I often get asked how a book becomes an official Global Read Aloud choice?  The books are the heart of the project and are so very important to its success.  Simply put; without the incredible books, there would be no Global Read Aloud.  So how does the process work, when does it start, when does it end?  And while the answers vary from year to year, there does seem to be a little bit of a pattern by now.  Here are the steps to becoming an official Global Read Aloud choice.

• I receive the book.  This is huge.  No book has ever been selected without me having read it first.  So I spend a lot of money on books.  A lot.  In fact, so much so that I tend to not keep track of it because it would probably upset me.  There seems to be four ways I get books:
  • I buy it because it looks amazing or because someone has recommended it to me.  The recommendations come from people I trust, my students, Instagram, people who sign up to be a part of the project, and chance.
  • A few publishers still send me some books in Denmark. With books costing more than 40 dollars each in Denmark often, simply getting a few books in my hands is huge,  That greatly helps me read more incredible books, that sometimes turn into contenders.
  • Authors mail me books.  This has only happened a few times, but it is another way a book gets to be considered if it fits the project’s vision.
  • Netgalley and Libro.fm. I am so grateful to the access I get to free books as an educator, without this, I don’t think there would be a GRA anymore.
• I read the book and it speaks to me.  I wish I could say I read every book I get but sometimes something sounds great and then it doesn’t fit the project afterall.  So I prioritize a lot, I skim, and I abandon books if I don’t connect with them pretty quickly.  After all, an official GRA choice has to spark connections.
• I listen to my inner conversation.  While reading a book that I am thinking may be a possibility, I stop and think a lot.  What would kids say here?  How would they react to this?  What would this book make them think or make them do?  Would they love it as much as me?  Students are at the forefront of every GRA choice. But I also think of the creator themselves, whose story am I highlighting and giving power to? Is now the time for this story to be in the spotlight of the GRA?
• I ask for other opinions.  If I love a book, I start passing it on to people, to get their take.  A great book may not necessarily be a great read aloud so I ask them about listening to it.  Would they want to hear it be read aloud for 6 weeks?  I also ask for thoughts from people I trust, what do they think, has the book been read aloud already a lot?  And sometimes I simply put it out on social media for opinions from anyone who wants to chime in. This helps me either cement my own thoughts or sometimes changes my mind.
• I look into distribution. To be a GRA choice, a book has to be widely available globally, and it has to speak to a global audience. This is getting harder and harder as publishers cut costs and book distribution shrinks. I also try to think of paperback versus hardcover, of whether the story is too US-centric, and whether it will even spark conversations that may span very diverse experiences.
• The final choice is mine.  I always make the final decision between the final contenders.  This is so that I can stand fully behind the books that are chosen.  And most of the times I don’t go with the most popular choice either, but rather my own heart and instinct.  Let me tell you; it is nerve wracking to hit “publish” on the post that shares the choices.  Every year I hold my breath hoping people are as excited as I am.

So there it is; how a book becomes a Global Read Aloud book.  In the end, the authors whose words that are selected are those that speak not just to me but to thousands of people across the world.  They are the words that i think will spark connections, spark change, and make people feel something.  Picking the books is not something I take lightly, nor for granted, it is a privilege and a very hard choice.  I am lucky I get to make it every year.