First let me say thank you, I really appreciate edx.org and the freedom it allows for me to continue learning new subjects. I just started taking my first class on edx yesterday, Leaning from Data, via Caltech, it looks to be a very interesting course! My question is about the future graduates from edx or similar online learning centers. Will people from around the world be able to compete in the global job market while using a degree or certificate from an online institute instead of a degree from a physical institute? If so, how do you see that changing our world? Cheers, Scott Arendt

Here is a link to the Wikipedia on this author who I think teaches youth to be bright, bold and thoughtful. He has a number of books that are written for just the age range you are looking for, such as Have Space Suit--Will Travel and Red Planet, where the main character is an adolescent who uses science and math, as well as other worldly skills to survive various adventures. His writings are a bit dated, as some of them were written as early as the mid 1940's but I think this just adds to the educational value as they show what was believed to be the future, but we can now see how things turned out. As a additional note, beware his adult books, they deal with very series issues and can't be assumed to be appropriate for young readers until their parents try them first. Enjoy