Well, there are many books, but for the upcoming FTC kits, there are great resource books available on Amazon. These books will help a lot with programming the NXT system and have some functional ideas, such as arms, which are really fun to learn and to build.
This book is great for beginners. Especially programming
It the Unofficial NXT Inventor's guide.
http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-LEG...77320&sr= 8-2
and this next book is a tad bit advanced. I'd prefer going through the first book, and then moving on to this book.
http://www.amazon.com/LEGO-MINDSTORM...d_bxgy_b_img_b .
That was for FTC.
For FRC, our freshman, are taught by older members. So it would be beneficial to seek out companies, people, and teams who are willing to help.