The main purpose of this publication is to encourage educators in California to use this increasing interest in the quincentenary of the first voyage of Christopher Columbus to the New World to motivate students to read broadly and in depth in literature, history, and geography and to investigate controversial issues and think critically about them. The content of the publication suggests titles that educators may wish to consider for use in the classroom or to include in the collections of school libraries. The titles are organized by suggested grade-span levels, and the type of genre of the selections is indicated for each entry. The readings include biography, fiction, essays, drama, poetry, history, and geography. A list of publishers and distributors of Spanish-language titles is appended. (DB)