About VRC
Sponsored by the Virginia State Literacy Association in association with Virginia Association of School Librarians, Virginia Library Association & Library of Virginia Youth Services.
Purpose
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.
A winner will be announced for each level- Primary, Elementary, Middle School, and High School. The winning book will have gathered the highest number of votes in their category. The window for voting for VRC books is March 1 - April 30th. The winners will be announced after the voting window closes.
History
- Awards were given at one level for several years beginning with the 1981-82 school year.
- The first school year for multiple level awards was 1986-87 with awards for one Elementary book, one Middle School book, and one High School book.
- Suggested titles are screened and those meeting eligibility requirements are considered along with committee nominations during the selection process.
- Reading lists for the coming school year are announced each spring.
Eligibility
- The book must be recognized as noteworthy in the field of children’s/young adult literature.
- The book must be published within three years prior to the ballot on which it appears.
- Books must be appropriate for the level for which they are nominated.
Voting Procedures
To become a qualified voter, a participant must be exposed to at least four of the nominated books at each level in their entirety by reading them himself, having them read aloud to him, or a combination of the two.
Students may participate in the Virginia Readers’ Choice Program through a public library, school library, or classroom.
Each qualified voter has one vote for his/her favorite book at each level. A participant may vote at more than one level – for instance an elementary student may choose to vote for an elementary level title and a primary level title.
A responsible adult in a classroom or library setting must monitor the voting, and only one official tally sheet per program level (Primary, Elementary, etc.) may be submitted from each public library or school regardless of how many individual groups within that school/library take part in the program. The total number of votes submitted from a school/library may not exceed the number of students qualified to vote from that school/library.
The winning book for each level is selected by popular vote of the participating students evaluating the books. Votes must meet the deadline date to be included in the popular vote.
Voting for the 2023-2024 lists is now closed! Come back on March 1, 2025 to vote for the 2024-2025 titles!