Germany’s Read-Aloud Day Celebrates Stories with an Epic Berlin Tale

A last-minute change brought an unexpected reader to Berlin’s classrooms. Discover how an epic Cold War story captivated young minds on Germany’s biggest literary day.

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2025 November 22 . 8:02 PM

1 min read

This looks like a classroom full of children was sitting on chairs and the man is standing and... — This looks like a classroom full of children was sitting on chairs and the man is standing and speaking something to the children and beside him we can see a monitor and speakers present and above that we can see clock and beside that we can see a window and at the left side we can see a door

Germany’s Read-Aloud Day Celebrates Stories with an Epic Berlin Tale

Germany’s annual Read-Aloud Day took place on the third Friday in November 2023, with a special event at Berlin’s Robert-Reinick Elementary School. Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) was unable to attend, so his Chief of Staff, Thorsten Frei, stepped in to lead the reading session instead. The day’s theme, Reading Speaks Your Language, aimed to highlight the joy and importance of books for young learners.

The school welcomed Frei with music and songs, including a performance of Reading Means Floating on Clouds. He read aloud from The Message in a Bottle by Klaus Kordon, an epic tale set in Berlin before the fall of the Wall. The session was part of a wider reading tour across Berlin-Siemensstadt, originally planned to be led by Chancellor Merz.

With Frei leading the session, the event at Robert-Reinick Elementary School continued as planned. The Chancellor’s office confirmed that Merz remained engaged with the initiative, even from afar. The day’s activities reinforced the message that reading can inspire, entertain, and connect people across languages.