The leaves are turning red, brown, orange, and gold. Everything smells like pumpkin spice and freshly baked cookies, while the briskness of winter winds gradually drift into Southeast Texas. It is time for Sweater Weather, Halloween, and most importantly – Teen Read Week and the Teens’ Top Ten Books.

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is a division of the American Library Association that primarily focuses on the upcoming generations and more specifically the YA Genre (Young Adult Genre). As a literacy initiative to get more teens reading, YALSA began the annual Teen Read Week, which takes place every fall during Oct. 9-15.

Those seven days devoted to getting the youth excited about reading come around the same time as the Teens’ Top Ten, which is a list of the best young adult novels of each year. Books are nominated by teen book clubs from around the country and are posted to the Teens Top Ten site on the Thursday of National Library Week. This gives readers from April to October to check out the nominees and take a side.

“I always look forward to the Teens’ Top Ten,” junior Ashley Knight said. “I love to read but often get caught up with the business of life and neglect the hobby. Not having the time to go hunting for a good book and not wanting to reread the same ones for the fifth time in a row can make the prospect of reading a lot less fun, so being able to go through the nominees and discover new favorites is always a welcome experience.”

Readers ages 12 to 18 may start putting in votes for their favorite titles from Aug. 15 through the last day of Teen Read Week. Votes are submitted online at the Teens’ Top Ten website. From there, the results are added up and announced to the public within the following week.

“It is a great way to get teens involved,” LCM Librarian Charlette Roddy said. “All the winners are chosen by them, so it really is true to their choice and can be a great source of new material for anyone interested in the YA genre.”

YALSA’s literacy initiative has been an ongoing tradition since 1998. The tradition is still alive and the purpose is genuine. Teen Read Week is all about generating conversation among teens about reading, helping them discover new stories, and spreading the joy of a good book.

“Books are more than just pages, binding, and glue,” junior Kayla Dean said. “They are how humans continue to help each other laugh, grow, and learn without every making a sound.”