The Newbery Awards, the "Oscar of children's books" is an annual indicator of what some grownups think kids ought to read. Each year a committee composed of 15 members of the American Library Association develops a cloistered mystique during months of top-secret evaluation. Will they make a daring choice or a traditional one? Stick with conventional wisdom or break new ground? This year, yes and no.

It's a perfect storm: The 2007 "List of Words Banished From the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness" has surged with phrases authored by wordsmiths to make their sentences pop. They are what they are, but by now have decimated their effectiveness and ought to be thrown under the bus or, at the very least, waterboarded.

This year's Christmas stocking of film releases may contain a lemon: The Golden Compass, an adaptation of the first volume of Philip Pullman's fantasy trilogy. Emails have been warning Christians to shun the movie because the author is a dedicated atheist with an avowed goal of "destroying God." Some years ago, similar rumors about Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling proved fanciful-but in this case, urban legend is home truth.

The long, illustrious, and slightly confusing history of Hasbro's G.I. Joe began in 1964, after the toy company decided to cash in on the phenomenal success of Barbie by creating a doll for boys. "Rocky" (the Marine), "Skip" (the sailor) and "Ace" (the pilot) could have squired Barbie to the prom, because at 12" tall each would have been a manlier escort than Ken the clotheshorse. The timing could have been better, though: The first incarnation of "Joe" started strong but was no match for the anti-war and anti-warrior sentiment of the late '60s.

Once again, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute of Wilmington, Del., has determined that higher education does a lousy job of training American citizens. Exhibit A is its latest 60-question, multiple-choice test on American history and government, international relations, and market economy.