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Our latest pick for NPR's Backseat Book Club is The Red Pyramid, a tale of two kids who must rescue the world from Egyptian gods. Author Rick Riordan, a former schoolteacher, combined his obsession with books with his passion for mythology to write this book about ordinary kids doing heroic things.

A celebrity who was a serial rapist and molester operated at the BBC for years, was revered, and knighted. After he died, the BBC bungled its own efforts to investigate and expose him.

Jean Merrill's classic children's book The Pushcart War explores war, peace and pushcarts on the streets of New York. Author Adam Mansbach writes that the story still resonates. Do you have a favorite children's book that deals with heavy themes? Tell us in the comments.

It used to be called the "vanity press," a name that carried a sniff of derision. But Lynn Neary reports that self-publishing has become a booming business, spawning best-sellers, and attracting the interest of Amazon and the major publishing houses.

The wildly popular photo-sharing site Instagram nearly caused a user revolt when it revamped its terms of service and privacy policy to suggest it could allow uploaded photos to be used in ads without users' permission. Instagram later clarified its position in an effort to quell concerns.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed a bill on Tuesday that would have allowed people with concealed pistol permits to carry guns in schools. He was under widespread pressure to veto it after the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., last week. Robert Siegel talks to Rick Pluta of Michigan Public Radio.

An unassuming brick building in Brooklyn houses a factory that makes animatronic puppets, elves and polar bears for the holiday season. NPR's Neda Ulaby drops by Mechanical Displays Inc. to talk with Lou Nasti, who's been at it for almost 44 years.

Rape is a problem throughout India, and a particularly brutal attack on a Delhi bus has sparked street protests and condemnation by members of Parliament. The victim, a 23-year-old woman, is battling for her life.

The "Giving What We Can" campaign urges members to donate 10 percent of their incomes to effective charities. Over many years, the group's calculators suggest, such giving could improve far more lives than you might imagine.

Critic Alan Cheuse reviews the new novel by British novelist Sebastian Faulks, called A Possible Life: A Novel in Five Parts.