Could you read 50 books a day? That’s exactly what Julie Azzam did as a judge for the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, while also being a parent and working at Carnegie Mellon University.

The Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards selected Azzam, Ridgefield Avenue, as one of three judges on the award committee, which honors excellence in the field of children’s and young adult literature.

The competition awards prizes for fiction, nonfiction and picture books. Eligible books must be published in the United States between June 2024 and May 2025, though authors and illustrators can be from any country.

Azzam specializes in children’s literature from the Middle East, South Asia and their diasporas, a reflection of her educational history.

In 2007, Azzam earned a doctorate in literature from the University of Pittsburgh where she focused on contemporary literature from Africa and South Asia.

Her first child was born shortly before in 2006, when she began to frequent the Mt. Lebanon Public Library for children’s books and story times. “We would go to the library once a week, if not more,” said Azzam.

With the birth of her second child in 2009, Azzam found a true passion for children’s books and started a blog about the books she read to her kids.

As her writing received positive feedback, Azzam reviewed books and co-authored “Calling Caldecott,” a blog for The Horn Book Magazine, used primarily by librarians and educators.

She also wrote for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, interviewing children’s authors such as Judy Blume.

“That’s how I got from being a parent who’s interested in reading books with their kids to a person really immersed in the field of children’s literature,” said Azzam.

The awards committee is composed of three individuals with diverse expertise, interests and range, selected by the editor in chief of The Horn Book Magazine. “Excellence gets to be defined by each award committee,” explained Azzam. “We were constantly in discussion about what is ‘excellent.’”

Azzam read around 1,200 books from November 2024 to mid-May 2025 to determine their excellence. She recalls piles of books being delivered in boxes every day. “It was amazing and overwhelming at the same time, but you do this because you love the books,” she said, likening it to “an unboxing experience like Christmas every day.”

Reading 50 children’s books a day during the peak, Azzam said the experience was “like being in a really giant book club.” In fact, the piles of books were taller than her.

Picture books are Azzam’s favorite category to judge and read. “I never knew that many picture books were even published in a year.”

Azzam gave up TV and other leisure activities during judging, as she devoted all her time to reading these books. She knew what she was looking for in the finalists: “Something that’s important for me is the voice, that it have a unique voice or perspective.”

All of the books, and the judging process, taught Azzam something new. “It was an amazing experience, and I’m really honored to have taken part in it,” she said. “I read a lot, but I’ve never read that much ever.”

She plans to donate many of the books to the Mt. Lebanon School District. “I know so much about the books I’ve read, and I’m just eager to share that … I hope local kids will get to enjoy them.”