April 23 has been chosen by UNESCO as "World Book Day." The date was selected for its literary significance: it is the anniversary of Cervantes' death, and of Shakespeare's birth and death. 2012 will be the 15th annual World Book Day, which is celebrated in over 100 countries worldwide. 

 

In the UK on World Book Day, millions of school children receive book tokens. On World Book Day, book tokens are given away to children in the UK. These tokens can be exchanged at a book store for a free book. This year there are eight wonderful books on the eligible list. The tokens can also be put towards the purchase of any other children's book or audiobook.

 

The first World Book Night was held last year in the UK, and it was a smashing success. Similar to All Hallow's Read, World Book Night is dedicated to giving away free copies of great books to readers and non-readers alike. The twist is that you can sign up to be a donor. If you are selected, you can pick up 30 free copies of your chosen book at your local book store, free for you to give away on April 23rd!

 

This year, World Book Night is launching in the United States as well. There are 30 books on the list to choose from, including books by Sherman Alexie, Maya Angelou, Octavia Butler, Sue Grafton, and other literary gems. These books are being produced in special editions just for World Book Night (and are marked "not for resale," to help prevent hijinks).

 

World Book Night is particularly geared towards getting books in the hands of non-readers or light readers. They ask their participants to be adventurous, and go out into your community to hand out the books to strangers. They "ask that you go to a coffee shop or hospital, church or community center, an after-work party or train home, shopping mall or local school" and hand out your 20 copies. 

 

Even if you aren't selected to be a World Book Night donor, you can still participate! Personally, with the way that used book sale prices have fallen through the floor, these days I prefer to give my books away. I used to be able to recoup a good chunk of the cover price by reselling it, but frankly it's just not worth the effort. I signed up with BookCrossing, and it's really fun to choose a book and release it into the wild!