Teens' Top Ten Book Groups
About Teens' Top Ten
Teens' Top Ten, formerly called YA Galley, is an ongoing project in which publishers of young adult books provide advanced reading copies of their recent titles to teen book discussion groups in libraries. In exchange, teen readers evaluate books for the publishers.
Fifteen groups will be selected from the applicants to fulfill a 2 year term, which begins in January of 2022 through December 31, 2023. Applicants must be current personal members of YALSA. Applicants will be required to submit sample teen book reviews with their application. Book reviews must be filled out by teens and can be for any book that they have recently read.
In addition to the information about the Advisor's Procedures below, be sure to check out the FAQ!
Application
Applications for the next set of TTT groups is on hold while we review applications that we have received.
Once you have read over the below information, please fill out the application form and attach your teen reviews.
*Groups who have already completed their two-year term can re-apply. YALSA allows up to 5 groups who have already previously participated to serve a second term.
Advisor’s Procedures for Teens’ Top Ten
Project Description | General Responsibilities | Nomination Process | Timeline | Request information
The Teens’ Top Ten Project (TTT) is twofold. First, the TTT groups read all year and nominate titles for the Teens’ Top Ten. Any book (adult, young adult, fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, etc…) that is published from January 1 to December 31 can be nominated. Teens nominate a title by filling out an official Teens Top Ten Nomination form which is available online or indicating they would like to nominate the title when filling out a teens’ Top Ten Review form. Teens should nominate any book that they feel meets the Teens' Top Ten criteria.
The second part of this project is that throughout the year, the TTT groups also receive advanced reading copies of books and provide feedback to publishers. While the advanced reading copies that are sent to the groups are eligible to be nominated for TTT (given they are published within the eligibility time frame), a book does not have to be sent to the TTT groups to be eligible for the Teens’ Top Ten list. All reviews that are sent to publishers must use the Teens’ Top Ten Review form, located online.
It is very important to remember that any book can be nominated for Teens’ Top Ten! It does not need to be sent to the groups as an advanced reading copy. It is also important to try to get at least one teen review for every advanced reading copy that you are sent.
General Responsibilities and Basic Information of Teen Group Membership
Receiving Advanced Reading Copies/Galleys:
Teens’ Top Ten groups will automatically be sent copies of each galley offered. Galleys received through Teens’ Top Ten become the property of the teen groups and libraries, and may be used in various library projects. (NOTE: Advance reading copies—galley proofs—cannot be added to your library collection or sold in a book sale. These unfinished copies are not to be treated as finished books.)
Encouraging teens to complete reviews:
The advisor is responsible for encouraging teen readers to complete Teens’ Top Ten Review forms for each advanced reading copy that publishers send. While not every galley offered may appeal to your group, it is important to try to get as many readers to write reviews as possible.
Sending review forms to publishers:
Every month, YALSA staff will download all of the reviews submitted using the online Teens’ Top Ten Review form and send it to publishers. Group advisors will also receive a copy so they can monitor participation.
The Teens’ Top Ten Nomination (TTT) Process
Eligibility for TTT Nomination: Any book of teen interest, fiction or nonfiction, adult or young adult, published in the U.S. during the previous year is eligible for the Teens’ Top Ten. (January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021 for the 2022 TTT list). 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.
Remember that the number of nominations a title receives is important! If someone in your book group has nominated a title, that is not enough. Encourage everyone who likes the title to nominate it!
Completing nomination forms: There are two ways to nominate a title. A reader can simply indicate that they would like to nominate a title when submitting a Teens’ Top Ten Review form. Additionally, teens can submit a Teens’ Top Ten Nomination form. Any teen may nominate a title using the Teens’ Top Ten nomination form, but only teens participating in TTT can nominate a title using the Teens’ Top Ten Review form.
If a teen would like to nominate a title that was not sent to them as part of the program, they should use the public Teens’ Top Ten nomination form. If they would like to nominate a galley that was received as part of this program, they can nominate the title on the Teens’ Top Ten Review form.
Closing nominations: Nominations close December 31.
ALA ListServ Membership
There are two separate closed ALA listerv groups associated with the Teens’ Top Ten project. Advisors will automatically be subscribed to both groups.
1). YA Galley Advisors: Most Teens’ Top Ten business is conducted through this closed listserv group. It is the forum for asking process questions, receiving reminders of upcoming deadlines, and posting the monthly nominations for your teen group, and so forth. Teens and publishers are not included on this listserv.
2). YA Galley: Notifications of galleys that are being sent to Teens’ Top Ten groups take place through the closed listserv group. Publishers will post information about the galleys that they are being sent to the groups. Teens’ Top Ten group leaders should monitor the list so they are aware of titles they will be receiving in the mail. This list is not for conversation, just a place for publishers to post announcements of upcoming shipments.
Inability to continue as advisor:
If the advisor leaves the library, stops advising the teen group, or drops their membership in YALSA at any time during the two-year term (from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2023), they must inform the Teens’ Top Ten Committee Chair and discuss plans for an advisor replacement.
Determining final nominations and winning titles:
- January: The Teens’ Top Ten committee combines all of the nominations submitted in 2021. The books that received the most nominations will be voted on by the Teens’ Top Ten groups
- February-April: TTT Groups conduct an online vote to narrow down the list of books that received the most nominations. The 25 titles that receive the most votes will become the official TTT nominations. This is a closed vote, only for official TTT groups.
- April: The Thursday of National Library Week the official 25 Teens’ Top Ten nominations are announced.
- August: The national online teen vote will open. Teens across the country (including Teens’ Top Ten groups) will vote for their favorite titles from the 25 official nominations. The vote will close in September/October.
- October: The ten titles that receive the most votes will become the Teens’ Top Ten and are announced during TeenTober, formerly Teen Read Week.
Questions? Contact YALSA Projects at YALSAprojects@ala.org.