GMA and Jenna’s picks
Publishers Weekly reports that Good Morning America and Read with Jenna are spotlighting debut novels this month, calling out debuts by Caro Claire Burke and Woody Brown among their April selections. (publishersweekly.com)
Good Morning America and Read With Jenna both used their April 2026 book clubs to push first novels into the national spotlight. (publishersweekly.com) Publishers Weekly reported on April 14 that Good Morning America chose *Yesteryear* by Caro Claire Burke and Read With Jenna chose *Upward Bound* by Woody Brown. Good Morning America announced its pick on April 8, and TODAY posted Jenna Bush Hager’s selection the same week. (publishersweekly.com) (goodmorningamerica.com) (today.com) Burke’s *Yesteryear* follows Natalie Heller Mills, a social media personality whose pioneer-style “tradwife” image collapses into a harsher version of 19th-century life. Good Morning America called it the show’s April book club pick and identified it as Burke’s first novel. (goodmorningamerica.com 1) (goodmorningamerica.com 2) Brown’s *Upward Bound* is also a debut, and TODAY said Jenna Bush Hager picked it for April 2026. In a separate TODAY segment, Brown said he is autistic and communicates with a letter board with help from his mother, Mary Brown. (today.com 1) (today.com 2) These television book clubs can move books quickly from release-week attention to mass-market visibility. Publishers Weekly’s April 13 bestseller report said *Upward Bound* landed at No. 6 on its hardcover fiction list after the Jenna selection. (publishersweekly.com) Good Morning America’s club has also highlighted debuts before, including Ashley Audrain’s *The Push* in January 2021. Its book club page says the program showcases a “wide range” of authors and promotes monthly discussion around each selection. (abcnews.go.com) (goodmorningamerica.com) The April picks also show how book clubs are splitting attention between satire tied to internet culture and fiction framed around disability and family experience. Publishers Weekly grouped both choices with other celebrity-book-club selections in a single April roundup, underscoring how much monthly picks now shape publishing coverage. (publishersweekly.com) For debut novelists, that kind of placement can mean national television exposure, retailer promotion and an early sales jolt in the same week. In April 2026, Burke and Brown got all three at once. (goodmorningamerica.com) (today.com) (publishersweekly.com)
