Program Framework: The Canandaigua Reads! book selection is made annually by a committee of community and school district representatives. It is disseminated to the entire community through the Wood Library, local bookstores and the Canandaigua City School District. 

The common experience of reading, which may include exposure to a range of social and political issues and personal interactions, provides many teachable moments for expanding one's personal perspective and appreciating the complexity of the world around us. Each year, the selection committee will choose a book based on these criteria:

• Appeals to a broad range of ages—from high-school students to adults--considering readability, style and subject;
• Serves as a focal point for community, library, and school programs and discussions;
• Builds bridges within the community and school;
• May deal with difficult or controversial issues, language and descriptions, but does so in a context that illustrates the consequences of both good and bad character decisions; and
• Is unique, compared to other offerings, in style, subject, character development, and as a vehicle to meet the objectives of the program and established criteria.