Year: 2025

Global Read Aloud: Notes as We Leave November

1 Comment
GRA banner with slogan: one book to connect the world

In a hurry? Here’s the rundown:

  • GRA 2026 will kick off October 5th, and finish November 13th, 2026.
  • I’m giving you a sneakpeek into which books I can’t stop thinking about.
  • And soon…I promise the books for 2026 will be revealed

Spring har sprung after the hardest winter in 16 years here in Denmark. And with it comes naps in my greenhouse, a cat that follows me around the garden and soon the reveal of the books for 2026. A few have been firm im my mind for a while now, others switch as I read new books. It is never easy, but then many things aren’t right now. In my meanderings I look for hope in pockets. Flowers that poked through the ice despite the weight, plants that survived the wind, my own children continuing to fight battles and still getting up every day. I turn on the news and see a world in turmoil, but also one where so many are fighting for bigger causes than themselves. Who are connecting and carrying the weight communally. Who fight back despite being depleted, hopeless, and continue to turn to books to find hope, power, strength.

The Books I Can’t Stop Thinking About

The Poetry of Car Mechanics

I wasn’t pulled into this book from the first page but once it took hold, it didn’t let go. A novel-in-verse that follows the unpredictability of living, and then not living, with a mother with mental health struggles, when all 15-year old Dylan wants to do is find peace in his life. Mix in an injured hawk, a grandfather that speaks through autowork, and all of the world that surrounds any 15 year old, and you have an unmistakable raw book that deserves to be read and to be shared. While billed as a middlegrade fit, I would say it is on the older end of the category, but nevertheless it is beautiful.

Sashimi

Dan Santat is a master of children’s literature, and this is the new graphic novel series that will take its rightful place next to Dogman. While the first book is not yet out, I promise you it is worth a preorder, as is the second book when it debuts in September. Following a fishboy who leaves the water of Barnacle Bay in order to find someone like him, this book is both laugh out loud funny, and also strangely thoughtful. After all, who cannot relate to the quest of finding community?

One Word, Six Letters

Another soon-to-be-published book for this month’s list. This new YA book packs a powerful punch in its only 224 pages. Following dual narratives of two high school boys, it starts right after one of them has screamed out the six letter “f” slur at a school assembly. What happens when someone dares you and you don’t even realize the damage you have done? And what happens to all those it affects, perpetrator included? I read this book in December and keep coming back to it. I cannot wait to see how it is met in the broader world.

The Second Life of Snap

Coming out May 12th, this is my favorite book so far of Erin’s. In a dystopian future where the distinction between those who have enough and those who don’t have been set through laws, what happens when a discarded robot all of a sudden is brought home and awakened? Hopeful, thoughtful, and also actionpacked, this had all the ingredients of a fantastic middle grade.

The Lion’s Run

Many years ago, I remember reading Pax also by Sara Pennypacker, and feeling like I just read something incredible. I felt the same way reading her newest book. Another middle grade book, but this one is historical fiction, set in France during WWII, it follows Lucas, an orphan, that becomes involved with the resistance. This is one of those reads that leaves trails of questions behind it, perfect for a book club, or a read aloud. It is heartpounding, heart filling, and also nerve wracking – a perfect combination for a great new book.

The final selection is near

It’s not just flowers that are blooming, but also the final selections taking hold in my mind. It is never easy. Truly. I can love a book and think it will be an incredible read aloud and still the nerves swallow me whole. But, I have made peace with it. After all, the GRA is voluntary. If someone doesn’t like the book selections, or worse they are not allowed to use them, then there will always be next year.

So when will the books be announced? Right now, I am not sure. I know I normally do it in March, but finding just the right fit has proven difficult this year in one category and so I am still searching there. I may have a book, but it is not certain in my mind yet. I hope you can bear with me.

A Few Things You Should Know

Kick off next year will be…Mark your calendar for October 5th, 2026, and will run for 6th weeks.

I have an idea…Have a book or author to suggest? Make sure you add it here so I can learn more.

Wondering what I am reading…follow me on Instagram.

Have anything I should know, feedback, or just questions…send me an email p@globalreadaloud.com or leave a comment here.

And finally…

Please know that I read every single message you send me, and also that I am reading as much as I can. I don’t share much anymore about my homelife out of respect for my children, but nearly all of them have received major diagnoses in the last few years, and with those our worlds have both turned upside down, and also in some ways slotted in place. Trying to be be the kind of mom they all need is my heartwork, as is this project, but sometimes my late night reading sessions really only become 5 minutes before I finally get to rest.

So I read in 10 minute increments on the train. I read next to my husband while he watches a movie. I sneak in pages in the car. I dive into stories in bits and pieces. It is slow, but it is what I can do right now.

I know you all eagerly await and in so many ways so do I. I cannot wait for you to meet this year’s books. I cannot wait to hear what you think. I cannot wait to see the connections we make.

So for now, I will read a little more before making dinner, and try to get to the announcements sooner rather than later.

Until then, keep reading — and keep imagining what’s possible.
❤️ Pernille

PS: One, or maybe even more, of the books mentioned today are in the tippity top of potential choices. Can you guess which one(S)?


Global Read Aloud: As We Wrap up November

1 Comment
GRA banner with slogan: one book to connect the world

In a hurry? Here’s the rundown:

  • GRA 2026 will kick off October 5th, and finish November 13th, 2026.
  • I’m giving you a sneakpeek into which books I can’t stop thinking about.
  • And soon…I promise the books for 2026 will be revealed

Spring har sprung after the hardest winter in 16 years here in Denmark. And with it comes naps in my greenhouse, a cat that follows me around the garden and soon the reveal of the books for 2026. A few have been firm im my mind for a while now, others switch as I read new books. It is never easy, but then many things aren’t right now. In my meanderings I look for hope in pockets. Flowers that poked through the ice despite the weight, plants that survived the wind, my own children continuing to fight battles and still getting up every day. I turn on the news and see a world in turmoil, but also one where so many are fighting for bigger causes than themselves. Who are connecting and carrying the weight communally. Who fight back despite being depleted, hopeless, and continue to turn to books to find hope, power, strength.

The Books I Can’t Stop Thinking About

The Poetry of Car Mechanics

I wasn’t pulled into this book from the first page but once it took hold, it didn’t let go. A novel-in-verse that follows the unpredictability of living, and then not living, with a mother with mental health struggles, when all 15-year old Dylan wants to do is find peace in his life. Mix in an injured hawk, a grandfather that speaks through autowork, and all of the world that surrounds any 15 year old, and you have an unmistakable raw book that deserves to be read and to be shared. While billed as a middlegrade fit, I would say it is on the older end of the category, but nevertheless it is beautiful.

Sashimi

Dan Santat is a master of children’s literature, and this is the new graphic novel series that will take its rightful place next to Dogman. While the first book is not yet out, I promise you it is worth a preorder, as is the second book when it debuts in September. Following a fishboy who leaves the water of Barnacle Bay in order to find someone like him, this book is both laugh out loud funny, and also strangely thoughtful. After all, who cannot relate to the quest of finding community?

One Word, Six Letters

Another soon-to-be-published book for this month’s list. This new YA book packs a powerful punch in its only 224 pages. Following dual narratives of two high school boys, it starts right after one of them has screamed out the six letter “f” slur at a school assembly. What happens when someone dares you and you don’t even realize the damage you have done? And what happens to all those it affects, perpetrator included? I read this book in December and keep coming back to it. I cannot wait to see how it is met in the broader world.

The Second Life of Snap

Coming out May 12th, this is my favorite book so far of Erin’s. In a dystopian future where the distinction between those who have enough and those who don’t have been set through laws, what happens when a discarded robot all of a sudden is brought home and awakened? Hopeful, thoughtful, and also actionpacked, this had all the ingredients of a fantastic middle grade.

The Lion’s Run

Many years ago, I remember reading Pax also by Sara Pennypacker, and feeling like I just read something incredible. I felt the same way reading her newest book. Another middle grade book, but this one is historical fiction, set in France during WWII, it follows Lucas, an orphan, that becomes involved with the resistance. This is one of those reads that leaves trails of questions behind it, perfect for a book club, or a read aloud. It is heartpounding, heart filling, and also nerve wracking – a perfect combination for a great new book.

The final selection is near

It’s not just flowers that are blooming, but also the final selections taking hold in my mind. It is never easy. Truly. I can love a book and think it will be an incredible read aloud and still the nerves swallow me whole. But, I have made peace with it. After all, the GRA is voluntary. If someone doesn’t like the book selections, or worse they are not allowed to use them, then there will always be next year.

So when will the books be announced? Right now, I am not sure. I know I normally do it in March, but finding just the right fit has proven difficult this year in one category and so I am still searching there. I may have a book, but it is not certain in my mind yet. I hope you can bear with me.

A Few Things You Should Know

Kick off next year will be…Mark your calendar for October 5th, 2026, and will run for 6th weeks.

I have an idea…Have a book or author to suggest? Make sure you add it here so I can learn more.

Wondering what I am reading…follow me on Instagram.

Have anything I should know, feedback, or just questions…send me an email p@globalreadaloud.com or leave a comment here.

And finally…

Please know that I read every single message you send me, and also that I am reading as much as I can. I don’t share much anymore about my homelife out of respect for my children, but nearly all of them have received major diagnoses in the last few years, and with those our worlds have both turned upside down, and also in some ways slotted in place. Trying to be be the kind of mom they all need is my heartwork, as is this project, but sometimes my late night reading sessions really only become 5 minutes before I finally get to rest.

So I read in 10 minute increments on the train. I read next to my husband while he watches a movie. I sneak in pages in the car. I dive into stories in bits and pieces. It is slow, but it is what I can do right now.

I know you all eagerly await and in so many ways so do I. I cannot wait for you to meet this year’s books. I cannot wait to hear what you think. I cannot wait to see the connections we make.

So for now, I will read a little more before making dinner, and try to get to the announcements sooner rather than later.

Until then, keep reading — and keep imagining what’s possible.
❤️ Pernille

PS: One, or maybe even more, of the books mentioned today are in the tippity top of potential choices. Can you guess which one(S)?


GRA banner with slogan: one book to connect the world

GRA Update: Looking Ahead to Next Year

Leave a comment

Welcome — And Thank You

Another Global Read Aloud has come to an end, and I find myself doing what I always do this time of year: sitting with the books, with the kids who read them, and with the small and not-so-small moments that stayed behind. Even as we wrap up one season, the next one starts to whisper its way in.

There is something tender about this in-between time. A closing and an opening. A deep breath before the next stretch of reading and learning together.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

I’ve already begun gathering books for the year to come—stacking them next to my bed, carrying them in my bag, letting them remind me why this project exists in the first place. Because stories make us feel less alone. Because sharing them connects us in ways we cannot always predict.

Over the next few months, I’ll be reading my way toward the next set of choices. Not just one book, but many. Stories that challenge, comfort, disrupt, delight—books that reach for something true.

If you have titles you think I should read, I hope you’ll tell me. This community has always helped widen my view. You can comment here, or fill out this form.

What I’m Wondering About This Year

I also noticed that some of you weren’t able to use the books this time around. I would really love to understand that better.

What got in the way?
What support or different choices would have helped?
Your experience matters, and it shapes the work ahead.

Leave a comment, or send me an email p@globalreadaloud.com

Why Subscribe Here

If you subscribe, you won’t miss the quiet but important updates:

  • the books I’m previewing
  • behind-the-scenes reading notes
  • early news from publishers
  • key dates and planning help

I promise not to overwhelm your inbox. Just what matters, when it matters.

Thank You

Thank you for being here.
Thank you for reading alongside me, for sharing your classrooms and your kids, for believing in the power of pages passed from hand to hand.

Every year, this project rebuilds itself through all of us.
Every year, it surprises me again.

Here’s to the journey ahead, whatever stories find us next.

— Pernille

Global Read Aloud Choices 2025 #GRA25

Leave a comment

In these continued times of turmoil I have looked to the past and the present for hope. I don’t think I am the only one. When the world around us seems to lose its way, we look back upon other dark times as a way to find the light. After all, there are so many times in our history that the very essence of being human was under attack.

We know the past does not just define us. It teaches us more than the mistakes we make. It is in the past we look for how people survived. Not just in body, but in spirit. We see how people fought back. How we carved out paths even against all odds. How when hope was lost, a spark still persevered and rebellions started.

Stories bring hope. Even as we turn another page filled with despair, our heroes emerge victorious, bruised and battered, but forged by fire. And so this year’s choices are once again books meant to spark hope. To create change. To push questions and inspiration. Perhaps even to spark anger as we search for a path forward. But I also hope they bring you joy, connection, and a renewed sense of togetherness because in a world where powerful people seem to be hellbent on tearing us all apart, books can create a bridge, if even for a moment.

So if you like the choices for this year, join me as we kick off the Global Read Aloud on October 6th, 2025. If you don’t like the choices, don’t join, it’s as easy as that, but I for one am already counting down the days until it kicks off.

There is no sign-up to join, just either pay attention here for more information or join the Facebook communities – I would recommend joining the main one and the one specific to the book (or creator) you choose:

Main GRA Facebook group

Picture Book Study Group

Early Reader Book Group

Upper Elementary/ Middle-Grade Book Group

Middle School Book Group

YA Book Group

Kick-off this year is October 6th and we run until November 14th.

You don’t have to follow the schedule, but please don’t read ahead and spoil the book(s) for others.

The choices for this year’s Global Read Aloud are…

Picture Book Creator Choice:

This year’s chosen creator is Oge Mora

Oge Mora’s name has come up so many times as a wish for the GRA, and I am thrilled that this year she will have 6 picture books to her name. I cannot wait to see her stories and artwork unfold in classrooms around the world.

Week 1:

Week 2:

Week 3:

Week 4:

Week 5:

Week 6:

Early Reader Choice

Wild Magic: Legend of the Black Lion Kindle by Abiola Bello (Author), Emma McCann (Illustrator)

Misha and Ziggy are no ordinary twins. They have a secret that no one else knows: Misha can speak to animals and Ziggy can shapeshift into them!

The siblings couldn’t be happier to be joining their wildlife presenter father on a trip to Ethiopia, and they’re determined to help him bag the best footage of the legendary Black Lion.

When the Black Lion goes missing, Misha and Ziggy are certain their powers can help track it down, but they aren’t the only ones on the hunt for the extraordinary animal. Can the twins help keep the whole jungle safe from harm?

Reading Breakdown:

Week 1: Chapters 1-2

Week 2: Chapters 3-4

Week 3: Chapters 5-6

Week 4: Chapters 7-8

Week 5: Chapters 9-10

Week 6: Chapters 11-13

MIDDLE GRADE/UPPER ELEMENTARY CHOICE

Will’s Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes

It’s 1889, barely twenty-five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and a young Black family is tired of working on land they don’t get to own.

So when Will and his father hear about an upcoming land rush, they set out on a journey from Texas to Oklahoma, racing thousands of others to the place where land is free—if they can get to it fast enough. But the journey isn’t easy—the terrain is rough, the bandits are brutal, and every interaction carries a heavy undercurrent of danger.

And then there’s the stranger they encounter and befriend: a mysterious soldier named Caesar, whose Union emblem brings more attention—and more trouble—than any of them need.

All three are propelled by the promise of something long denied to them: freedom, land ownership, and a place to call home—but is a strong will enough to get them there?

Reading Breakdown:

Week 1: Chapters 1-6

Week 2: Chapters 7-11

Week 3: Chapters 12-18

Week 4: Chapters 19-26

Week 5: Chapters 27-34

Week 6: Chapters 35-end

MIDDLE SCHOOL CHOICE/JUNIOR HIGH

Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi

Seventh grade begins, and Kareem’s already fumbled it.  

His best friend moved away, he messed up his tryout for the football team, and because of his heritage, he was voluntold to show the new kid—a Syrian refugee with a thick and embarrassing accent—around school. Just when Kareem thinks his middle school life has imploded, the hotshot QB promises to get Kareem another tryout for the squad. There’s a catch: to secure that chance, Kareem must do something he knows is wrong.

Then, like a surprise blitz, Kareem’s mom returns to Syria to help her family but can’t make it back home. If Kareem could throw a penalty flag on the fouls of his school and home life, it would be for unnecessary roughness.

Kareem is stuck between. Between countries. Between friends, between football, between parents—and between right and wrong. It’s up to him to step up, find his confidence, and navigate the beauty and hope found somewhere in the middle.

Reading Breakdown:

Week 1: Pages 1-55

Week 2: 55 – 105

Week 3: 106 – 167

Week 4: 168 – 214

Week 5: 215 – 276

Week 6: 277 – end

YOUNG ADULT CHOICE

Where Wolves Don’t Die by Anton Treuer

Ezra Cloud hates living in Northeast Minneapolis. His father is a professor of their language, Ojibwe, at a local college, so they have to be there. But Ezra hates the dirty, polluted snow around them. He hates being away from the rez at Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation. And he hates the local bully in his neighborhood, Matt Schroeder, who terrorizes Ezra and his friend Nora George.

Ezra gets into a terrible fight with Matt at school defending Nora, and that same night, Matt’s house burns down. Instantly, Ezra becomes a prime suspect. Knowing he won’t get a fair deal, and knowing his innocence, Ezra’s family sends him away to run traplines with his grandfather in a remote part of Canada, while the investigation is ongoing. But the Schroeders are looking for him…

Reading breakdown:

Week 1: Chapters 1 – 5

Week 2: Chapters 6 – 10

Week 3: Chapters 11 – 16

Week 4: Chapters 17 – 20

Week 5: Chapters: 21 – 25

Week 6: Chapters: 26 – end

HASHTAGS FOR THE YEAR:

Picture book author study – #GRAOge

Wild Magic– #GRAWild

Will’s Race for Home– #GRAWill

Kareem Between – #GRAKareem

Where Wolves Don’t Die – #GRAWolves

And of course the official one – #GRA25

GLOBAL READ ALOUD SUPPORT:

T-shirts and other merchandise supporting the project can be found here

TO ORDER YOUR BOOKS:

Please consider ordering the books from Bookshop.org– an independent bookstore that partners with local independent bookstores to sell books. You can see the winner list here and support The Global Read Aloud at the same time.

If you need to order through Amazon, please order it through this affiliate link, the cents earned from it go to purchasing and shipping books to those who cannot get them.

FOR RESOURCES AND TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS

To find answers to the most frequently asked questions, go here – you will find ideas for how to do the project, as well as how you can share your reading.

If you are looking to connect with others, and don’t want to use Facebook, use these Google sheets.

Picture book Connections Wanted

Wild Magic Connections Wanted

Will’s Race for Home Connections Wanted

Kareem Between Connections Wanted

Where Wolves Don’t Die Connections Wanted

To find shared resources and share your own, see this link – you will find author resources and also created resources from others.

There you have it; another amazing year of connecting awaits. Read the books, share the books, and get ready for another opportunity to change the world.

Love,

Pernille