Lists, Lists, Lists

It's beautiful, isn't it? That's a word cloud created by The Christian Science Monitor of books that appear most often on recommended reading lists for children. If you're unfamiliar with word clouds, the basic idea is that the books that are in the largest print are the ones that appear the most often on the various lists they used. This particular list encompasses multiple age groups.

There are literally thousands of recommended reading lists out there in the ether. School districts publish them. So do bookstores, libraries, and a multitude of organizations. Here is a "quick-and-dirty" list of some of my favorites. I only have time for brief comments right now, but I hope to revisit later with more detailed information.

Oprah is known for her ability to help a book shoot to the top of the bestseller list. Here, she offers lists by age group and subject, as well as tips on fostering reading.

The Modern Library has a list of what many of us might call "the classics," with experts and readers choosing the top 100 novels.

TED is known for its stimulating and thoughtful talks. Some of the TED bloggers offer their picks for summer reading. This covers a wide range of genres and subjects!

No one's more expert about books than the International Reading Association. Here, they offer books chosen by teachers, children, and young adults.

BYU's Harold B. Lee Library has a summer list of what I'd consider Young Adult choices. Don't miss those links on the right sidebar to more lists!

Bestselling author James Patterson is a big promoter of childhood reading. After all--he has to ensure an audience for his books when the current audience of adults dies! At Read Kiddo Read he offers lists of new and older books based on age range and interest.

Inside a Dog is a play on the Groucho Marx quote, "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too dark to read." This Australian site features recommendations and reviews written by kids, for kids.

Compass Book Ratings and Facts on Fiction both take that step that so many parents have been hoping for--they actually give content ratings in some form, noting sexuality, violence, etc. The books range all over the map content and age wise, and the books reviewed are not extensive, but they're definitely worth a look.

And finally, check out The Book Genome Project. I haven't had much time to play here, but the idea is somewhat like Pandora--you enter the title of something you like, and the software generates a list of other books that there is a good chance you will enjoy. I definitely plan to spend some time investigating this one!

So there you have it. What's left? Book reviews, of course!