT!

Teens' Top Ten

Teens' Top Ten

2025 Teens' Top Ten:

Additional Information

Previous Winners

Promoting the Teens' Top 10

Frequently Asked Questions