100 Best Books and more

If you're still trying to get in some reading before school starts, this list has something for everyone, classics and new selections.

One of the first books on the list, Sherman Alexie's "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," no stranger to controversy, was just challenged again.
When I read the book, I was more struck by the effects of poverty and racism on Junior and his family.
However, it is worth remembering that in this list for children 9-14, not every book may be appropriate for the younger readers.
Every fall when patrons request American Indian books, it can be a challenge to find non stereotyped books. Alexie's books are some of the best.

NPR is doing a series on libraries and today's feature on e-books was intriguing. Libraries as publishers? Might that be the future?

I never went to summer camp. My mom was a teacher and I checked out stacks of books (mostly BSC and SVH, I confess) from Northland Library and read them at the pool. I never felt like I was missing out. And I suppose I read enough quality lit that I wasn't losing my edge.
This article suggests that structured summer activities give wealthier students an advantage and that low income students lose out in the summer when they don't get a chance to participate in educational enrichment opportunities.