<p>abasket – I am Catholic too–</p>
<p>We have found the New Jerusalem Bible the best choice for our family. It will come in many sizes (I mean whether pocket or not) – you can buy monster ones too! And you can just Google it for starters, to find a size you could put in a pocket or at least a backpack. </p>
<p>The New American Bible (NAB) is the one you hear at church, but it does not read as smoothly as the Jerusalem & people have often complained the language was “dumbed down” (a matter of opinion). You can get a NJB with terrific footnotes and all that, too, if you buy a student version (they mean for seminary or other college students, not the reader who wants it in his pocket).</p>