[ApK]

Both my kids have a full bookshelf in their rooms. Some hand-me-down classics from my own childhood shelf, some autographed hard covers from authors they've met, lots of gift books and books they've picked out in the store.

My oldest also has use of the Sony PRS 350 ereader, because...well, the bookshelf is full, and even used DTBs cost money, and I can load up the 350 with scores of things for him try for free or cheap.
He likes the reader, but he has also clearly expressed preference for some of the nicely illustrated editions of the stories in the bookstores and the library over the b/w ink versions he had already read.

My youngest doesn't read independently yet, but has access to an iPod which has several story books that can either read aloud to her or giver her other ways to interact, which she enjoys in addition to being read to at bed time from her full shelf.

I read something here recently about the benefits of paper page turning for young kids starting out in reading...the tactile experience, the efficiency of page flipping, the cues to story structure from the physical sense of the beginning and end of a book...and I believe most of it. So my kids have both.

BTW, I wouldn't mind more tips for free/cheap stuff for an 8-year old boy who loves mysteries.

ApK

p.s. I think the Wii is great. My kids get more exercise and excitement jumping around with those controllers then they do just sitting and watching TV (or reading....). It's great to have a variety of stuff to do, especially over a hot summer. Ride bikes, go to swimming, read, watch movies, play games. I could only see any of them as bad if any of them were done to the exclusion of all the others.