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CHICAGO — YALSA launched its newest booklist this week: Readers’ Choice. Anyone — librarians, educators, parents, teens or teen lit fans — can nominate a title for this list in seven thematic categories through Oct. 31 at .

Nominations are accepted online at in the following seven categories:

• Horror/Thriller
• Mystery/Crime
• Nonfiction
• Realistic Fiction
• Romance
• Science Fiction/Fantasy
• Steampunk, a wild card category for 2011 only, defined as a literary mashup of science fiction, fantasy and Victorian sensibilities.

“The new Readers’ Choice list offers more opportunities for member engagement and it also allows readers and lovers of teen publishing to have a voice in recognizing popular teen literature each year,” said Kim Patton, YALSA president. “This list will offer a great amount of diversity, with input from readers of all types —urban or rural, male or female, older or younger —weighing in on their favorite books. We want to make sure the books on this list are on everyone’s radar when it comes to advocating for teen lit in libraries.”

To be eligible for the 2011 list, titles must fit into one of those seven categories and must have been published between Nov. 1, 2010 and Oct. 31, 2011. Nominations will be accepted online through Oct. 31, 2011. Any title that receives 25 nominations will appear on the final Readers’ Choice ballot, and YALSA members will vote for the top five books in each category beginning in November, with the final Readers’ Choice list published the first week of December. YALSA will publish nominees for the final ballot on the first business day of each month.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos and audiobooks for teens. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to , or contact the YALSA office by phone, (800) 545-2433, ext. 4390, or e-mail, yalsa@ala.org.