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The I Hear America Reading Booklist: Any book list is an argument, an invitation to begin a conversation. These lists will prove helpful to the extent that you argue with them, thinking in the process why some other book or author should or should not be on this list. I limited the lists to ten (with one exception) for the simple reason that you cannot create any such thing as a complete list; better to pick a fight and let you figure it out on your own.The conversations that yielded these lists were among the most intriguing pats of the proccess as they challenged us all to think not only why we read certain books but why, for example, one might think William Faulkner’s books far exceed the importance of Ken Kesey’s or why Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a wonderful book but The BFG has to be on the list (according to my son).

SF Chronicle's Top 100 Western Non-fiction Books: Here they are together at last, the Chronicle Western 100 in fiction and nonfiction: the best books of the 20th century written in or about, or by an author from, the Western United States. Based on a reader poll, these two lists first appeared in the paper in the spring and fall of 1999. Six hundred Chronicle subscribers can't be wrong -- or maybe they can, but we'll be damned if we can find where.

Modern Library Top 100 Non-Fiction Books of the Century: The much-disputed list of the top 100 nonfiction books of the 20th Century. Nothing like a list to start a good argument, and this one did just that. One response to the list was the San Francisco Chronicle's 100 Western Nonfiction classics.

Berkeley Public Library Teen Services Book Lists: An excellent, current list of books recommended by the staff at the Berkeley Public Library. This list is made up of different lists, each based on a theme that will surely speak to students. Very useful to teachers and students.

Books Unlimited Top 10s: Developed and maintained by the Guardian and Observer, this is a wonderful collection of tens (e.g., "Libby Brooks's favourite women's novels," "10 Favorite Books about Modern History." The lists are complied by historians, novelists--in short, people who deserve our attention when they recommend a book. The site itself is also well designed so you won't get lost or waste time (unless you want to) wandering around.

Library Of Congress, The Center For The Book: Respondents to the Survey of Lifetime Reading Habits, conducted [fall 1991] for the Book-of-the-Month Club and the Library of Congress' Center for the Book, cited the following when asked to name a book that had made a difference in their lives.

The Modern Library, Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century: Ten of the 100 Best novels selected by the Board have been published in new editions by the Modern Library. Also be sure to check out the Radcliffe Publishing Course's list of 100 novels. Read about the Modern Library in the news. To comment on The Board's list of the "100 Best" novels and on the readers' poll, please visit our Forum. Or, for a more structured discussion, why not try our talking points. The readers' poll for the best novels published in the English language since 1900 opened on July 20, 1998 and closed on October 20, 1998, with 217,520 votes cast. The results are below.

AP Readings for Students and Teachers: The following titles all appeared on the Advanced Placement Literature test in the last few years. I include them here to help you find books for yourself or your students to read. For more information about the AP tests, visit the College Board website. Off line until revised and proofread.

The Utne Reader "Loose Canon" List: What follows is a smorgasbord of books, movies, plays, television shows, and works of music that broaden, deepen, or define the experience of being alive. They will stretch your thinking, stir your soul, and maybe even offersome startling insights on what to cook for dinner tonight. We created this list out of thousands of recommendations from authors, activists, professors, book club members, spiritual teachers, and bemused observers of the human condition. It's offered not as a checklist to measure your intellectual standing, but as an inspiration, to give you an incentive to pursue your own blissful course of study. The real value of self-learning is that it connects you with a whole web of knowledge, each new discovery moving you in the direction of further insights. That's why every one of the main selections here points to another work we've listed, which of course will lead you to more and more.

Corretta Scott King Award: The Coretta Scott King Award is presented annually by the Coretta Scott King Task Force of the American Library Association's Social Responsibilities Round Table. Recipients are authors and illustrators of African descent whose distinguished books promote an understanding and appreciation of the "American Dream. " The Award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and honors his widow, Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination in continuing the work for peace and world brotherhood. Winners of the Coretta Scott King Award receive a framed citation, an honorarium, and a set of Encyclopaedia Britannica or World Book Encyclopedias. Coretta Scott King Award books are chosen by a seven-member national award jury. The CSK Award Jury also chooses The Coretta Scott King New Talent Award winners. These books affirm new talent and offers visibility to excellence in writing or illustration at the beginning of a career as a published book creator.

Newbery Award Books: The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

Caldecott Award Books: The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

California Young Reader Medal Books 1975-1999: The California Young Reader Medal program encourages recreational reading of popular literature among the young people of our state. Since its inception in1974, millions of California children suggest the names of favorite books for nomination, or teachers and librarians note repeatedly read or requested titles, and these are submitted to the California Young Reader Medal Committee. Members of the committee read the suggested books, discuss their merits and appeal to children, and decide upon a well balanced list of nominees. Books are nominated for the medal in four categories: Primary (K-2), Intermediate (3-6), Middle School/Junior High (6-9), and Young Adult (9-12). Students may read and vote for books in any and all categories, but they must read all books nominated in a category to be eligible to vote.

American Library Association, Most Frequently Challenged Books: When books are challenged, restricted, removed, or banned, an atmosphere of suppression exists. The author may make revisions, less for artistic reasons than to avoid controversy. The editor and publisher may alter text or elect not to publish for economic and marketing reasons. Staff in bookstores and libraries may find published works too controversial and, fearing reprisals, will choose not to purchase those materials. The fear of the consequences of censorship is as damaging as, or perhaps more damaging than, the actual censorship attempt. After all, when a published work is banned, it can usually be found elsewhere. Unexpressed ideas, unpublished works, unpurchased books are lost forever. 1999 Resource Guide

Marilyn Carpenter's List of K-9 Recommended Trade Books: Teachers who use children's literature as an integral part of their curriculum are challenged to keep abreast of newly published titles. Librarians who are supporting the classroom curriculum also have the same challenge. Part of my role as a consultant is to support teachers and librarians in their discovery of new titles. To do so I have compiled this list of excellent choices of trade books for kindergarten through ninth grade. I have read all the books on the list with an eye toward classroom use. I receive thousands of review copies from the major children's trade publishers each year. This access allows me to select from a variety of choices. I may read from ten to fifteen titles to find one that will be on the list. The list that follows is offered to teachers and librarians to save them time, and money. The list is not intended to limit but to be a beginning for those who need to have some guidance.

100 Great Works of American Fiction by Women: While we'd agree that the Modern Library's list features some extraordinary and wonderful works of fiction, we're a little dismayed by a list of major 20th century English language novels that completely overlooks such writers as Margaret Atwood, Nadine Plath. We could go on, but instead we've compiled our own list of 100 Great 20th Century English-language Works of Fiction by Women. In order to choose the works on the list, women's online forums and lists were canvassed. Unlike the Modern Library's, our list is not ranked. We've also restricted it to one work per author, since our aim was to showcase the extraordinary richness and votes for one or more works.