Choices: A Brief History
In 1974, the International Reading Association (now International Literacy Association) and the Children’s Book Council (CBC) launched Children’s Choices: an annotated list of high-quality books written for readers in grades K–6 (ages 5–12). For more than four decades, approximately 12,500 children from different regions of the United States read hundreds of new titles donated by North American publishers and selected up to 100 of their favorites for inclusion on the reading list.
Sister projects Young Adults’ Choices and Teachers’ Choices were introduced in 1986 and 1989, respectively; the former highlighted approximately 30 books for teenagers, while the latter identified the same number rated by teachers, school librarians, and reading specialists as outstanding for curriculum use.
A New Beginning
The three lists served as trusted and anticipated resources until 2020, when the COVID-19 virus created conditions that rendered the volunteer-driven project untenable. As a result, ILA paused the program for the first time before ultimately deciding to rehome it with long-term cosponsor CBC.
In May 2022, CBC announced that it was relaunching the reading lists under a new name: Favorites. The inaugural set of lists—Children’s Favorites, Young Adult Favorites, and Teacher Favorites—are set to be released in spring 2023.
Learn more about the Favorites Lists.
Choices Archives
ILA members may obtain archived lists by contacting choices@reading.org. The three most recent reading list booklets—each an annotated compilation of all three Choices lists—may be accessed by anyone through the links below.