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Beth Cox Report: March 2014

Dear Loyal Readers, Authors, and Publishers,

Spring is finally here - it took long enough, and then some. I was absolutely delighted to see my first robin (Wisconsin's state bird!) of the season in my front yard.

With the month of April comes new elections. Our village has a local school board election, and we're not alone; towns and cities across America are also holding assorted educational elections and referendums on April 1st, 2014.

As always, I want to stress how important it is to learn about your local candidates and vote your conscience. In today's technology and information-driven world, where low-skill jobs pay less and less, quality education is crucial to securing our children's future. It is my firm conviction that these school board elections are ultimately as vital to America as any political office. So please, take 15-30 minutes out of your day to participate!

In keeping with the educational theme, March's Link of the Month is "World Science U":

http://www.worldscienceu.com

This is a website dedicated to offering science education to browsers of all backgrounds and experience levels. Whether one is searching for the answers to a few questions, interested in a short online course tailored for lifelong learning, or looking to take a university-level course, World Science U is a great place to learn more about the natural world. I've added them to the "Online Universities & Education Resources" section of our "Libraries and Universities" links page, on our website at

http://www.midwestbookreview.com/links/library.htm#education

Our "Libraries and Universities" links page will never be a comprehensive database of university and educational websites - there are simply too many for one lone person (me) to keep track of. But I hope it's a useful glimpse into the world wide web's unlimited potential for education!

March's Review of the Month is about ordinary, school-age kids who use their hearts, their minds, and their education to make the world a better place:



Pay It Forward Kids
Nancy Runstedler
Fitzhenry & Whiteside Limited
195 Allstate Parkway
Markham, Ontario Canada L3R 4T8
9781554553013 $19.95 www.fitzhenry.ca

Pay It Forward Kids: Small Acts, Big Change is a hardcover, nonfiction book featuring fourteen, true-life stories about young people and teens working to make the world a better place. From 16-year-old Hannah Taylor, founder of The Ladybug Foundation to aid the homeless, to 15-year-old Alaina Podmorrow and her charity event efforts to raise money for Little Women for Little Women in Afghanistan (an organization dedicated to providing teachers, education, and libraries to Afghan women and girls), to 13- and 16-year-old Jack and Madi Praver's work to combat bullying with kindness, each story is thoroughly inspirational and motivational. Highly recommended, especially for grade school, high school, and public library collections!



I think the positive example set by the young people in this fine book speaks for itself. There are many means to contribute to a better tomorrow - volunteering to help the needy, giving to a worthy charity (as always, beware of scam artists!), donating blood or platelets to the Red Cross, and so on.

What's the best way to help? In my opinion, the answer is: any way! Any way at all. And there is no better way to celebrate spring and Easter than by doing good works.

That's it for March 2014 the Beth Cox Report. See you next month, and in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this "self-publishing success story" about Jay Antani, internationally popular author of "The Leaving of Things" (9780988419308, $13.15 pbk. / $2.99 Kindle):

http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=41575

Antani sets part of his novel in Madison, WI; it's the city he was raised in, and the home of my alma mater, University of Wisconsin-Madison. (Thanks to Richard S. Russell, for providing me with the link!)

Bethany Cox
Managing Editor
The Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com


James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
http://www.midwestbookreview.com


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