It’s actually an edited version of his Dreams From My Father book for, er, middle school students. How much do you want to bet it actually makes its way into school libraries?

Mr. Obama approved the $500,000 advance on Jan. 15. The advance is against royalties under a deal with Crown Publishing, a division of Random House. The project calls for an abridged version of his book “Dreams From My Father” for middle-school-aged children, according to the disclosure.

A White House aide said that the deal had been in the works for weeks and that the publisher will abridge the book. The aide, speaking on a condition of anonymity, said the publisher will get half of the money while Mr. Obama will sign off on the final version.

In addition, the financial disclosure showed Mr. Obama brokered an amendment to an existing book deal with Crown Publishing to put off writing a nonfiction book until after he leaves office.

It’s a little odd that a man about to become the President of the United States signs a half-million dollar book deal to convert his previous memoir to one for children.

Via Ace.