Virginia Reader's Choice: What is it?

The Virginia State Reading Association (VSRA) sponsors the Virginia Reader's Choice (VRC) Award.  This annual award is given to a deserving book at the primary, elementary, middle, and high school levels.  According to the VSRA, the purpose of the award is to "encourage young readers to become better acquainted with contemporary books with outstanding literary appeal, to broaden students' awareness of literature as a life-long pleasure, to encourage reading aloud in classrooms as a means of introducing reading for pleasure, and to honor favorite books and their authors."

Each level has a committee of ten members who meet in April and October of each year.  During the April meeting, committee members bring book nominations, published within the last three years, to share with the other committee members.  The number of nominations brought depends on the level of the committee (i.e. the middle school committee members bring three nominations).  Between that meeting and the October meeting, committee members must read all the books nominated.  In October, members vote on which ten books make the official reading list, which is then released in the spring.

What makes the Virginia Reader's Choice Award more meaningful is that the official winners are voted on by students.  Virginia school children must read four of the ten books on the reading list in order to vote.  Votes are submitted online by the adult sponsoring the school/library VRC Program.  Votes are calculated and a winner is announced.  Being a Virginia Reader's Choice winner is like winning a People's Choice Award because it is given by the kids reading the books, not by experts in the literary field.

For more information on the Virginia State Reading Association or the Virginia Reader's Choice Award, please visit the VSRA website at www.vsra.org.

As a member of the middle school committee, I feel I am committed to reading more books than I may read by choice.  I read books that take me out of my comfort zone, but make me better informed when recommending books to students.  It is an honor to be part of such a special award program.

Virginia State Reading Association. 2018. Virginia Reader's Choice. Retrieved         from https://www.vsra.org/vrc/