Teen Read Week is back — and we are excited to help foster a culture of literacy, curiosity, and lifelong learning across our school community! Through book talks and personal reading recommendations from staff and community members, students are introduced to new perspectives, genres, and stories that may inspire them to become more engaged readers. All grade levels and English classes will be coming into the library during the last week of October to celebrate and cultivate a love for reading and curiosity! This year's theme is Imagining Another Reality, with many of our titles honoring fantasy, mystery, and horror just in time for spooky season!

This year brings over 130 brand new titles for students to choose from, all published within the last year by prominent and up-and-coming young adult writers. Stay tuned for announcements to find out more information about our Teen Read Monthly Reading Challenge that will kick off in November!

Teen Read Week is a national initiative supported by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) to encourage teens to “read for the fun of it.” In Santa Clara Unified School District, our school libraries join in by offering themed book displays, fun reading-related activities, and engaging talks — all designed to spark joy and connection through reading.

At SCUSD, Teen Read Week is an opportunity to bring students together in a relaxed, judgment-free zone — where they can discover books that reflect their interests, explore new genres, and share their excitement with friends. By highlighting reading as a social and joyful experience, we help foster a lifelong love of literacy across grades and campuses.

To make the week even more exciting, students can participate in fun contests with the chance to win prizes. Activities might include book trivia challenges, “guess the staff member’s favorite book” games, bookmark design contests, or short book review raffles. Prizes range from gift cards to brand new bikes donated by Santa Clara Schools Foundation (SCSF).