Ok, so one of the books I ordered is coming from MI and it is being tracked.  I looked this morning around 6:30 and it said the book was near Kansas.  Now it's 11:00 and I just checked it and it says that the book is back in MI where it  started out.  I know with the USPS the book couldn't have gotten from Kansas to MI in 4 1/2 hours, so what do you think happened?  Is it just a tracking glitch or has my book just been sitting in MI all this time?  Any thoughts?

I don't have an answer for you but I've had crazy tracking also.  I've scratched my head when a book was going 20 miles from me (I'm in CT) and it was scanned in New Jersey.  Maybe there's a postal worker that has an answer?  I'm curious too.

That little PBS tracking truck has been known to do crazy, crazy things and take amazing little detours on the way to final destination. *grin*

Seriously, the tracking area is not absolutely 100% precise or accurate.  It is just to give you a rough idea of where along the route that your book is during the journey, and just shows approximate location unless the barcode has been scanned by USPS.  From the Help Center:

The PBS Delivery Confirmation Map

• The map shows your book's progress from point to point en route to its destination.
• Each time the barcode is scanned, a dot will be recorded on the map.
  • Clicking on a dot will provide information about that "waypoint".
• The little truck "drives" at a steady pace, beginning on the day the sender marked the book mailed
  • It will keep driving until USPS scans the barcode to tell the truck where your book is.
  • Then the truck's position will "correct" to reflect the latest scan information
• Click the truck for a surprise!

Right - like Sianeka referenced, the only things you can 'trust' are the waypoints (dots) on the map. The truck somewhere along the line is a total guess.

Oh my gosh!  I've never read the "Click the truck for a surprise" part in the Help Center before.  Thanks for posting that! 

(Simple things make me happy.)  :)

I had one that I sent from MI to Vermont.  I went by way of Minnesota...lol  I figure the truck took it to Minnesota so it could hop a plane to New Jersey, to drive to New York, then to Massachusetts and on to Vermont.  It got there safe and sound and that's what counts! 

Now, I gotta go click on the truck!  I have one coming from California and the truck was way laided in Las Vegas.  I know that driver was playing craps!