Welcome to Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens.

Members: Please visit the “About” page for updated 2021 meeting dates.

For Members’ quick reference, the Agenda for the upcoming meeting as well as the Nominations Form are available here.  Additional information about the Agendas, and instructions about how to view a specific reading group’s titles, can be found in the post above entitled “In Progress List.”  Nomination guidelines are under the “Policies & Procedures” tab.

From the Board

Thank you for visiting Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens.  Since 1996, we have been meeting, discussing, and selecting recommended books for young people through the high school years.  Since 1998, our online presence has offered a worldwide audience access to each year’s list of recommended books.  We offer a way for you to keep up with the Capitol Choices discussion, either in person or via our social networks; see the Join Us page for details.

     Our History

The first edition of Capitol Choices published in 1996 built on the work of the late Peggy Coughlan at the Children’s Literature Center of the Library of Congress, who, for many years, edited an annual list entitled “Books for Children.”  The founding members of the Capitol Choices group who worked on these lists appreciated the opportunity to hone their critical skills during those years and wished to carry forward the work of that committee.

Since its inception, Capitol Choices has included librarians, teachers, booksellers, children’s literature specialists, reviewers, and magazine editors who work in cities, suburbs, and rural areas in and around Washington, D.C. Most of us work directly with young people, and all of us share a passion for books and a commitment to pairing children with books.

     Join Us

We welcome you in person at our monthly meetings.  Capitol Choices members are also available to present workshops on the best titles of the year, how to evaluate literature for young people, and other topics related to our passion for books and audiobooks for young readers.  Please email us to schedule a workshop or find out more about joining our group.  For meeting dates, visit the About page of this website.

     Support Us

Capitol Choices is now a tax-exempt public charity! We operate thanks to the generous contributions of our members and those who appreciate the lists we provide.  We welcome your contributions via PayPal (to CapitolChoices@Gmail.com) $3 -$4 a month per member covers our operating costs.  Feel free to contact us for additional information.  Thank you for your support of this organization’s work!

Editorial Board, Capitol Choices