Textbooks are indispensable tools, but how many times have you started out with a textbook only to find the exercises turning to thin gruel, forcing you to scramble to fill in the gaps? This article provides an evaluation system and score sheet to help university conversation teachers anticipate and forestall these and other problems in textbook selection. By first systematically recording their overall evaluation of the textbook and peripherals, followed by carefully inspecting key components, teachers can best choose the textbooks appropriate for each class.