People longing to earn a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records may get their chance very soon.

Walden Media, in conjunction with Paramount Pictures, is attempting to set the record for “most people reading aloud simultaneously in multiple locations” today at 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, when students, teachers and fans across the country will gather to read a selected passage from “Charlotte’s Web.”

According to Guinness World Records, the current record occurred when 155,528 students from 737 schools throughout the United Kingdom read William Wordsworth's poem “Daffodils” on March 19, 2004.

Among the participants in today’s nationwide event will be Bay Area students in San Francisco and San Mateo school districts, some of whom will receive family passes to attend a special Examiner-sponsored screening of the new “Charlotte’s Web” movie Thursday.

Ann Dalton, who supervises textbook distribution for the San Francisco Unified School District, couldn’t be happier.

“We sent out books to 27 elementary schools in the area, and the teachers will be responsible for helping the children participate in breaking that record,” she says. “Every fourth-grader will have his own copy of ‘Charlotte’s Web,’ and there will be plenty of copies for the classrooms, too.”

For details on participating, visit www.charlotteswebbarr.com/program.php.