PBS is working to encourage America to read books. The network this April launched “The Great American Read.” The show is asking people across the country to read, vote and share in the first-ever national campaign to choose “America’s Best-Loved Novel.” In addition to the nationwide reading campaign, the eight-part television series returns to PBS stations on Tuesday, September 11 at 8:00 p.m. ET (check local listings). 

The campaign encompasses a wide range of community engagement activities, as well as digital and social initiatives, all leading up to an exciting finale airing Tuesday, October 23 at 8:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS stations. Meredith Viera serves as the project’s host. 

Titles included on the top 100 list of America’s favorite novels run the gamut from modern-day pop-culture hits to beloved children’s classics that have stood the test of time; from science fiction adventures to historic literature written hundreds of years ago; from thrillers that keep us on the edge of our seats to complex personal journeys that raise challenging social issues. 

“The Great American Read” is one of the most extensive national celebrations of books ever, and it’s just getting started. To date, almost 2 million votes have been cast in America’s search for its “Best-Loved Novel.”

Viewers are currently able to vote for their favorite titles at pbs.org/greatamericanread, through hashtag voting via Facebook and Twitter, and through SMS texting using the dedicated book hashtag that can be found here. In the fall, viewers will also be able to cast their vote toll-free by phone.

“The Great American Read” collection is currently available on PBS LearningMedia. In addition, this fall, PBS Digital Innovators will host three Virtual Professional Learning Events for teachers, PBS Education will host a similar event aimed at educators of early childhood learners and PBS TeacherLine will offer several courses for early childhood educators who teach young readers.

To complement “The Great American Read” PBS KIDS is hosting “PBS KIDS Read” as part of the annual summer learning initiative for children ages 2-8 and their families. Available on PBS Parents, “PBS KIDS Read” encourages reading and related activities through a variety of resources for kids and parents, including book lists, tips for new readers and other literacy resources.

“The Great American Read” is a production of Nutopia for PBS. The program is executive produced by Jane Root, Michael Cascio, Bob Kirsh and Charles Marquardt; co-executive produced by Rebecca Ratliff Cameron; line produced by Rachael Jerahian; and produced by Nilam Agrawal-Desai, Katherine Linton, Kate Chumley, Justine Simonson, Michelle Smawley, Siobhan Lockhart, Annie Wong and Tomek Gross. Bill Gardner, Vice President of Programming and Development, is executive in charge for PBS, and Bethany Latham is project director.

Amplifying the on-air and online series content will be a fully illustrated companion book, The Great American Read: The Book of Books, which will include information about the 100 novels, author profiles, rare images of original manuscripts and more, plus a foreword by “The Great American Read” host Meredith Vieira, to be published by Black Dog & Leventhal and made available on Tuesday, August 21. 

Check out the list below: