Yet another platform for books

As cell phones become more and more important in the lives of teens and tweens, librarians will want to check out the new move by Google and Amazon to make more books available on phones. E-books have not yet gained a strong place in children's books, but the Amazon's Kindle is becoming a favorite for some advanced readers in the 10 to 14 group. Still, this requires carrying around an extra piece of gear to read a book, while having a book available to download directly to your cell might be attractive to the affluent suburban kids who are proud possessors of i-phones. Most of the books announced for this format are out-of-print classics more suited to college students than junior high, but if the format takes off, publishers may rush to make teen-friendly fiction available in this format. It's something to watch.