This is NJ’s number one favorite book right now

I’m so glad that we have a day to acknowledge important things in this country. Like National Assistance Day, National Bring Our Kids to Work Day, National ... Volunteer Recognition
Day.

When it comes to some of the other designated days, it seems like there’s a national “day” for every single thing that exists in this world. Pancake Day, Hot Dog Day, Margarita Day, National Lima Bean Day, Respect Day. It seems like we are over-celebrating and over-acknowledging some of the dumbest things.

Here’s a day that I can get behind. World Book Day. I admit it, I’m a book nerd. And World Book Day is a celebration of books and reading that takes place annually on April 23.

It was designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 1995 as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and it is celebrated in over 100 countries around the world.

In honor of this auspicious occasion, Scholaroo has analyzed the most popular books in all 50 U.S. states. The results were interesting but not surprising. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is the most popular book in the country, ranking first in 23 states, including here in New Jersey.

"To Kill A Mockingbird" and "The Great Gatsby" rank second and third in the country.

So what books are we reading? According to the survey, here are NJ's top five books

 📖 Harry Potter

 📖 It

 📖 Pride and Prejudice

 📖 The Great Gatsby

 📖 1984

And there really are no big surprises on these lists.

Except for a couple of states reading "The Book Thief," "The Stand," "The Silent Patient," "Where The Crawdads Sing" and "Fahrenheit 451." Most in the country are reading the same handful of books.

The purpose of World Book Day is to encourage reading and to promote the love of books among people of all ages, particularly young people. Let’s hope this year we encourage them to read and develop a lifelong love of books.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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